Attitudes towards abortion and rationale*
| Abortion in Ireland | Students (%) |
|---|---|
| Attitudes towards provision of service (n=169) | |
| Abortion should be made legally available upon request | 93 (55.0) |
| Abortion should be made legally available only under certain circumstances | 60 (35.5) |
| Abortion should not be made legally available | 12 (7.1) |
| Unsure | 4 (2.4) |
| No opinion | 0 (0.0) |
| Rationale for legal provision of abortion (n=122) | |
| The foetus is not yet a person | 27 (22.1) |
| The foetus is not sentient (cannot feel pleasure or pain). | 18 (14.8) |
| It should be a purely medical decision | 21 (17.2) |
| The woman has the right to terminate or not terminate a pregnancy | 93 (76.2) |
| Laws against abortion don't stop abortion, they simply make it less safe | 84 (68.9) |
| Other | 12 (9.8) |
| Rationale against legal provision of abortion (n=19) | |
| Religion | 4 (21.1) |
| The foetus is a person | 15 (78.9) |
| The foetus is sentient (can feel pleasure and pain) | 9 (47.4) |
| Adoption is a superior option to abortion | 11 (57.9) |
| There can be medical and psychological complications with abortion | 9 (47.4) |
| Other | 7 (36.8) |
*Based on optional answers provided as part of the survey.