Many right-wing Dutch think abortion laws are too lenient; Over half support current rules

About one in eight Dutch people think the current abortion legislation is too lenient, according to a survey conducted by ANP, its data journalism subsidiary LocalFocus, and Kieskompas, a Dutch voter information website. In addition to people who typically vote for one of the Christian parties, a relatively large number of far right wing voters also consider the current abortion legislation too soft.

In the Netherlands, an abortion can be performed up to 24 weeks into the pregnancy. After that, a pregnancy can only be terminated if there are serious medical reasons for this, including a fetus which is not viable. Currently, women are still required to wait for a period of five days after consulting with a doctor before they can move forward with their decision. A recent vote by Parliament means this obligation will likely expire on 1 January 2023.

About 12 percent of all respondents indicated that they found the applicable regulations either "too lenient" or "much too flexible." At the same time, slightly more than half of the Dutch consider the current abortion policy to be sufficient. That rate remains the same for men and women. The survey included responses from more than 4,000 people. The survey was conducted from 15 to 23 June.

Particularly among SGP voters, a relatively large number of people consider the current legislation too lenient or much too lenient. About 86 percent of the respondents who indicate that they vote for the conservative Cristian Reformed party selected one of those options. A significant number of the participants who vote for the far right Forum voor Democratie share that opinion, about 33 percent. The percentage that believe abortion laws to be too lax was also high among voters for ChristenUnie (23 percent), PVV (19 percent) and JA21 (14 percent).

Almost a quarter of all respondents think the current regulations are too strict. Young adults in particular, people aged 18 to 35, indicated in the survey that they found the applicable abortion law too strict or far too strict. About 36 percent of them said they felt that way. The residents of three provinces with a high percentage of young adults living there, Groningen, Noord-Holland and Utrecht, were also more likely to indicate the law is too strict. T

In the United States, the conservative-held Supreme Court overturned the federal right to abortion last week. That means that in some states, abortion will be largely banned for most, or all situations. The ruling was widely criticized internationally, including by politicians and activists in the Netherlands.