Edits to paper

Religion, Gender, and Abortion

In the United States, the topic of abortion is often very closely related to dominant religious views and morals (Campbell, 1980, p. 370). Larger percentages of Protestant, Christian, and Catholic followers showed a strong disagreement with abortion, but evidently, there exists many female religious followers who have also experienced an abortion. In fact, Catholic and Protestant women share the same rate of getting an abortion as women not affiliated with any religion at all (Dean, J., & Aune, K. 2015, p. 372). It then begs the question of where the religious beliefs end, and where personal gender-specific assertion of rights begin. The debate and stigma surrounding abortion is affected and caused by many different things, one of them being religion (Campbell, 1980, p. 375). In Christianity, its beliefs very strongly oppose abortion. However, there is no explicit explanation on where this opposition to abortion is derived from. There is no statement in the bible that specifically claims that abortion is wrong, yet this is one of the ideas that is prevalent within the Christian community (Ruble, 2012). For this reason, many individuals practice this belief and claim it to be one of the pillars of their values: a fetus is a living being that ought to be protected. However, it becomes controversial when Christian women are confronted with an unexpected or unwanted pregnancy. Where a Christian male could easily ground himself back to his original religious morals, a Christian woman is also confronted with the consideration of her individual life, her circumstances, and her decision independent from her religious backgrounds (Dean, J., & Aune, K. 2015, p. 372).

            In understanding the differences between Christian males and Christian females’ views on abortion, it is necessary to discuss the stigma that surrounds abortion. Because individuals are often influenced and dominated by the values of their society, and this is where they begin to conceptualize what is “stigmatized,” and what is not (Cherry, M. 2014, p. 168).

These core values of society are often based off of religion, and because the United States has shown to be a fairly religious country, it follows that the topic of abortion would become so controversial. Christian women are not exceptions to the possibility of desiring an abortion despite their religious background. Christian women could also face the same circumstances of women not affiliated with any religion and may need an abortion at one point in their lives. Christian women are then forced to deal with their necessity to assert their rights as a female, their independence to make their own decisions, but also deal with the strong stigmatization from their religion. Christian men, however, do not have to consider these same possibilities. For this reason, it is often found that Christian women are more likely to be ambivalent and unsure about where they stand on abortion, whereas Christian men are more likely to be static and traditional in their views (Campbell, 1980, p. 373).

Christian Males’ Perspectives. Christian Males frequently display more traditional and static arguments regarding the topic of abortion. The vast majority consider the issue of abortion in consideration to a very general audience, in that there is no individuality to each woman who may choose to seek out an abortion (Rossinow, 2015). Individuality could refer to the particular circumstances of a woman, whether it be financially, emotionally, or mentally. The more conservative views of the typical Christian male toward abortion fail to consider the individual solutions to individual problems of an unexpected or unwanted pregnancy. This may be due to the fact that it is a decision they will never be forced to consider, and therefore the necessary empathy and contemplation is not there, as a Christian woman would’ve had (Rossinow, 2015).

Concluding the Controversy. The discussion of abortion and its disparities in the views between males and females in the Christian religion, it becomes a consideration of identity. A Christian woman is constantly facing the duality of her identity as a woman who desires the assertion of her rights, as well as her role as a Christian follower who is surrounded by its community values. A Christian man does not have to assert those same rights, because one does not ever contemplate the possibility of becoming pregnant or seeking out an abortion. For this reason, Christian women show greater ambivalence and empathy towards the pro-choice movement, whereas Christian men show more opposition to the pro-choice movement and strong agreement with the pro-life movement, deriving a large portion of their argument on their religious ideals of protecting all life (Dean, J., & Aune, K. 2015, p. 372). According to the pro-life movement’s beliefs, women, regardless of religious affiliation, are expected to deliver a baby to full term. Men, however, are never asked to fulfill this same obligation.  Due to the contrast in responsibility based on gender identities of individuals, there can exist differences even within one religion regarding a topic as controversial as abortion.

Current Study

The purpose of this study is to get to know the views of Christian males and females on abortion. People from other religions would also give responses.

Method

The method used was interviewing respondents in order to get to know their views on abortion.

Participants

The study focuses on participants from the age of 19 years to 30 years. These are individuals who are considered adults and their views are important in the collection and evaluation of data. They have experience concerning the various issues surrounding moral development in Christianity. They also have the freedom to give their views regarding the concept of abortion and its relationship to gender perceptions.

15 Men took part in the study whereas the women who took part in the study were 8. Out of 23 participants, there were 14 participants who practiced Catholicism. 6 of the participants identified themselves as Christians while the remaining 3 participants identified themselves with other religions. Only 4 participants were married as the other 19 participants were all single.

Data Collection and Method

Concerning data collection, the study uses descriptive research in its collection of data. The study is more of a qualitative data than a quantitative one since it focuses on using descriptive techniques compared to statistical inferences. The study employs questionnaires to collect data from the participants. It is specifically about the data it collects. It looks at the age, gender, and marital status associated with the participants.

Measures

The study is critical in understanding how both modern Christian men and women perceive the concept of abortion in society. It looks at abortion as a moral issue that affects different beliefs associated with Christianity. The study understands the differences women and men in Christianity have towards the religion. It serves as a guideline through which researchers and individuals may comprehend the issue.

The interview questions which were asked included how close the respondents were close to their faith, how they felt about laws on abortion and whether they believed abortion was a legal or moral issue. In addition, other questions that were asked during the interview consisted of, when they thought human life begins, whether or not they believed that life is valuable, the stage of development which an unborn child should have human rights, whether a teenager girl could have an abortion without their parent’s consent and the time frame in which abortion should be permitted. The final questions asked during the interview portion were whether abortion could be viewed as murder or homicide and some of the emotional and psychological problems one could develop after the abortion procedure.

Data Analysis

Based on their changing views, modern Christian women and men look at the aspect of seeking an abortion as having the same simple reason as a pregnant woman who wishes to no longer be so. Despite the contemporary public discourse, the above reason may not be enough. Modern Christian women are not the ones who make important decisions relating to their religions. They still live under the influence of their men, who are not open to the changing nature of society. Despite their changing perception, they are asked continuously to justify their abortions. Their justification surrounds the response related to a default assumption that abortion has a wrong moral status as men think about it. But this is not for all modern Christian women and men, despite most men arguing that abortion is wrong. The liberal ones from developed nations tend to look at the assumption as being incorrect (Sumerau, Grollman, & Cragun, 2018). Men who look at the concept of abortion as being wrong to have their arguments supported by a specific theological framework that revolves around the values of motherhood over needs, decisions, and interests of individual women.

According to Dean & Aune (2015), modern Christian men and women supporting abortion are more into policy. They understand the need and nature of living in a country whereby the constitution legalizes abortion. Therefore, such men and women comprehend the significance of healthcare in supporting the needs of a woman who does not want to be pregnant. Such men and women uphold the rights of women with much dignity and argue against societal and cultural debate that shame and judge women for having abortions. Modern Christian men and women’s positive perception of abortion support the fact that women are rational, capable, and responsible moral agents that understand their role in protecting life. However, they also have to protect themselves against wishes that are detrimental to their current and future developments. They understand that paternalistic presumptions that pregnant women as lacking moral capacity to protect life are wrong. Information about the wrongful nature of abortion for them is a fallacy of the past yielded by selfish paternalistic interests and views of the society.

References