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Almost 90% say women should be allowed abortions

Tue, 24 Oct 2017

Almost 90% of those who responded to a consultation on the Island's abortion laws are in favour of allowing women on the Island to undergo terminations in the early stages of pregnancy.

3644 people replied to the public consultation on the Abortion Reform Bill, with 87% agreeing that women should be given the choice to have an abortion up to 14 weeks into their pregnancy.

Almost 85% think women who are rape victims should be able to request an abortion without reporting the crime, while more than 80% say a fatal abnormality should allow a woman to have a termination after 24 weeks.

Ramsey MHK Dr Alex Allinson drafted the Bill, and will present the findings of the consultation to Tynwald members this week, with a view to presenting a full draft of the proposals to the House of Keys in the near future.

The full findings of the consultation will be published on the Government's website on Friday.

Currently, Manx laws prevent the majority of women from undergoing abortions on the Isle of Man.

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