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The American Abortion Controversy: Lessons from Cross-National Evidence

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  17 May 2016

Neil Nevitte ,
William P. Brandon  and
Lori Davis
Neil Nevitte*
Affiliation:
University of Calgary, Canada
William P. Brandon
Affiliation:
Seton Hall University, USA
Lori Davis
Affiliation:
University of Toronto, Canada
*
Dr. Nevitte at the Department of Political Science, University of Calgary, 2500 University Drive, N.W., Calgary, Alberta T2N 1N4, Canada.
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Abstract

Analyses of American public opinion about abortion rarely consider what light other cases might shed on the U.S. controversy. This paper argues that there are striking parallels between the politics of abortion in the U.S. and Canada. These parallels extend beyond courts and interest groups; they also apply to public opinion. Gallup data indicate aggregate similarities in how both publics view the legalization of abortion in the last fifteen years, and World Values Survey data show that Americans and Canadians hold similar views about abortion even when the controversy is lifted out of its legal context. Probit analysis demonstrates that the same variables similarly predict where these publics stand on abortion when health and discretionary aspects of the debate are taken into account. Postmaterialist value orientations may provide important clues about what future direction the abortion debate in the U.S. may take.

Type
Articles
Information
Politics and the Life Sciences , Volume 12 , Issue 1 , February 1993 , pp. 19 - 30
Copyright
Copyright © Association for Politics and the Life Sciences 

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