Understanding the effects of personal and school religiosity on the decision to abort a premarital pregnancy

Citation

Adamczyk, A. (2009). Understanding the effects of personal and school religiosity on the decision to abort a premarital pregnancy. Journal of Health and Social Behavior. vol. 50 (2) pp. 180-195

Abstract

Although much research has examined the relationship between religion and abortion attitudes, few studies have examined whether religion influences abortion behavior. This study looks at whether individual and school religiosity influence reported abortion behavior among women who become pregnant while unmarried. Hierarchical Logistic Models are implemented to analyze two waves of data from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health. Findings show that personal religiosity is unrelated to reported abortion behavior. However, conservative Protestants appear less likely to obtain abortions than mainline Protestants, Catholics, and women of non-Christian faiths. Regardless of personal religious affiliation, having attended a school with a high proportion of conservative Protestants appears to discourage abortion as women enter their twenties. Conversely, women from private religious high schools appear more likely to report obtaining an abortion than women from public schools.

URL

http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/002214650905000205

Keyword(s)

Religion School Reproductive Health

Reference Type

Journal Article

Journal Title

Journal of Health and Social Behavior

Author(s)

Adamczyk, A.

Year Published

2009

Volume Number

Issue Number

Pages

180-195

DOI

10.1177/002214650905000205

Reference ID

1057