Abortion and euthanasia: Explanatory factors of an association in Thanatos. Analysis of the European Values Study

Abstract

The European Values Study (EVS), and also the World Values Survey (WVS), have for decades included a question that asks about the degree of justification of different behaviors and actions, including abortion and euthanasia. Our research aims to study which factors influence the abortion/euthanasia association in Spain and whether this association is also observed in other countries. A factor analysis of the Spanish sample shows that a number of items related to sexuality and death tend to cluster together. This factor could be called “Eros-Thanatos,” and includes the justification of abortion and euthanasia, in terms of ideological consistency. The analysis shows that in Spain, as well as in Europe generally, not being a religious person is the principal factor associated with the greater justification of abortion and euthanasia. The article analyses whether this association in the Spanish data is something that can be generalized to other European countries or whether, on the contrary, there are factors such as culture and the historical past of the countries that modify the relationship. Correspondence analyses applied to different questions in the questionnaire show that it is possible to establish different dividing lines in Europe according to the values of its citizens, shaping a north-south axis and a west-east axis, in which the processes of secularization in Western Europe or the rise in institutional religion in the former Soviet republics might lie behind.

Attitudes towards Homosexuality in Europe: Analysis of the European Values Study

“…We can conclude that this is the case: that is, the degree of tolerance towards homosexuality, or conversely, the degree of homophobia, allows us to classify countries. As we found in previous studies where we analysed attitudes towards abortion or euthanasia [4], the main cultural division in Europe occurs between western and eastern Europe and the traditional division between northern and southern Europe is diluted, although it is the Scandinavian Nordic countries that reveal a more open, liberal and normalising culture towards diverse and non-normative sexual behaviour.…”

Stigma and public attitudes toward euthanasia or assisted suicide for psychiatric conditions: results from a general population survey in Germany

“…The term 'sterbehilfe' avoids the obvious historical ballast of 'euthanasie', which is closely associated with the non-voluntary killing of people with chronic mental illness and other disabilities during Nazi Germany. 24 Today, Germany does not seem to be an outlier in Europe with regard to end-of-life attitudes. 23 The European Values Study also shows that attitudes toward EAS are closely related to permissive attitudes about in vitro fertilisation, abortion, divorce and homosexuality, 24 thus placing EAS within a context of other preferences for personal choices.…”

“…24 Today, Germany does not seem to be an outlier in Europe with regard to end-of-life attitudes. 23 The European Values Study also shows that attitudes toward EAS are closely related to permissive attitudes about in vitro fertilisation, abortion, divorce and homosexuality, 24 thus placing EAS within a context of other preferences for personal choices. 25 Accordingly, when discussing arguments in favour of or against psychiatric EAS, stigma is usually referred to as an impediment to psychiatric EAS, diminishing the opportunities of people with mental illness to make personal choices.…”

“…The term ‘ sterbehilfe ’ avoids the obvious historical ballast of ‘ euthanasie ’, which is closely associated with the non-voluntary killing of people with chronic mental illness and other disabilities during Nazi Germany. 24 Today, Germany does not seem to be an outlier in Europe with regard to end-of-life attitudes. 23…”