Between the Church and the State
Catholic and European Influences on Abortion Governance in Italy and Beyond
In: Journal of Religion in EuropeSearch for other papers by Danielle Pullan in
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Abstract
Supranational cultural institutions and communities play an interesting role in the development of abortion policy both historically and today. In this article we consider two such institutions: the Catholic Church and the European community. The church is famously antiabortion, and we describe the ways in which the Catholic position manifests itself in different countries. Conversely, almost all European countries have liberal laws that allow abortion on demand for twelve weeks of pregnancy. Italy sits at the intersection of European and Catholic identities. Italy adopted European-style liberal abortion laws early, but Italians continue to identify with the church in surveys, which is one of the causes of high levels of conscientious objection by medical professionals. Italy’s abortion policy pleases neither Catholics nor secularists. We explain this by understanding Italy’s abortion law as liberal de jure, but its culture is still heavily influenced by Catholicism, resulting in limited abortion access de facto.
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Between the Church and the State
Catholic and European Influences on Abortion Governance in Italy and Beyond
In: Journal of Religion in EuropeSearch for other papers by Danielle Pullan in
Current site
Google Scholar
PubMed
Search for other papers by Payton Gannon in
Current site
Google Scholar
PubMed
Abstract
Supranational cultural institutions and communities play an interesting role in the development of abortion policy both historically and today. In this article we consider two such institutions: the Catholic Church and the European community. The church is famously antiabortion, and we describe the ways in which the Catholic position manifests itself in different countries. Conversely, almost all European countries have liberal laws that allow abortion on demand for twelve weeks of pregnancy. Italy sits at the intersection of European and Catholic identities. Italy adopted European-style liberal abortion laws early, but Italians continue to identify with the church in surveys, which is one of the causes of high levels of conscientious objection by medical professionals. Italy’s abortion policy pleases neither Catholics nor secularists. We explain this by understanding Italy’s abortion law as liberal de jure, but its culture is still heavily influenced by Catholicism, resulting in limited abortion access de facto.
| All Time | Past Year | Past 30 Days | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Abstract Views | 362 | 362 | 48 |
| Full Text Views | 3 | 3 | 2 |
| PDF Views & Downloads | 85 | 85 | 28 |