Future Ministers and Legal Abortion

Although there are a few studies of pastors' attitudes toward abortion, they have not included women pastors, nor have there been many studies of gender issues in the seminary student population. In this study, data from a sample of 110 Master of Divinity students at a Presbyterian seminary are used to compare the attitudes toward abortion of men and women. It is found that the men are more conservative on this issue than the general public, while the women are more liberal than average. This may reflect a differential “selection” into the ministry of men and women, in terms of values about feminist issues. The increase in women in ministry may thus have an influence on the church's position on abortion and similar issues.