The Rise of Liberal Attitudes Toward Abortion in Iran

In Iran, abortion is illegal and only permitted under certain circumstances. This article aims to examine changes in attitudes toward abortion and their correlates over the past two decades, using data from the 2000, 2005, and 2020 Iran World Values Survey (WVS). The results show that over the past two decades, approval of abortion has increased, with recent Iranian birth cohorts having a more positive attitude toward abortion compared to older generations. Multivariate results indicate that people with lower religiosity and more positive attitudes toward gender equality and modern family values hold more favorable views on abortion. Given the growth of liberal attitudes toward abortion, a rising trend in its incidence in Iran is expected. Therefore, the government must consider revising the legality of abortion to avert health risks for women seeking the procedure.