Amy Adamczyk has published Fetal Positions: Understanding Cross-National Public Opinion about Abortion with the Oxford University Press. A summary of the book is excerpted here:
In many countries, abortion is a contentious public opinion issue. In nations like the United States, advocates on both sides of the debate have actively worked to amplify their voices and change legislation. In other parts of the world, abortion is not a major topic of discussion because people in many countries consider it a relatively settled issue. Why are there such big differences in how people view abortion? Fetal Positions answers this question. Using data from over 200,000 people from 88 nations, I show that a handful of factors—overall levels of religious importance, Catholic proportion, economic and educational development, government history, and gender inequality—can explain differences in support. Dozens of interviews conducted in China and the United States offer insight into the processes shaping attitudes. Readers will be surprised to learn about the many similarities and differences in how Chinese and American residents view abortion. An analysis of over 800 newspaper articles from more than 40 countries provides additional clarity. Along with investigating why abortion disapproval varies so considerably across the world, Fetal Positions also examines the forces shaping cross-national abortion rates and personal abortion decisions, analyzes the links between attitudes and laws, and unpacks the pathways through which personal and country-characteristics shape views. Fetal Positions sheds light on one of the most important contemporary issues being discussed in many countries. The international focus provides fresh perspective on the abortion debate and offers important insight that can be gleaned only through a cross-national analysis.