Abortion in Uruguay and Latin America: The position of citizens

Abstract

Abortion is illegal in most Latin American countries, although there are some attenuating and exonerating causes in its practice. However, studies performed in countries with liberalizing processes for more than two decades, such as the United States, show the persistence of different attitudes towards abortion, which go from points of view that are pro-life to points of view that are pro-choice. Based on Latinobarómetro 2007, this paper analyzes the attitudinal patterns of individuals towards abortion, with emphasis on its degree of justification according to socio-economic features, faith and religion, as well as the countries’ own characteristics. Ordinary least squares estimates for 18 Latin American countries show that men under 40, agnostic, highly educated and with socioeconomic access are those that justify abortion the most; likewise, Uruguay —particularly its female population— is the country where it is most justified.