Hi °C | Lo °C More than six out of 10 people support current medical practice to treat an expectant mother and her unborn baby as equals, a survey has found.
The poll, for the Pro Life Campaign, revealed 66% are in favour of constitutional protection for the unborn child that bans abortion but allows medical intervention to save the life of a woman.
Caroline Simons, legal consultant to the group, said their findings show a high level of support for current medical practice in Ireland.
"What marks these findings out from other research is the way important ethical distinctions are clarified," she said.
"A number of polls published recently citing support for abortion used the word 'abortion' in the question without defining just what it meant."
Some 970 adults were questioned last month for the survey, carried out by Millward Brown.
The Government announced plans in December to introduce a combination of legislation and regulation to legalise abortion as a last resort to save a woman's life.
The new laws will be drafted in accordance with the 20-year-old Supreme Court ruling on the X-case, which allows for abortion when a woman's life is in danger, including the threat of suicide.
The draft legislation is expected to be ready by Easter.
