Premium
Conscience and Context: Attitudes Toward Abortion in M exico
Author(s) -
Tuman John P.,
RothJohnson Danielle,
Jelen Ted
Publication year - 2013
Publication title -
social science quarterly
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.482
H-Index - 90
eISSN - 1540-6237
pISSN - 0038-4941
DOI - 10.1111/j.1540-6237.2012.00905.x
Subject(s) - abortion , opposition (politics) , social psychology , conscience , salient , political science , demography , psychology , sociology , law , pregnancy , genetics , politics , biology
Objective We seek to explain variation in attitudes toward legal abortion in M exico, a nation in which the abortion issue has become quite salient. Methods Using data from the 2005 World Values Survey, we estimate an ordered logistic model to analyze the effects of different demographic and attitudinal variables on M exican abortion attitudes. Results In general, the attitudinal and demographic predictors of abortion attitudes in M exico are similar to those found in other Western democracies, such as the U nited S tates. In two areas, M exican attitudes seem distinctive. First, contrary to expectations, opposition to legal abortion is not related to strong identification with the National Action Party ( PAN ), but support for legal abortion is positively related to strong support for the Democratic Revolutionary Party ( PRD ). Second, opposition to abortion is strongest among residents of the northern region, which we attribute to the region's proximity to the U nited S tates. Conclusion The effects of party identification and region on M exican abortion attitudes provide distinctive national sources of abortion attitudes in M exico. In other respects, the correlates of abortion attitudes closely resemble those of other nations.