Global Monitor

Brits and Abortion

Despite what Planned Parenthood and other anti-life organizations would like us to believe, many adults in Britain believe the number of abortions being performed in their country should be reduced, according to a poll by Communicate Research for Choose Life.

Surprising some critics, the poll found that 53% of those responding said they believe the number of abortions in Britain is too high.

Abortion has been legal in Britain since 1967. Currently, abortions are allowed on demand during the first 24 weeks of pregnancy; existing regulations can be changed only by a vote in parliament.

Abortion became a political topic for a time in 2005 when Cosmopolitan magazine published the views of three British politicians on the issue.

In the article, Tony Blair said, “You should not criminalize a woman who, in very difficult circumstances, makes that choice.”

Michael Howard told Cosmopolitan he felt abortion “should be available to everyone” but he preferred lowering legal abortion to under 20 weeks gestation.

In the article, Charles Kennedy acknowledged voting for a 22-week gestation limit on abortion.

Cardinal Cormac Murphy-O’Connor expressed his views on abortion during a meeting with Health Secretary Patricia Hewitt, saying, “This is not primarily a religious issue. It is a human issue. Abortion is the wrong answer to fear and insecurity. As a society we need to look at ways of supporting women who find themselves in an unplanned pregnancy.”

People polled were asked: “Every year around 200,000 abortions are performed in Britain. Would you agree or disagree with those who believe this number is too high and should be reduced?”

Their answers: Agree 53%; Disagree 29%; Don’t know/Refused 18%.

See the Source: “Abortion Numbers Too High, Say Britons,” Angus Reid Consultants, Angus Reid Global Scan, 24 June 2006, http://www.angus-reid.com/polls/index.cfm/fuseaction/viewItem/itemID/12322

Same-Sex “Marriage” Flops

The media has force-fed us the idea of late that homosexuals want to enter into legally recognized partnerships through marriage. But are they really interested in marriage? The facts and figures show a different picture.

In Spain, homosexuals have had the right to “marry” since July 2005, but only 1,275 same-sex “marriages” have taken place between July 3, 2005 and May 31, 2006, reported the Madrid daily newspaper ABC recently.

This is a very small portion of marriages contracted during this period of time: 0.6%. Spain’s homosexual males seem more interested in “marrying” than the women as 923 unions were between males and 352 unions among females.

The Institute for Marriage and Public Policy published a study on the issue, “Demand for Same-Sex Marriage: Evidence from the United States, Canada and Europe,” in April 2006. The study shows the same trend seems to exist in the countries analyzed.

Same-sex “marriage” has been accepted the longest in the Netherlands (legally recognize in April 2001), but there, the percentage of homosexuals tying the knot is very low. Since that time, only 8,127 same-sex couples “married” in that country.

According to Dutch survey data, 2.8% of Dutch men and 1.4% of Dutch women consider themselves homosexuals. About 6.3% of the Dutch homosexuals “married” as of December 31, 2005, assuming all same-sex partners who “married” in the Netherlands during that time were residents. (The numbers cited throughout this article includes all who were ever “married,” not necessarily the number in a current “marriage.”)

In June 2003, Belgium legally recognized same-sex “marriages.” By the end of 2004, it was found that only 2,204 couples had “married.” (No official estimate of the numbers of homosexuals in Belgium was given in the study.)

In June 2003, Canada’s Ontario Court of Appeals opened the way for same-sex “marriages.” This was followed by a number of other provinces legalizing the practice until last summer when same-sex “marriage” was legalized nationally. The Canadian law also allows nonresident couples to marry in Canada.

Statistics show that many Canadian same-sex “marriages” are between nonresidents of Canada, the majority of couples being residents of the United States.

Between the ages of 18 and 59, 1.3% of Canadian men and 0.7% of Canadian women identify themselves as homosexuals, according to the Canadian Community Health Survey conducted by Statistics Canada. Using these figures, of the provinces allowing same-sex “marriage” for at least one year, between 0.15% and 14% of Canadian homosexuals “married.”

Although Massachusetts, where same-sex “marriages” has been allowed since May 2004, ranks as having the greatest number of homosexuals “marrying” with a total of 7,341 unions being recorded between May 2004 and December 2005, this accounts for only 16.7% of the homosexual community opting to tie the knot.

Information from the Scandinavian countries, where same-sex “marriage” has long been recognized, seems to mirror the scene found elsewhere. “The Demographics of Same-Sex Marriages in Norway and Sweden,” a study by demographers Gunnar Andersson and Turid Noack, confirm the trend of low numbers of same-sex “marriage.” In Norway, there were 1,293 same-sex “marriages” from 1993 through 2001, whereas there were 196,000 heterosexual marriages. In Sweden, between 1995 and 2002, same-sex “marriages” numbered 1,526, whereas heterosexual marriages numbered 280,000.

Data collected by the study suggest that since the initial option to “marry” was offered, the number of same-sex “marriages” appear to be decreasing. For example, in the Netherlands, 2,414 same-sex couples “married” between April and December of 2001; the number of “marriages” dropped to 1,838 in 2002. The number again fell in 2003 to 1,499, in 2004 it fell to 1,210 and in 2005 it fell to 1,166 couples.

See the Source: “Same-Sex Marriage Flounders,” Zenit.org, 24 June 2006, http://www.zenit.org/English/visualizza.phtml?sid=91504

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