Czechs ever more liberal

There is increasing evidence that Czech society is inclined towards liberal opinions. This has been confirmed by new surveys by the CVVM agency, which interviewed people about their attitudes towards gay rights, euthanasia and abortion.

Furthermore there is a trend towards even more liberal attitudes. While in 1990 only 60% of the Czech public said a woman should have the right to have an abortion, today this view is held by 72%. Only 1% are opposed in all circumstances and the rest of the society agree with abortions when the pregnancy threatens the mother's life. Euthanasia, i.e. terminating the life of a patient with an incurable disease, is acceptable for 57.6% of Czechs. Since this is usually a highly controversial issue, this result is surprising.

It seems society is being gradually influenced by a public debate that is breaking various taboos. When pollsters ask about issues which still remain outside the public debate, the Czechs tend to express negative attitudes. This trend can be seen in surveys on gay rights. While an overwhelming majority is in favour of civil partnership, only 22% think homosexual couples should be allowed to adopt children. This is definitely because the possibility of adopting children is not yet being discussed in the Czech Republic.

The increasing trend towards liberal views gives hope that it is possible to break down biases in the society. Though some might argue that Czechs simply respect no higher moral…