Abortion, US Attitudes to

The question of whether or not a woman should be able to voluntarily terminate a pregnancy has been hotly debated for decades. In the United States, most individuals have an opinion about the morality and/or legality of the abortion act, and a majority of people indicate the issue is important to them. Attitudes range from the belief that abortion should be available to all women for any reason to the belief that abortion is equivalent to murder and therefore illegal and immoral. The basis of abortion attitudes is typically complicated, involving questions of gender roles, theology, and sexual morality. Keywords: abortion; attitudes; gender roles; health care; human rights; ideology; morality; motherhood; policy; pregnancy; public opinion; race and ethnicity; religion; social issues; women