Two-thirds of the British public support abortion, a poll revealed today.
New research by MORI's Social Research Institute shows that 65 per cent of people in Britain agree that if a woman wants an abortion she should not have to continue with her pregnancy.
Around one in six disagree and a similar proportion are neutral or express no opinion on the contentious issue.
Approval levels of abortion are highest where there is evidence that the child will be born with serious physical disabilities (70 per cent).
Abortion where the woman is under 16, or where there is evidence that the child would be born with serious learning difficulties, is approved of by just under two-thirds of respondents (64 per cent) in both cases.
Compared with a 1997 MORI Poll, this research shows that approval levels have generally risen.
Ms Ann Furedi of the British Pregnancy Advisory Service said: "It is not surprising that support for abortion is so high given that a third of women will have one at some time in their lives.
"Abortion is now part of mainstream reproductive health care. People increasingly see it as an essential back-up to contraception. The debate now is not whether abortion should be available but how women's need for it can best be met. The law and public policy should reflect this."
The poll also illustrates notable differences in agreement on the issue by social class, levels of qualification and newspaper readership.
The top social classes are more likely than the lowest to agree that women should not have to continue with their pregnancy if they want an abortion (70 per cent compared to 60 per cent).
Those who read broadsheet newspapers are more likely to agree than those who read tabloid newspapers (73 per cent compared to 64 per cent).
Respondents with the most qualifications are more inclined to agree than those with none.
MORI interviewed 2,006 adults face-to-face in October.
PA