Embryonic Politics: Attitudes about Abortion, Stem Cell Research, and IVF

Abstract

Efforts by anti-abortion advocates to introduce “personhood” initiatives, which state that human life begins at fertilization, have prompted concern among infertility specialists that these initiatives would hinder access to in vitro fertilization (IVF). Yet, our understanding of public opinion about IVF is limited. It remains unclear whether attitudes about this technology are consistent with opinions about other issues related to human embryos, particularly abortion and embryonic stem cell (ESC) research. Using data from a nationally representative survey, I fill this gap by exploring the role that religion plays in shaping attitudes about a range of embryonic politics issues. I find that religiosity, income, and ideology strongly influence whether individuals view these issues in moral terms. Respondents who are most devout and Evangelical Protestants are most likely to consistently oppose all three embryonic politics issues. Yet, the relationship between religion and attitudes about the morality of each procedure is also influenced by the procedure's outcome, with religion most influential with respect to abortion attitudes and least influential in the case of IVF. Additionally, women are less likely than men to describe IVF as morally wrong, while, in comparison to non-Hispanic whites, Latino respondents are more likely to do so.Replication Data. Replication data is publicly available on the website of the Pew Research Center Religion and Public Life Project.

Abortion, religion, and racial resentment: Unpacking the underpinnings of contemporary abortion attitudes

“…Controlling for religiosity, ideology, party identification, and various demographic characteristics, black women are significantly more supportive of abortion legality, compared to black men (Lizotte and Carey 2021). Men are also more likely than women to view abortion as a moral issue (Silber Mohamed 2018).…”

Choosing Choice: How Gender and Religiosity Shape Abortion Attitudes among Latinos

“…Beliefs about abortion are among the culture war's most divisive political issues, with abortion attitudes exemplifying the various ways in which religious traditions influence political opinions (Kellstedt et al 1996; Layman and Green 2006; Wald and Calhoun-Brown 2014). Abortion attitudes constitute a form of morality politics in which values and beliefs influence policy views (Heidt-Forsythe 2018; Schroedel 2000; Silber Mohamed 2018; Tatalovich and Daynes 2011).…”

“…Attitudes about the legality of abortion are thought to have gendered roots and consequences (Kreitzer 2015; Lizotte 2015; Pacheco and Kreitzer 2016; Sapiro 2003; Schroedel 2000). As Kaufmann (2002, 296) argues, “There is strong evidence that the culture wars—in particular partisan polarization over abortion and homosexual rights—may have recruited additional women to the ranks of the Democrats.” Although this argument is widely accepted, there is little evidence of a relationship between gender and abortion attitudes; some studies even find an inverse relationship, with men having slightly more liberal views than women (Barnes and Cassese 2017; Huddy, Cassese, and Lizotte 2008; Jelen 2014; Jelen and Wilcox 2003; Silber Mohamed 2018).…”

“…Over time, the effects of denominational affiliation reversed: the relationship between Catholicism and abortion attitudes weakened, while religious fundamentalism became a stronger predictor of opposition to abortion (Strickler and Danigelis 2002). Indeed, Evangelicals have now surpassed Catholics as the group most likely to oppose abortion as well as other procedures involving human embryos (McTague and Pearson-Merkowitz 2013; Silber Mohamed 2018). In the general population, both of these denominations are thought to influence the experiences of women more so than men (Cassese and Holman 2016; Kraybill 2016).…”

Efficacy, Distancing, and Reconciling: Religion and Race in Americans’ Abortion Attitudes

“…Evangelical Protestants hold some of the strongest opposition to abortion (Hoffsmann and Johnson 2005;McTague and Pearson-Merkowitz 2013;Silber Mohamed 2018). The longstanding gap between evangelical and nonevangelical attitudes on this issue has widened in recent decades, garnering attention as a sign of polarization within the social and political worlds of Americans more broadly (Hoffsmann and Johnson 2005;Lewis 2017).…”