Abortion as a Policy Issue

Most literature dealing with the attitudes of the mass public toward abortion addresses the question in terms of the individual woman seeking termination. This study attempts to explain attitudes when abortion is framed as a public policy question. Three dependent variables are investigated. These are the issues of public funding, when human life begins, and the Human Life Amendment. This study suggests that while religion and religiosity are still sources of division on abortion, significant political divisions also are present contributing to the difficulty the government has in resolving abortion policy issues.