Abortion+Views+of+the+Religious+Right+(Evangelical+Christians)

=Abortion Views of the the Religious Right (Evangelical Christians) =

Overview
Today the Religious Right is made up mostly by Evangelical Catholics and Evangelical Protestants (Jelen & Wilcox, 2002). In the past, the group has included Orthodox Jews, Southern Baptist, and Evangelical Lurthen (Hoffaman & Johnson, 2005), however, most of which have left over the transition in becoming more politicized (Hoffaman & Johnson, 2005; Jelen & Wilcox, 2002) (which will be discussed later). While the news portrays them as a very organized group, they are in reality very decentralized and scattered (Rozell, 1995). Given this it is important to note that there is not much of a correlation between a specific denomination and its official statement on the morality of abortion. Some studies suggest that there is a correlation between the frequency in attending church events and being part of the Religious Right (Jelen & Wilcox, 2002). We could assume that this means that the more involved within a church group one tends to be the more politicized their outlook on abortion is. I should note, that only one research group (Jelen & Wilcox, 2002) found this to be the case and that correlation could possibly be driven by other factors. While much of the demographics that make up this group could be very inconsistent, their ideologies are what hold this group together. It was found that there was no consistent Biblical wording as to why abortion was wrong (Hoffaman & Johnson, 2005). One person even cited “thou shall not kill” (Hoffaman & Johnson, 2005, p.179) as enough reasoning because Evangelical Christians tend to have a worldview that life begins at a fetal stage and ultimate importance is given to the fetus (Hoffaman & Johnson, 2005). Ideas about abortion being wrong come more from an influence of other members, rather than Biblical texts (Hoffaman & Johnson, 2005).

"Elective" vs. "Traumatic" Abortions
There are two types of abortion acknowledged by the Religious Right community. They are termed “elective abortions” and “traumatic abortions” (Hoffaman & Johnson, 2005).

Elective abortions are seen as pregnancies in which partial responsibility is placed on the women (Hoffaman & Johnson, 2005). Since she is seen as being partially responsible for the pregnancy she becomes morally responsible for the fetus. Examples of elective abortions are anything that ranges from not having financial means to raise a child or having “too many” children already (Hoffaman & Johnson, 2005). While I feel you could dispute this reasoning, the Religious Right sees this type of abortion as morally immoral.

Traumatic reasoning for abortion is considered rape or instances where a women's life is threatened (Hoffaman & Johnson, 2005). There is a tendency in the community to see traumatic reasoning for abortion as rare (Hoffaman & Johnson, 2005). The consequences of this idea are that this concept gets minimal attention because it is considered so rare. However, when this is perceived to occur, the morality of the issue tends to shift from a community issue to a personal issue between a woman and her medical adviser (Hoffaman & Johnson, 2005).

==Why so Politicize d? ==

As mentioned earlier, the idea of abortion among the Religious Right places ultimate importance on the fetus (Hoffaman & Johnson, 2005). However, the fetus symbol did not become representative of this until the 1960s, in response to pro-choice organizations placing importance on women having control over their bodies (Hoffaman & Johnson, 2005). Through recent history, there has been many stages in which perceptions on pro-life have been changed and altered in response to certain movements and events. For example, after Roe v. Wade in 1973, the polarization about this issue grew, while previously there were more religious individuals who had a multi-layered outlook on the abortion issue (Jelen & Wilcox, 2002). Much of the political aspects among pro-life groups were gained in the 1980s when they received supported from Reagan (Hoffaman & Johnson, 2005). Before this time, while it is known the pro-life movement still committed violent acts on abortion clinics and doctors, it was more of a personal/religious reasoning while today it is seen as more moral and political (Hoffaman & Johnson, 2005; Rozell, 1995).

Conceptual Timeline of Abortion politics in the United States:
References Hoffaman, J. P., & Johnson, S. (2005). Attitudes toward abortion among religious traditions in the United States: Change or continuity? Sociology of Religion. //Sociology of Religion// //, 66// (2), 161-182.

Jelen, T., & Wilcox, C. (2002). Causes and consequences of public Attitudes toward abortion: A review and research agenda. //Political Research Quarterly// //, 56// (4), 489-500.

Rozell, M. J. (1995). //God at the grass roots: The Christian right in the 1994 elections.// Lanham, MD: Rowman & Littlefield.

Thumma, S. (1991). Negotiating a religious identity: The case of the gay evangelical. //Sociological Analysis// //, 52// (4), 333-347.