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BBC accused of “cherry-picking” when not ignoring polling results in “Abortion on Trial” program

Oct 24, 2017

By Dave Andrusko

Pro-lifers in England were furious last week with a one-sided panel featured in a BBC production “Abortion On Trial.” Fatima Salaria, the BBC’s head of religion and ethics, was “promising an ‘impartial’ programme,’” but only two of the nine panelists described themselves as pro-life. The pro-life organization SPUC described it as “little more than propaganda for the abortion industry and an open push for the decriminalisation agenda.”

Publicity material in advance of the program, “recorded at Ms. Robinson’s Gloucestershire home,” said, ”For every key issue her guests discuss, Anne examines how their views compare to those of the wider public,” the Daily Mail reported.”

But the program, write the Daily Mail’s Jonathan Petre and Stephen Adams, “is accused of ignoring a poll that showed most don’t want a change in laws. Pollsters ICM found no widespread support for scrapping abortion laws” which critics say was not mentioned at all on the program.

“How can people be expected to have a fair and proper debate if facts are suppressed?,” said Conservative MP Fiona Bruce. “It undermines credibility to cherry-pick polling results to reflect a lobby which programme makers may be sympathetic.”

Critics go further. In addition to ignoring the results of the ICM poll, they point out that “Abortion on Trial” featured panelists whose positions on abortion were held by only a tiny minority of the public. For example, abortion rights activist Diane Munday backed sex-selective abortion. “Neonatologist Neena Modi suggested the 24-week limit, based on the chance of a foetus surviving outside the womb, should be dropped, saying the key issue was whether a woman felt ‘abortion is warranted,” Petre and Adams reported.

The ICM poll showed the public felt strongly otherwise. For instance, only 27% could find any circumstance they would agree a sex-selection abortion would be “acceptable.”

Examining the results, the Catholic Herald reported

Although only three per cent said it was never acceptable for a woman to have an abortion, less than half of respondents (46 per cent) approve of abortion in the case of rape, and only 45 per cent think it is acceptable if the mother’s life is in danger.

Also, despite a concerted campaign from abortion lobbyists for “decriminalisation”, only six per cent think there should be no legal time limit on abortion.

Over half of respondents (54 per cent) think a woman should consult the unborn child’s father before having an abortion – although only 15 per cent think it should be a legal requirement – while just 21 per cent think he should have no role and “it’s a woman’s right to choose.” …

There is also strong opposition to abortion in the case of disability.

Categories: Abortion