State Policy and Religious Beliefs: How Religiosity Drives Abortion Policies in the United States

This study explores the intersectionality of religiosity and politics in shaping abortion regulations in the United States. The discourse surrounding abortion politics often centers on reproductive rights, including a woman's right to choose, the necessity of abortion as a healthcare procedure for maternal safety and fertility preservation, and the broader rights of citizens to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. In 2022, the Supreme Court's decision to overturn Roe v. Wade devolved the decision-making power on abortion legality to individual states. Consequently, numerous states' trigger bans were activated, and other states enacted legislation imposing severe penalties for doctors who perform abortions on women in states that heavily restrict abortion and for women who travel to more states with less restrictive legislation to have an abortion. This study employed an ordinal regression analysis to evaluate the influence of states’ religiosity and the severity of their abortion policy. The findings of this study suggest that for each percentage increase in a state's level of religiosity, the likelihood of the state enacting a more restrictive abortion ban rises by 18%. Further analysis indicates that in many of the states with highly restrictive abortion policies and high religiosity amongst its citizens, the number of abortions was already declining. The findings of this study highlight the need to assess how much influence religion should have on policy decisions. Keywords: Abortion, Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization, Public Policy, Religiosity, Reproductive Rights, Roe v. Wade DOI: 10.7176/JLPG/142-04 Publication date: September 30 th 2024