Almost two thirds of people are unaware abortion is illegal when a woman’s life is not at risk, according to a new poll.

The Red C poll, conducted on behalf of Amnesty International and published on Wednesday, finds less than 10 per cent of people knew women could face a 14-year prison sentence for having an unlawful abortion, and only seven per cent agreed women should face such a sanction.

Some 81 per cent were in favour of widening access to abortion beyond its current legal limits.

The poll was conducted on between 11th and 14th of May and involved over 1,000 telephone interviews with a nationally representative sample.

The results come a month after Amnesty International issued its report She Is Not A Criminal: The Impact of Ireland’s Abortion Law, which said the abortion regime here “violates the human rights of women and girls”.

It said, despite the enactment of the Protection of Life During Pregnancy Act last year, the rights of women and girls to life, health, equality, non-discrimination, privacy, information, and, freedom from torture and other degrading treatment were all being violated.

This poll finds widespread ignorance of the legal position, which is that abortion is illegal except where there is a real and substantial threat to the life, as distinct from the health, of the pregnant girl or woman.

People aged over 65 were least aware abortion was still a criminal offence, with 82 per cent of them found not to known this. However, those aged over 55 were most against the potential 14-year jail term for women who undergo an unlawful abortion.

It finds, says Amnesty International, that public opinion is “way ahead of their government leaders”.

Asked whether abortion should be decriminalised 67 per cent agreed, 25 per cent disagreed.

Some 71 per cent agreed the criminalisation of abortion contributed to the distress and stigma felt by many women who have abortions, while 65 per cent agreed the abortion ban meant some women underwent unsafe abortions.

Asked whether the abortion ban stopped women who chose abortion from having one, 68 per cent agreed it did not.

Colm O’Gorman, executive director of Amnesty International Ireland said it was clear Irish views on abortion had undergone a transformation.

“People in Ireland are now, on the whole, more understanding of the situations woman find themselves in and firmly believe that women should not be criminalised for having an abortion.

“This poll demonstrates that on the issue of abortion Ireland’s people are clearly way ahead of their government leaders. The conversation we urgently need in Ireland on abortion is a challenging one, but it must happen.”

He said the issue must be put before the people “as a matter of priority”.

The decriminalisation of abortion was not just an international human rights obligation, it was something the Irish people wanted, he said.

“And this means repealing the 8th Amendment,” said Mr O’Gorman.

The eighth amendment to the Constitution in 1983 inserted Article 40.3.3 which states that the life of the unborn will be protected as far as practicable.