News

WINNIPEG, October 15, 2004 (LifeSiteNews.com) – The latest pro-life polling was released at the National Pro-Life Conference yesterday by Joanne Byfield, president-elect of LifeCanada.  Byfield told the assembled crowd that although the polling firm Leger Marketing had conducted their polls in both 2002 and 2003, they refused to do so in 2004 saying, “we aren’t doing controversial issues.”  Leger does however do polls on same-sex ‘marriage’.  The polling firm Environics conducted the poll – commissioned by LifeCanada – finding 68% of Canadians favored some legal protection before birth, most of those, 33%, believed that protection should be from conception forward.  The percentage has increased from 2003 where the poll found 63% wanted some legal protection before birth.  The poll also found that 73% (up from 69% last year) of Canadians agree with legislation requiring that women considering abortion are informed about the risks of abortion, and alternatives to it.

Fifty-five per cent of Canadians felt that parental consent should be required when minors are seeking abortion.  Forty-two per cent supported parental consent legislation last year.  The percentage of Canadians who objected to public funding of abortion (other than cases where the mother’s life is in danger or that the pregnancy resulted from rape or incest) rose from 68% last year to 72% this year.  jhw