Embryonic politics: Attitudes about abortion, stem cell research, and IVF

Authors

Heather Silber Mohamed, Clark UniversityFollow

Document Type

Article

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.

Publication Title

Politics and Religion

Publication Date

9-2018

Volume

11

Issue

3

First Page

459

Last Page

497

ISSN

1755-0483

DOI

10.1017/S175504831800010X

Keywords

attitudes, abortion, stem cell research, in vitro fertilization

Repository Citation

Mohamed, Heather Silber, "Embryonic politics: Attitudes about abortion, stem cell research, and IVF" (2018). Political Science. 84.
https://commons.clarku.edu/faculty_political_science/84