The Role of Opposition to Abortion in Shaping Policy Preferences: Unveiling Hidden Reproductive Goals

Abstract

Abortion is among the most contentious and consequential issues in modern US politics. What drives pro-life stances? Pro-life individuals frequently claim that sanctity-of-life concerns drive their opposition to abortion. Per such a “Face-Value Account,” the more strongly people oppose abortion for such reasons (e.g., “abortion is murder”), the more they should support policies preventing abortions. A “Strategic Account” suggests that underlying reproductive goals drive policy positions and predicts a different pattern of policy support—that abortion opponents prioritize abortion-preventing policies discouraging casual sex. In two (one pre-registered) US experiments (N=1427), participants evaluated fictive bills described as preventing the same number of abortions via different means (e.g., punishing abortion-seekers, comprehensive sex education). Though both accounts received some support, results more so challenged Face-Value predictions and more so supported Strategic ones. Findings imply that abortion attitudes may be strongly influenced by nonconscious factors not typically voiced in the abortion debate.