Credit: Getty
The study, conducted by YouGov, was commissioned by feminist campaign group LevelUp.
The importance of abortion access is something that has become increasingly apparent in the light of Roe v Wade.
The US ruling, which saw the Supreme Court vote to overturn Roe v Wade, removing the constitutional right to abortion, brought attention to both how women are able to access abortions around the world and also whether they are equipped with the knowledge and understanding of how it works in the country they’re in – something that has become the focus of a new UK study.
The report, which was conducted by YouGov and shared with The Independent, found around a third of women in the UK do not know how to access an abortion where they live.
The study discovered only one in four people understand how law relating to abortion works in the UK, and almost half of the 2,200 people questioned at the end of July could not “confidently tell a friend how to get an abortion in the UK”.
In addition, just over a third of people incorrectly assume abortion is always legal in the UK.
Currently, abortions are still deemed a criminal act in England, Scotland and Wales under the 1967 Abortion Act. If any medical professional delivers an abortion outside of the terms of the act, they risk facing criminal punishment.
This law has been the cause of much debate over the years with MPs, campaign groups, charities and more working to fully decriminalise abortion in the UK.
Ikamara Larasi, a campaigner at Level Up, the group that commissioned the report, told The Independent: “We are the experts on our bodies and our lives. We should all have our healthcare needs met safely, and because abortion is healthcare, this includes equitable access to abortions.
“As a mother, I believe that people should be able to determine if, when and how they become parents, and should be able to access the care that they need throughout that journey without being criminalised. The UK needs to decriminalise abortion and provide it on request.”
Image: Getty
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