Mexico’s People Oppose Legalizing Abortion Second Poll Shows 
Email this article
Printer friendly page
by Steven Ertelt
LifeNews.com Editor
April 16, 2007
Mexico City, Mexico (LifeNews.com) — Another poll conducted in Mexico finds that the people there are opposed to bills that would legalize abortion within the first 14 weeks of pregnancy. However, the poll shows more support for abortion among the residents of Mexico City, where a bill is likely to be approved, than elsewhere in the nation.
The polling firm Parametría surveyed 1,200 Mexican adults from March 24 to 27.
It found that 51.3 percent of those polled opposed legalizing abortion while only 30 percent of Mexicans favor legalizing abortion. The rest are undecided.
However, the split between residents of Mexico City and the rest of the North American country pointed to the greater likelihood of success in approving abortion in the nation’s capital while the Mexican Congress is seen as likely to defeat a pro-abortion bill.
In Mexico City, residents were in favor of legalizing abortion on a slim 44-38 percent margin while citizens in the rest of Mexico opposed abortion by a much larger 58-23 percent split.
The polling firm Consulta Mitofsky conducted a previous survey in January and released the results of the poll last month. It showed similar results as only 32.1 percent of those polled said they agreed with abortion.
Breaking the results down by political party, only 30 percent of people who side with the conservative National Action Party (PAN) agree with abortion while just 28.7 percent of those who identify themselves as members of the leftist Democratic Revolution Party (PRD) back abortion.
The numbers are important because the PRD party is sponsoring the legislation in both the Mexico Congress and the Mexico City legislature to try to legalize abortion.
While the Mexico City measure may pass, PAN President Felipe Calderon is expected to veto the congressional measure.
“I have a personal conviction, and I am in defense of life,” he told a news conference last month. “I have a plain respect for dignity and human life and within this I believe the existing legislation is adequate.”
The bill would also mandate that government-financed health clinics do abortions if low-income women ask for them.
However, (PAN) Mexico City leader Mariana Gómez del Campo said her party would launch an appeal to the Mexican Supreme Court in the event any bill to legalize abortion is approved.
She also said pro-life groups are doing more to educate the public about the attempt to legalize abortion.
"We believe that, unfortunately, the citizens know very little about this topic," she said,
Mexico City currently allows abortions in cases of rape or incest and when the pregnancy threatens the life of the mother while the rest of the nation only allows abortions in cases of sexual abuse.
Related web sites:
Comite Nacional Pro Vida – https://www.comiteprovida.org
