The relative importance of respect for human life and sexual conservatism in explaining opposition to abortion is examined. Catholics, people with at least a high school education, and frequent church attenders are most likely to oppose abortion on "right to life" grounds. Fundamentalists, people who did not finish high school, and infrequent church attenders are most likely to oppose abortion because easily available abortions seem to render sexual promiscuity less costly or risky.
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Ted G. Jelen (1984) studied this question.