In a recent study, Kinsey Institute researcher Dr. Kristen Jozkowski and her colleagues examined whether the inclusion of language around fetal development influences people’s support for legal abortion across a variety of circumstances and sociodemographic factors.
This article is part of a series sharing research by Kinsey Institute researchers and their colleagues on a variety of factors affecting the public perception of abortion in the United States.
Effects on Abortion Attitudes
Research on abortion attitudes in the US shows steady trends over time for the support of legal abortion, with differences in support within different demographic groups or in response to the circumstances of the abortion (health risks for the mother, fetal anomalies, or rape or incest). The current study examines how using the language of fetal development markers rather than gestational age may influence these attitudes. (Find more information about the difference between gestational age and fetal development here.)
About the Study
The study involved 2,375 participants in the U.S., with diverse genders, ages, race/ethnicities, levels of education, and political identities (Republican, Democrat, independent, other).
Researchers were investigating two questions:
- Do people respond differently to questions about abortion attitudes that include language about fetal development markers compared to when these are not included? And if so, how do these differences present when applied to differing circumstances around an abortion, like threats to maternal health, rape, incest, or fetal abnormality?
- Which sociodemographic characteristics are associated with particular patterns of responses?
Participants were asked the question “Please tell me whether or not you think it should be possible for a pregnant woman to obtain a legal abortion if…,” with six possible circumstances around obtaining an abortion (there is a strong chance of serious defect in the baby, the woman is married and does not want more children, the mother’s health is in danger, the family cannot afford more children, rape, the mother is unmarried and does not want to marry the man).
They received five different versions of the question:
- The original non-specified wording above (non-specified question)
- With the addition of “once doctors can detect the baby’s heartbeat”
- With the addition of “once the baby can feel pain”
- With the addition of “once the baby can live outside the womb”
- With the addition of “at any time during the pregnancy”
Notable Findings
Findings about the influence of language reflecting fetal development markers:
- When language about fetal markers is included in the question, support for abortion is lower for all circumstances of pregnancy than for the non-specified question.
- Support for legal abortion differed between the non-specified and the “any time” questions. Across circumstances, support levels were around 15-20% higher when the timing was not specified than when it was described as “at any time during the pregnancy.”
Findings about sociodemographic factors:
- Consistent with previous research, this study found that gender, age, and race/ethnicity were not strongly associated with attitudes to abortion and not good predictors of more or less support for legal abortion.
- The exception was when asked about “at any time during pregnancy,” women were less supportive than men. Because most people who have abortions identify as women, it may be that the capacity to become pregnant may influence attitudes against abortion later in pregnancy.
- Higher education, more progressive political views, and secularity/lower religiosity were associated with higher support for legal abortion.
Notably, the study data also suggests that fetal viability marks a point where the effect of differing sociodemographic factors becomes weaker or insignificant. The researchers think this implies that for the public, at the time when a fetus is developed enough to live outside the woman’s uterus, there is a strong consensus for less support of legal abortion that overrides other possible differences between respondents.
Implications
This study revealed that there is greater support for legal abortion when the health of the woman or fetus is at risk, but this decreases significantly once the point of fetal viability is reached. Unfortunately, many health-related risks develop or are detected late in pregnancy, sometimes after the point of viability.
Total bans or highly restrictive legislation (like “heartbeat” bills) do not represent the opinion of the majority in more highly-supported circumstances (like risks to maternal or fetal health and rape). Viability is the key marker for the majority of the study participants for these circumstances, which is also consistent with the precedent established in Roe v Wade.
These findings also underscore the importance of item wording in abortion-related survey results. Evocative language that draws on concepts of fetal personhood may highlight differences in abortion attitudes, which has an impact on how we design surveys and develop accurate measures. What is unclear from this study and needs further investigation is whether the difference observed in responses between the non-specified question and the questions which include fetal development markers represent persistent attitudes toward legal abortion or reflect emotional responses elicited in the moment by the survey wording.
Bueno, X., LaRoche, K. J., Crawford, B. L., Turner, R. C., Lo, W.-J., & Jozkowski, K. N. (2023). Do Fetal Development Markers Influence Attitudes toward Abortion Legality? Social Currents, 10(2), 107–120. https://doi.org/10.1177/23294965221137830
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This article is part of a series sharing research by Kinsey Institute researchers and their colleagues on a variety of factors affecting the public perception of abortion in the United States:
Complexity of Abortion Attitudes in America
Attitudes About Illegal Abortion and Responsibility In America
Gestational Age vs Fetal Development – What is the Difference?
Additional research publications:
Brandon L. Crawford, Kristen N. Jozkowski, Lucrecia Mena-Meléndez, Ronna C. Turner. (2023). An exploratory examination of attitudes toward illegal abortion in the U.S. through endorsement of various punishments. Contraception, 2023, 109952. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.contraception.2023.109952.
Crawford, B. L., Jozkowski, K. N., Simmons, M. K., Willis, M., LaRoche, K. L., Turner, R. C., & Lo, W.J. (2021). Attitudes and Rationales Regarding Fetal Development-Based Bans. Social Science Journal. https://doi.org/10.1080/03623319.2021.1975481
Crawford, B. L., LaRoche, K.J. & Jozkowski, K.N. (2022). Examining Abortion Attitudes in the Context of Gestational Age. Online advance of print. Social Science Quarterly. https://doi.org/10.1111/ssqu.13157
Jozkowski, K. N., Crawford, B. L., & Hunt, M. E. (2018). Complexity in attitudes toward abortion access: results from two studies. Sexuality Research and Social Policy, 15(4), 464-482. https://doi.org/10.1007/s13178-018-0322-4
Jozkowski, K.N., Crawford, B.L., & Willis, M. (2021). Abortion Complexity Scores from 1972–2018: A Cross-Sectional Time-Series Analysis Using GSS Data. Sexuality Research & Social Policy, 18, 13-26. https://doi.org/10.1007/s13178-020-00439-9