This study examines the association between religion and attitudes toward the practice of abortion and abortion policy in Brazil. Drawing upon data from the 2002 Brazilian Social Research Survey (BSRS), we test a number of hypotheses with regard to the role of religion on opposition to the practice of abortion and its legalization. Findings indicate that frequently attending Pentecostals demonstrate the strongest opposition to the practice of abortion and both frequently attending Pentecostals and Catholics demonstrate the strongest opposition to its legalization. Additional religious factors, such as a commitment to biblical literalism, were also found to be significantly associated with opposition to both abortion issues. Ultimately, the findings have implications for the future of public policy on abortion and other contentious social issues in Brazil.

The results presented in this study are encouraging insofar as they show that Protestant adolescents, particularly Pentecostals, have a reduced risk of adolescent premarital motherhood. This result was not expected, given that Pentecostalism predominates in the less advantaged population groups, with lower incomes and levels of education and residence in urban areas, where adolescent fertility is also concentrated in Brazil. Future studies must be undertaken with the purpose of understanding how the various mechanisms of religious influence operate in the life and behavior of adolescents in Brazil.

No abstract

Religion is becoming an important and highly present factor in the lives

No abstract

The provision of civil liberties to LGBT persons has become part of a global movement in societies across the world. In Brazil, a recent judicial ruling for the first time established the right for homosexual couples to enter into civil unions, despite the presence of widespread disapproval of homosexuality among the population and opposition from prominent religious groups. Picking up on this issue, the following study examines whether religion may factor into the attitudes Brazilians hold toward homosexuality and same-sex civil unions. Using data from the Brazilian Social Research Survey, we find that the most restrictive views toward homosexuality and the strongest opposition to same-sex civil unions are most prevalent among devoted followers of historical Protestant, Pentecostal, and Catholic faith traditions, whereas adherents of Afro-Brazilian and spiritist religions, as well as those with no religious commitment, are inclined to assume a more tolerant moral posture toward such issues. The findings point to religion as a potential influence in future public policy initiatives and social movements involving LGBT issues in Brazil.

Os estudos sobre a associação de fenômenos demográficos e religião têm mostrado que as instituições religiosas e a identidade religiosa dos indivíduos podem influenciar de várias maneiras o comportamento demográfico dos seguidores. Objetivou-se identificar e analisar os possíveis diferenciais no comportamento de fecundidade segundo religiões entre as mulheres de 15 a 49 anos no Brasil, incluindo análises a partir da conversão e frequência a cultos e cerimônias religiosas. Para isso foram utilisados os dados da Pesquisa Nacional de Demografia e Saúde da Mulher e da Criança de 2006. Os resultados sugerem que realmente existem diferenças nas taxas de fecundidade segundo religiões, sendo que esses diferenciais também são verificados para aquelas mulheres que foram criadas sempre em uma mesma religião e para aquelas que mudaram de religião ao longo de seu período reprodutivo e também há diferenciais importantes nos níveis e padrão de fecundidade quanto à frequência na participação de cultos e cerimônias religiosas.

No abstract