Last June, following the US Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe Vs Wade, Kay Burnley of Sky News decided to interview MP Robert Buckland to “demystify”  this convulsion in world politics.  The 18 minute interview did mop up some technical questions about the relationship between UK and US law, but primarily served as a reassurance exercise for UK viewers fearful that something similar could happen here.  The subsequent headline “‘Highly unlikely’ UK will ban abortion” says it all!

You can just imagine Rob and Kay clinking wine glasses later that day congratulating each other on their interview (come counselling session), warming themselves on the knowledge that sexual liberty and its fall back option are here to stay. The matter is so assumed on both sides of  British politics, Rob and Kay didn’t even feel the need to substantiate the claim, beyond the fact that the prime minister and cabinet don’t currently want to “overturn… settled legislation”.

Now, I’d be lying if I said there was no public opinion evidence outside of this. There is. Examples include a  2021 IPSOS poll suggesting that  80 per cent of Britons think abortion should be legal. Another survey, a  rolling YouGov Poll, puts it at 87 per cent. Finally, a  survey commissioned in 2020 by the UK’s highest paid abortion provider suggested, perhaps less plausibly, that  90 per cent of Britons are pro-choice. Yet these stats only tell the surface story — the classic “I’m fine” deflection, of what Britons actually think.  

A more recent survey of 874 members of the public, across 27 towns and cities, published last month by the organisation I work for, the Centre for Bio-ethical Reform UK (CBR UK),  gets under the skin of the issue and tells a remarkably different story. As the executive summary states: 

Contrary to what other surveys and polls suggest, a majority of respondents, when given the facts, thought our abortion law needed reforming in some way. The desire for reform was most apparent when it came to questions of abortion because of disability, fetal viability, fetal pain relief, and where abortions should be allowed to take place.

While it is true that these survey results are not representative of the nation as a whole, they do give a compelling insight into how differently respondents viewed abortion when it was not presented as an ideological absolute but rather as it really is, in all its details. What’s more the survey suggests that the tide is turning as to when people think this killing can be  justified. 

3 in 5 respondents (63 per cent) expressed support for reforming our abortion law to protect babies with Down’s syndrome. Heidi Crowter should  be encouraged! 8 in 10 respondents (79 per cent) thought aborting an unborn baby solely because s/he has cleft lip and cleft palate was unacceptable and 80 per cent of all respondents (including many who were pro-choice) thought that 2nd trimester babies should always be given pain killers before being aborted. What’s more, 71% of respondents think DIY home abortion -despite its perceived benefits-  is unacceptable. This matches nearly exactly with the 2020 Government consultation results on the same subject.  Turns out unconditional support for ‘sexual reproductive rights’ is hard to find when it is broken down into its component parts.

What these results show more than anything, to quote the founder of CBR UK, is that “abortion is far from a settled issue”. Or to put it another way, the gradual expansion of the abortion industry since 1967 — an increase of 290 per cent between 1969-2021, and most recently into homes — may enjoy the favour of politicians, but it does not necessarily enjoy the favour of your standard high street shopper. MPs like Buckland, would do well to heed these warning signs, before so confidently asserting the future of our law. 

Buckland could of course be right, it may be “highly unlikely” the UK will fully ban abortion. However if CBR UK’s results are proven true (and we welcome scrutiny), it is also “highly likely” that substantial reform is possible. Ideological advocates for abortion rights should not fear the distant rumblings of US politics but rather the uncomfortable murmurings on their own doorstep.