Culture change is necessary
This work:
1) challenges the narrative that religion is against abortion
2) documents that religious people have abortions
3) explores + shares their narratives of how they think about their abortions + their reproductive lives theologically
Why research Abortion & Religion?
There is a dominant cultural narrative that religion is opposed to abortion. Vocal and vicious anti-choice Christian voices/activists contribute significantly to the abortion stigma that all women who end pregnancies experience. At the same time, 62% of women who have abortions identify as women of faith and most religious people in the US support the legality of abortion.
Jerman, Jenna, Rachel K. Jones, and Tsuyoshi Onda. “Characteristics of U.S. Abortion Patients in 2014 and Changes Since 2008.” New York: Guttmacher Institute, May 2016.
Abortion & religion project
While, numerous studies have documented the reasons women have abortions, virtually no research has examined how a woman’s religious identity shapes her decision to terminate a pregnancy or how religiously identified women understand the meaning and value of their reproductive decisions to end a pregnancy. In the current political and cultural context, the voices and perspectives of religiously identified women who have abortions needs to be documented and elevated in the public discourse.
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Individuals
Financial donations to support this research may be made to Elon University and designated for the Abortion & Religion Project, please contact religionstudy@elon.edu
Foundations
Information about foundation or other grant support for this research can be directed to religionstudy@elon.edu.
Providers
If your clinic would like to partner with the Abortion & Religion project to recruit participants for the study, please contact religionstudy@elon.edu.
Abortion & Religion 