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Updated: Jun 11, 2026
Auricular Point Acupressure Therapy: A Safe and Effective Treatment for Postsurgical Abortion Recovery
Published on: February 3, 2026
Australian attitudes to early and late abortion
Lachlan J de Crespigny1, Dominic J Wilkinson, Thomas Douglas
1Oxford Uehiro Centre for Practical Ethics, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK. lachlandec@yahoo.com.au
Objective:
To investigate community attitudes to abortion, including views on whether doctors should face sanctions for performing late abortion in a range of clinical and social situations.
Design, Setting And Participants:
An anonymous online survey of 1050 Australians aged 18 years or older (stratified by sex, age and location) using contextualised questions, conducted between 28 and 31 July 2008.
Main Outcome Measures:
Attitudes to abortion, particularly after 24 weeks' gestation.
Results:
Our study showed a high level of support for access to early abortion; 87% of respondents indicated that abortion should be lawful in the first trimester (61% unconditionally and 26% depending on the circumstances). In most of the clinical and social circumstances described in our survey, a majority of respondents indicated that doctors should not face professional sanctions for performing abortion after 24 weeks' gestation.
Conclusions:
Our data show that a majority of Australians support laws which enable women to access abortion services after 24 weeks' gestation, and that support varies depending on circumstances. Simple yes/no polls may give a misleading picture of public opinion.
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