homework ban poll ireland

POLL — Should homework be banned?

Tell us what you think.

Do I have homework tonight?

That’s the question on many kids’ minds when the school bell rings at the end of the day.

This week, the topic of homework made headlines in Ireland when President Michael D. Higgins was interviewed by students on the national public broadcaster, RTE.

When asked his thoughts on homework, Higgins replied: “It should get finished at the school and people should be able to use their time for other creative things.”

Soon after, some media outlets in Ireland published headlines saying that Higgins called for a ban on homework.

Although a ban isn’t coming anytime soon, it got us thinking:

• How much homework do you have?
• Would you want homework to be banned?
• What about the benefits of homework?

Sound off, telling us how you feel about homework.

Have more questions? Want to tell us how we're doing? Use the “send us feedback” link below. ⬇️⬇️⬇️

TOP IMAGE CREDIT: Mark Humphrey/The Associated Press

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President of Ireland calls on schools to stop giving pupils homework

Children should be able to use time at home ‘for other creative things’, says michael d higgins, article bookmarked.

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Michael D Higgins says schools should not continue after final bell

Schools should strive not to give pupils homework where possible, the president of Ireland has suggested.

In an utterance likely to be seized upon by children for years to come, in classrooms far beyond the shores of the Emerald Isle, Michael D Higgins argued that school should not extend beyond the final bell.

“Time in school … should get finished in school,” the president told pupils at a school in County Tipperary this week during a broadcast for RTE.

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Should homework be scrapped for primary school students?

Some educationalists argue that homework provides little benefit for young children. now, an oireachtas committee is examining calls for it to be ‘eradicated’.

‘Being completely honest, we all hate homework. We know it has to be done but it has a big impact,’ says Sarah Jayne Tobin (above) with her son Nathan Fanagan. Photograph: Dave Meehan

Do young children really need to do more work when they get home after a day at school? The Oireachtas committee on public petitions is currently examining a call for the "eradication of homework" for children in primary school on the basis that it provides little educational benefit is a source of stress and frustration.

It’s a view shared by a surprising number of academics who say, at best, evidence in favour of homework is inconclusive and, at worst, may be detrimental to younger children.

In Finland, so often looked to as a beacon of educational reform, students do not start formal schooling until seven years of age and are assigned virtually no homework.

‘The brain needs some oxygen and some down time,’ says child psycholigist Dr David Carey

Child psychologist Dr David Carey, who has over 25 years experience in clinical and educational settings, believes homework for children who are still in primary school serves little purpose.

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“The research seems to indicate it doesn’t really consolidate learning. When children aren’t given homework, they don’t learn at a slower pace then when they are given homework,” he says.

“The problem with homework is the stress and strife it causes in the family, with parents being driven to distraction by children who don’t want to do their homework. It causes arguments, tears and disruption to family life,” says Dr Carey.

He maintains that children need to have a break when they get home from school.

“Nobody who comes home from work likes to sit down and immediately be asked ‘how much work did you bring home today?’ and ‘when are you going to do it?’, and so on, but this is what we do to children.

“They need a break, to relax and go out and play in the fresh air, get exercise, talk to other kids. That’s the work of childhood – it is to play, not to study endlessly,” says Dr Carey.

Geraldine Tuohy, a primary school teacher for the past eight years, works as a home school community liaison co-ordinator in an inner city school.

She feels the question of whether or not homework is a waste of time depends on the quality of the tasks required of children.

“Homework needs to be specific, brief and targeted. Schools need to concentrate their policy on what’s absolutely essential, such as literacy and numeracy targets.

“It needs to be manageable time-wise too. Primary school homework at senior class level shouldn’t take more than an hour and, if it does, the school needs to review it.

“I also think that a games approach could be adopted for homework purposes: parents and children alike should be encouraged to take up some board games both as socialisation tool and also for critical thinking and numeracy skills,” says Tuohy.

If there is an international authority in the field, it’s most likely Prof Harris Cooper of Duke University in the US.

He conducted the most comprehensive research on homework to date from a 2006 meta-analysis.

Prof Cooper found evidence of a positive link between homework and student achievement, meaning students who did homework performed better in school.

The correlation, however, was much stronger for older students than for those in younger classes.

Overall, he feels homework is important as it helps with simple tasks like spelling words, maths and vocabulary.

For younger children, he says the evidence recommends no more than 10 minutes per class per night.

“They won’t learn after a certain amount of time because their minds begin to wander and their motivation is reduced. I don’t advocate piling homework on; it’s not going to work.

“The older you get, the more homework you should get. But there reaches a point where the law of diminishing returns kicks in.”

While a 12 year old should only get an hour’s worth of homework, he says a 16 year old can manage an hour and a half, after which point their concentration goes.

Dr Carey, however, believes parents are hard-wired into believing all children should have homework, all the way down to junior infants, because they experienced it as well.

“Therefore, if a teacher doesn’t rightfully assign homework there’s going to be complaints.”

While he feels it has a role at second level due to our focus on State exams, introducing it earlier is simply counter-productive.

“Homework deprives children of a right to play, to sit and day dream and to sometimes do nothing in particular at all. The brain needs some oxygen and some down time.”

‘We all hate homework . . . but it has a big impact’

As soon as Sarah-Jayne Tobin’s son comes in the door from school, homework takes over.

“All our days are arranged around it. It needs to be done as soon as we get home otherwise Nathan is too tired,” says Tobin, whose son is in third-class.

“Otherwise, it takes twice as long and there can be tears. Like other kids, Nathan plays football and basketball outside school so those days in particular can be quite full on,” she says.

Nathan has dyspraxia which affects his writing and attention span. It means that Sarah-Jayne often has to hassle him to get it done.

“Trying to do homework on those days [when it he tired] is a nightmare . . . I hate being that mum, the massive pain in the bum!”

Despite the tears and occasional stress, she feels it is a good thing for Nathan and other primary schoolchildren.

“Since he started third class, my son Nathan seems to be getting more into reading independently and I feel this is down to the comprehension homework he gets.

“Before this year he was more into annuals and books that had short snappy paragraphs but his reading and comprehension exercises this year have really helped with his attention span. He’s starting to finally delve into the books I’ve been buying him for years that have been gathering dust.

“Being completely honest, we all hate homework. We know it has to be done but it has a big impact.”

“The only thing I’d change about homework is maybe the frequency; instead of getting stuff each night, maybe give them a Wednesday evening off to break up the week.

“On the issue of whether kids get too much homework; it’s hard to call. Different kids have different levels of ability, and where one may fly through an exercise in 10 minutes, it might take others 30.

“In my son’s school, they say no longer than 30 minutes per night night and it’s pens down whether you’re finished or not, but the adult supervising has to sign off on it.”

How much homework should my child expect?

The National Parents’ Council says all schools should have a homework policy which should be prepared in consultation with parents and children. In general, it says the following guidelines should apply:

Junior/Senior infants: No formal homework but perhaps drawing, preliminary reading, matching shapes and pictures or listening to stories read by parents.

First/Second class: 20-30 minutes

Third/Fourth class: 30-40 minutes

Fifth/Sixth class: 40-60 minutes

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President Michael D Higgins says homework should be banned in Ireland

The country’s favourite leader believes that school activities should end at the school gate and students should be encouraged to engage in more creative pursuits

• 10:39, 21 JAN 2023

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President Michael D Higgins has called for homework to be banned.

The country’s favourite leader has given hope to a new generation of students that the bane of their afterschool evenings could be scrapped. President Higgins argues that this would make time for young people to engage in more creative pursuits outside school hours.

The former Arts Minister believes that school activities should end at the school gate. He was speaking to RTE’s news2day current affairs and news programme for children on the occasion of the programme’s 20th birthday.

Read more: Children being 'corrupted' by drug dealing situation in Oliver Bond flats, Dail told

When asked what his opinion of homework President Higgins said: “I think myself, really that the time at home, and the time in the school is an educational experience and it should get finished at the school and people should be able to use their time for other creative things.”

To mark the show’s two decades on air, students from St Kevin’s National School, Littleton, County Tipperary put questions from RTÉ news2day viewers to President Higgins at Áras an Uachtaráin. In a wide-ranging interview, the children asked the President questions like, what was your favourite sport when you were in school?

When you were nine years old what did you want to be? And when did you decide you wanted to be President?

The students also asked the President about his dogs, his official trips abroad, his favourite subject in school, differences between now and when he was a child and his favourite book. The President also spoke to the children about his love of handball and the importance of friendship in their lives.

RTÉ news2day will broadcast some of the President’s interview as part of Friday afternoon’s birthday celebrations at 4.20pm on RTÉ2 and RTÉ News channel and the full interview will be available later on Friday evening on the RTÉ Player. In a message to the children of Ireland and the viewers of RTÉ news2day, President Michael D. Higgins gave this advice: “To stay curious about everything and I think it’s important to make sure you don’t miss the joy of sharing information.

“And I think an important thing is friendship and to make sure that there’s no one left without friendship and that people belong. And we will all do individual things... but I think friendships that you make will in fact always be great memories and that is so important. And also have the courage to stand your own ground and let other children be allowed the space of standing their ground too because none of us are the same.

“We’re all unique but at the same time we have a lot going for us.” President Higgins also encouraged the children of Ireland to speak the Irish language.

He encouraged them to speak Irish in a fun way and to feel free to use whatever bits of the language that they have.

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President Michael D Higgins calls for school homework to be scrapped

President Michael D Higgins stopped by St Kevin's National School in Tipperary where the pupils interviewed him about his dogs, his time in school and his view on homework

• 15:01, 21 JAN 2023

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President of Ireland Michael D Higgins has said he supports the scrapping of homework.

He addressed students of St Kevin's National School, Littleton, Co Tipperary, this week in an episode of RTE's news2day programme.

The President said that schoolwork should be completed in school time so children can use time after school to pursue more creative activities.

Read more: Ireland weather: Met Eireann pin point the end of the cold snap as temperatures skyrocket next week

“People should be able to use their time for other creative things,” he said.

"I think as much as possible that [homework] should happen in the school and I think it’s more relaxed than it used to be.”

He said that not all lessons are learned from books, but that the responsible use of phones is something that he hopes the younger generation will be acutely aware of.

The children of Ireland "have a great value of friendships" and this makes it even more tragic when there is an "abuse of phones for bullying", the President said.

The pupils were also curious about some of the other residents of Aras an Uachtaran - dogs Brod and Misneach.

"He's probably a very famous dog now," said President Higgins of Brod. "He will be 11 in February, which is a very good age for a Bernese Mountain dog and Bród is wonderful.

"He came here at six weeks old, so he's lived all of his life at the Áras..

As for Misneach, he said: "He came during Covid and because I couldn't collect him because of the ban on inter-county travel, he didn't come to me until he was five months old.

"He also didn't have a good journey here, so he's actually shy. He's a beautiful dog."

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Students and parents plead case for homework ban

School children and parents pleaded with the Minister for Education Norma Foley to step in and introduce a homework ban.

In letters to the minister, kids wrote about how they were being forced to give up hobbies because they were given so much work to do after school.

The correspondence followed comments by President Michael D Higgins in January that a ban on homework should be considered.

In one letter, a school child wrote about how seven hours of school each day was “plenty of education” and that more work on top was unnecessary.

“I do not ask for homework to be completely banned but for it to be reduced to a certain limit. Otherwise, if there is a constant build-up of homework daily, it can cause stress and even a lack of exercise which will affect a person’s well-being.”

Another said they felt homework was a “waste of time” and that a ban should be introduced.

They wrote: “Kids should be doing more creative things with their time after school. Many kids have had to stop doing hobbies they have because of it.

“It is a burden to parents, kids, and teachers [and] so for the above reasons, I think you should BAN HOMEWORK!”

Homework annoys teachers

One hand-written letter, decorated with a Minnie Mouse bow, said homework was “annoying for teachers and pupils”.

“I play soccer and love writing stories, but because of homework, I have no time for doing these things. For teachers, it gives them more copies to correct and they have to go through the trouble of deciding what [homework] to give.”

A secondary school student said that if “sleeping isn’t for school” then “work isn’t for home”.

They explained how they did between one and two hours of homework every evening after school and sometimes more.

“When I would finish, there would be barely any time for me to relax before I had to go to bed to get enough sleep to get up in the morning,” said their letter.

“As I’m sure you’re aware, our president Michael D Higgins also thinks that homework should be banned so if you don’t want to listen to me, listen to our President.”

Another suggested there could at least be a compromise so that students would not be given homework for over the weekend.

“[This would relieve] students of mental stress,” they said.

Help parents

One young student said they were left with no time to help their parents, or to learn how to cook or do other activities around the house.

They said: “We all do activities like swimming, dance, and all other sports. It’s hard work and it’s stressful and it’s unfair.”

A single parent also wrote in to explain how one of their children was getting two hours of written homework every day.

They said: “We need time to teach them life skills such as sewing, cooking, how to work the washing machine, change their own bed sheets and personal care.

“These teachings are very hard for parents with zero [time] left in the evenings. There is no time for them to spend with siblings and parents because they are so tired.”

In responses, the Department of Education told the letter writers that homework policy was not within its powers.

In emails, they said: “The Department does not issue direct guidelines relating to homework being given in schools. It is a matter for each school, at local level, to arrive at its own homework policy.

“In keeping with good practice, the process of drafting a homework policy should involve consultation with teachers, parents, and students.

“However, the Department does acknowledge that homework can play an important part in helping pupils prepare for forthcoming class work and in reinforcing work already covered during class time.”

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President of Ireland calls for ban on school homework - should all forms of school work stay in school?

He has said that it would make time for young people to engage in more creative pursuits.

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'Why I believe homework should be banned', by one primary school student

As the discussion around state exams through the Covid-19 shutdown continues, a separate debate about the very need for homework itself rumbles on. Over the years, many have argued that homework for students in busy modern-day family structures is no longer workable.

This year, the Green Party sought to open a discussion about the banning of homework in future. Here, primary school pupil Misha McEnaney, a fifth class student from Dublin, outlines why he believes homework is more of a hindrance than a help.

IRISH CHILDREN SPEND around 274.5 hours on homework in a year. Is it a waste of time? Generally speaking, homework does not improve academic performance among children, although it may improve academic skills among older students especially lower-achieving kids. Homework also creates stress among students who could be doing other things.

I think it is a waste of time. Here’s why I think so. 

Many students think homework is extremely boring and hard so it increases our stress levels. You might fight with your family or friends and that gives the impression you are angry and irritated when often it’s just because your homework is increasing your stress.

Also, a study by scholar Denise Pope at Stanford shows that out of 4,300 students at high-performance schools, 60% stated that their homework was their primary source of stress.

Movement is more important

I believe that homework eliminates time when you could be exercising, playing sports, carrying out hobbies, reading etc. So when your friends are playing outside or something exciting or important is happening you can’t go out because you’re stuck inside doing your homework. 

Homework messes up your sleep cycles and it causes you to be more tired. After school when you’re tired from working you still have to do your homework, so you don’t deliver your full concentration and that makes your performance not as acceptable as it should be. This can cause your grade to go down and so that defeats the whole point of education to become better and smarter. 

A study from teenink.com shows that students perform best in school when they receive 10–12 hours of sleep each night, while only 15% of teenagers in America reported themselves sleeping eight hours or more on school nights, according to the national sleep foundation of America. Sleep disruption is very bad for our health.

Teacher trust

If you’re completely booked up for the day doing sports or other activities you have no time to do your homework. Your teachers start to trust you less and less and this develops a bad view of you when it’s not entirely your fault. 

It’s also repetitive so you’re doing the same work at school and there’s no effectiveness, it’s not going in. So all that homework becomes a waste because you have already completed it at school. You can also easily get distracted.

Homework takes away revision time for tests and that can affect the test scores. That develops a bad reputation for the student and for the school. The parents then assume that the teaching at the school is bad and they might move school. So the kid might lose friends and over time the school becomes less liked and popular.

All because there is too much homework. 

Bad for the mood

If you don’t sleep enough it can cause mood swings which can affect students’ performance and relationships. To think we can stop all of this by just banning homework makes me wonder why schools still give out homework at all.

People who believe that homework should not be banned have reasonable points and arguments. They believe that doing homework at home can be better for the students and they would receive higher results. 

They also think the parents of the students will have an idea of what type of work they are doing in the classroom, at what scale the student is doing their work and how the student is doing that work. There is absolutely no reason why parents shouldn’t know what the student’s work is like. 

Some people believe that homework boosts interaction between a student and his or her teacher. Homework might develop their presentation skills. They believe that homework is “a remedy against weaknesses”. These can all be done at school. They believe it teaches the students responsibility because they have to make sure that they do their work and not lose it or destroy it. 

They think the students learn much more new information as well as in school. So people think it teaches the students important life skills. They also think it keeps the students busy and entertained. I would argue that these should all be the responsibility of parents, not school.

A shift in the debate

The Green Party in Ireland has promised to explore the banning of homework for primary school children. They also vow to review primary and secondary schools curriculum “to meet the needs of the 21st century”. Catherine Martin, deputy leader of the Green Party, said that “the phasing out of homework is something that definitely should be explored”. 

“This isn’t new, this has been on our policy for the past several years. And I think we really need to have a conversation on how best to develop the creative juices of our children, or really change how we do homework, homework could be, ‘go home and draw a picture of something that means a lot to you’,” she said.

“They’re so young, especially up to the age of seven or eight, it’s a conversation that we need to have”. 

She used the example of Loreto Primary School in Rathfarnham, Dublin, which is currently trialling a “no-homework” programme for all classes except sixth. Ms Martin said that they had found the pilot scheme “amazing” and children were spending a lot more time with their families as a result. 

Mental health considerations

Psychotherapist Mary McHugh believes that we are reducing children’s natural “curious, imaginative and creative” tendencies by “pressuring them to conform”. 

“Our children from the age of three, are being trained to sit still and from five upwards, it’s expected that this is the norm.” McHugh also says that “stress is showing up at an alarming scale and we’re still applying more pressure academically younger and younger”. 

Let’s look at Finland. In Finland, there is no homework in all schools. Finland agrees that there should be no homework because it increases stress, it wastes time etc. Finnish students regularly top the charts on global education metric systems.

Some 93% of Finnish students graduate from secondary school compared to 75% in the USA and 78% in Canada. About two in every three students in Finland go to college which is the highest rate in Europe. The students’ test scores dominate everyone else.  These are the scores for the PISA test (Program for International Student Assessment) 2006.  There are other reasons why Finland’s education system is so good but no homework is definitely an important one. 

Homework increases stress levels among students. It replaces time for hobbies and sports. It messes up your sleep. It can’t always be done and that causes trouble. It’s repetitive. You can develop health problems from lack of sleep.

It takes away time for studying and also when you don’t get enough sleep you can get mood swings and that can affect performance and relationships. There are reasonable arguments for why people who believe that homework shouldn’t be banned are wrong.

We have seen that the Green Party also thinks that homework should be banned and that some schools have already trialled it. We have looked at Finland banning homework and we have seen the impact it has made compared to other countries. This is why I think homework should be banned, not just in my school but in all schools. 

Misha McEnaney is a fifth class student at St Mary’s College, Rathmines, Dublin.

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President Michael D Higgins says he doesn't think children should have homework

In a wide-ranging interview with Irish children, the president was asked for his thoughts on homework

• 15:35, 20 JAN 2023
• Updated 11:44, 20 APR 2023

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President Michael D Higgins has called for homework to be banned.

End of homework

Higgins has suggested that school activities should end at the school gates.

A smile is likely to have cross children and teenagers' faces after the president of Ireland suggested that homework should be scrapped.

Higgins argued that getting rid of homework would allow young people more time to engage in creative pursuits outside of school hours.

Speaking on RTÉ's news2day programme for the occasion of its 20th anniversary, children were able to put questions to Higgins at Áras an Uachtaráin.

Higgins was asked about his opinion on homework.

The president replied: "I think myself, really that the time at home, and the time in the school is an educational experience and it should get finished at the school and people should be able to use their time for other creative things."

This isn't the first time a political leader has sought to curry favour with future voters.

In March 2022, when then-Taoiseach Micheál Martin was isolating in the US during his St Patrick's Day visit, told the children of Ireland that they could have the day off homework if they did a kind deed.

Other questions for President Higgins

Other questions that the children asked the president included:

• What was your favourite sport when you were in school?
• When you were nine years old what did you want to be?
• When did you decide you wanted to be president?
• What is your favourite book?

The president was asked about his dogs, his official trips abroad, his favourite subject in school, the difference between his childhood and nowadays.

Higgins told the children he loved handball and spoke about the importance of friendship in their lives.

He encouraged the children to speak the Irish language.

A message to the children of Ireland

In a message to the children of Ireland and the viewers of RTÉ news2day, President Michael D. Higgins gave this advice: "Stay curious about everything and I think it's important to make sure you don't miss the joy of sharing information.

"I think an important thing is friendship and to make sure that there’s no one left without friendship and that people belong.

"And we will all do individual things... but I think friendships that you make will in fact always be great memories and that is so important.

"And also have the courage to stand your own ground and let other children be allowed the space of standing their ground too because none of us are the same.

"We're all unique but at the same time we have a lot going for us."

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Ireland’s President Higgins calls for an end to homework, encourages creativity and meaningful friendships instead

Pushes for education beyond the classroom, emphasizes language learning and self-expression ..

January 24, 2023 – Ireland’s President Michael Higgins is calling for an end to homework.

When pressed on his views during an interview with RTE’s news2day – a current affairs and news program for children, Higgins said: “ I think myself, really that the time at home, and the time in the school is an educational experience and it should get finished at the school and people should be able to use their time for other creative things. ”

He also added “ I think it’s important to make sure you don’t miss the joy of sharing information. And I think an important thing is friendship and to make sure that there’s no one left without friendship and that people belong. And we will all do individual things… but I think friendships that you make will in fact always be great memories and that is so important. And also have the courage to stand your own ground and let other children be allowed the space of standing their ground too because none of us are the same. We’re all unique but at the same time we have a lot going for us .”

Furthermore, Higgins encouraged the children of Ireland to speak the Irish language.

While the role of president in Ireland is mainly a ceremonial one, it does have some sway over how the government operates.

Even though it remains unclear if Higgins has begun any official paperwork to ban homework, which would irony be homework for him, his sentiment resonated with his many fans.

Homework banned in Ireland? Are my student dreams coming true? According to IrishMirror, President Michael D Higgins has called for homework to be banned as he thinks students can engage in more creative pursuits outside school hours. pic.twitter.com/MLfXlAzAhN — Nare (@Nare33242443) January 24, 2023

President Higgins calls for homework to be banned. It’s such a pity the *head of state* has no actual power on matters. This is such a smart and wise idea. The usual brigade will be out against this, but its the right thing to do for young people https://t.co/Qub7fJnTAA — Dylan (@dylancongolf) January 20, 2023

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14th Mar 2023

Pupils and parents call on government to introduce homework ban

Kat O'Connor

Is it time to ban homework in Ireland?

Parents and pupils are calling on Minister for Education Norma Foley to ban homework in Ireland.

Many parents have voiced their concerns about the level of homework their kids get, but they’re taking it a step further by writing to the Education Minister.

Foley has received multiple letters from both children and parents about why a homework ban is needed.

According to The Irish Examiner , children revealed that homework is having a negative impact on their lives outside of school.

Many pupils believe they do enough work in school and stressed that there is little benefit to spending hours doing homework in the evenings.

One child wrote;

“I do not ask for homework to be completely banned but for it to be reduced to a certain limit. Otherwise, if there is a constant build-up of homework daily, it can cause stress and even a lack of exercise which will affect a person’s well-being.”

Many children told Foley that homework was “a waste of time”. Others said it was a “burden to parents, kids, and teachers.”

Varadkar said homework should not be banned completely

Both Leo Varadkar and Michael D. Higgins have expressed concerns about the amount of homework children are getting in Ireland.

However, Varadkar does not believe in a complete ban on homework.

He previously said there’s a place for homework in our education system, but we need to have a fair balance.

“You could have a long day in class, get home in the early evening, and then face, you know, three hours of homework.

“I remember that when I was a kid, staying up very late to do homework,” he shared.

Varadkar stressed that it shouldn’t be banned completely, but scaled back.

President Higgins also voiced his concerns about homework

The President of Ireland agreed with parents and said children should have more free time after school.

He told RTÉ’s news2day: “I think myself, really that the time at home and the time in school is an educational experience and it should get finished at the school and people should be able to use their time for other creative things.”

Do you think homework should be banned in Ireland?

Related Links:

Parents call for homework to be banned in ireland, varadkar agrees that children are getting too much homework, foley responds to homework ban calls and parents are furious, related articles.

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Poll: 72% of Americans -- and majority of Republicans -- support medication abortion

While the Supreme Court considers a case that could further restrict abortions in the United States, the vast majority of Americans support medication abortion, according to a poll released Friday.

Seventy-two percent of participants in the Axios Axios-Ipsos survey — including 51% of Republicans — said they are in favor of women obtaining abortions pills from their doctors or clinics.

What You Need To Know

While the supreme court considers a case that could further restrict abortions in the united states, the vast majority of americans support medication abortion, according to a poll released friday seventy-two percent of participants in the axios axios-ipsos survey — including 51% of republicans — said they are in favor of women obtaining abortions pills from their doctors or clinics on tuesday, the supreme court heard oral arguments in a lawsuit that seeks to roll back food and drug administration authorizations made in 2016 and later for the drug mifepristone while most americans support medication abortion in general, the poll found they are divided on it being mailed to patients without them first visiting a doctor in person.

On Tuesday, the Supreme Court heard oral arguments in a lawsuit that seeks to roll back Food and Drug Administration authorizations made in 2016 and later for the drug mifepristone.

A group of doctors and other medical professionals argue the FDA did not consider safety data when it extended the time frame for taking mifepristone from seven weeks of pregnancy to 10 weeks, allowed medical professionals other than doctors to prescribe the drug and dispensed of a requirement for an in-person medical visit, opening the door for it to be mailed directly to patients.

The FDA and mifepristone maker Danco Laboratories insist the regulator did its homework and that that the pill is safe and highly effective. The FDA also argues the plaintiffs do not have the legal standing to file the lawsuit because they have not been harmed by the FDA changes and that the lawsuit would set a new legal precedent that would threaten the agency’s approval of other medications if it loses.

The court is expected to issue its ruling by late June.

While most Americans support medication abortion in general, the poll found they are divided on it being mailed to patients without them first visiting a doctor in person. Forty-eight percent support mail delivery, and 50% oppose it. Fifty-eight percent of Republicans said they support an in-person-only policy, compared to 49% of Democrats and 41% of independents.

Since the Supreme Court struck down Roe v. Wade in 2022, 14 states have passed near-total abortion bans, while five others have outlawed them after six weeks of pregnancy.

Yet, there were more than 1 million abortions performed last year in the U.S. health care system than in 2020, a 12-year high, according to the abortion-rights policy think tank the Guttmacher Institute. Medication abortion accounted for 63% of all abortions last year, up 10 percentage points from 2020.

Some telemedicine clinics in blue states with new “shield laws” that protect them from prosecution mail abortion pill to patients living in states with bans.

Eight in 10 Americans — 79% — said they support the FDA continuing to have the ability to approve and regulate drugs. That includes 91% of Democrats and 78% of Republicans, the Axios-Ipsos poll found.

Asked about abortion in general, eight in 10 of those surveyed — and two-thirds of Republicans — said the government should not be involved in how a woman manages abortion issues. 

"There is a resounding consensus to stop litigating this, that this is a health issue between a woman and a doctor," Ipsos Vice President Mallory Newall told Axios .

Six in 10 respondents said they agree states should use ballot measures to make, or keep, abortion legal at the state level.

Fifty-eight percent of those polled said they are less likely to vote for a candidate who supports restricting abortion access, although there is a wide partisan divide. Eighty-six percent of Democrats said they’d be less inclined to support an anti-abortion candidate, while 25% of Republicans did. Six in 10 independents said they are less likely to vote for a candidate who supports restricting abortion access.

President Joe Biden’s reelection campaign said the poll shows that most Americans “stand with women and support their right to make their own health care decisions.”

“That’s bad news if you’re Donald Trump, who openly brags about the fact that he ‘killed’ Roe v. Wade, and is planning to go even further to pass a national abortion ban if he wins a second term,” said campaign spokesperson Sarafina Chitika. 

Trump has remained silent on the mifepristone case before the Supreme Court. 

In a radio interview last week, he said “people are agreeing” on a 15-week national abortion ban, adding he will “make that announcement at the appropriate time.” However, in the same interview, the former president said he thinks abortion laws should be decided by the states.

The Axios-Ipsos poll found that 58% of the public oppose a nationwide 15-week ban.

The margin of error in the poll was 3.5%.

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New research shows children in Ireland spend third longest on homework worldwide

Studious teens spend almost eight hours EVERY week slaving over their books

• 13:17, 19 FEB 2015
• Updated 13:54, 19 FEB 2015

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Attention parents - next time your teen begs for a study break they might really need it.

New research suggests that children in Ireland are the third hardest working in world when it comes to their studies.

New analysis of OECD education data by mapper Omar Sarhan shows that Irish students spend an average of 7.31 hours on their homework every week.

Russia tops the list, where teens toil for 9.75 hours per week on their studies, followed by Italian students, who spend 8.73 hours per week on homework.

Polish schoolgoers are fourth, spending an average of 6.6 hours per week on homework, followed by Spanish students who devote 6.5 hours to their studies every seven days.

Hungary is next (6.22 hours) followed by the US (6.09 hours), Australia (6.04 hours), the Netherlands (5.84) hours and Thailand (5.59 hours).

At the other end of the scale, Finnish teens come out as world's laziest students -spending just 2.78 hours a week on homework.

Korea is next (2.87 hours) followed by the Czech Republic (3.14 hours), the Slovak Republic (3.23 hours) and Brazil (3.32 hours)

But don't give them free reign of the X-box just yet - the 2012 data also shows that Irish kids spent 24.6 minutes less on homework per week than they did a decade earlier in 2003.

Are kids in Ireland spending too much time on homework?

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