Irish attitudes towards abortion may gradually be changing judging from the results of a recent public poll, released last week. Protests are nevertheless expected when the world's first floating abortion and reproductive health clinic arrives outside Dublin this week.
The poll, done for the Abortion Reform lobby group in the Republic of Ireland by Lansdowne Market Research, indicates that 79% of respondents would now accept women having limited access to legal abortion. Nearly half (47%) supported abortion in cases of rape or incest, and 52% supported terminations when there was a physical threat to the mother's life. Only 1 in 6 thought abortion should not be available for any reason, and only 6% supported terminations that were based on a mother's economic situation.
The Dutch clinic, installed aboard a chartered freighter, was scheduled to arrive off Dublin as the BMJ went to press. It has a fully equipped operating theatre for carrying out surgical abortions and sterilisation operations. The Dutch Women on Waves movement developed the clinic on the ship to meet their mission of preventing unwanted pregnancies and unsafe abortions throughout the world.
Meanwhile, a recent private meeting of the Irish Medical Council, which was scheduled to debate the All Party Oireachtas Committee Report on Abortion, apparently collapsed after attempts were made to change the council's ethical ban on abortions.