Anti-Abortion and Pro-Coercion: White Christian Nationalism and Support for Arresting Women Who Have Abortions

ABSTRACT Immediately following the fall of Roe v. Wade, Republican lawmakers in red states began discussing the possibility of arresting women who have abortions, a proposition prominent Christian far-right leaders endorse. Building on research linking Christian nationalism and racial prejudice with both anti-abortion sentiment and authoritarian punitiveness, we propose that Americans’ support for arresting women who have abortions reflects not only staunch anti-abortion sentiment but also a desire for a social order that controls sexual deviance and racial minorities, privileging traditionalist Christian identity and White Americans. We use data from an original nationally representative survey including measures of anti-abortion sentiment and identity, a novel measure of Christian nationalism, and belief in White nationalism (“true Americans” are White). In the main effects, Christian nationalism and White nationalism are among the strongest predictors of support for arresting women who have abortions, second only to anti-abortion views. Moderation tests show these forces work in combination: support is strongest among Americans who endorse both Christian nationalism and warmer feelings toward White nationalism. Ancillary analyses show these results are not explained by sexism. Findings suggest support for punitive abortion policies stems from a broader desire to preserve a social order where Christianity and Whiteness maintain supremacy.