Date of Graduation

5-2023

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Bachelor of Arts in Sociology

Degree Level

Undergraduate

Department

Sociology and Criminology

Advisor/Mentor

Paez-Ritter, Rocio

Committee Member

Holyfield, Lori

Second Committee Member

D'Eugenio, Daniela

Third Committee Member

Sebold, Karen

Fourth Committee Member

Paez-Ritter, Rocio

Abstract

The present research analyzed the Wave 52 dataset of the Pew Research Center’s American Trends Panel to understand public opinions regarding abortion legality and the overturning of Roe v. Wade before the landmark case of Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Clinic. Previous literature has suggested a dissonance between the decisions of the Supreme Court in constitutional interpretation with respect to reproductive rights and the disposition of most Americans towards the subject. However, due to the recency of the Dobbs decision, the large gap in research is still developing. Regression models were run on key variables in tandem with two dependent variables: the extent to which the participant believed abortion should be legalized and whether they believed Roe should be overturned. This research found that the most indicative factors in predicting both of these variables were partisanship, affiliation with Christian religions, and marital status. Additionally, this study supports the assertion of prior research that most Americans were in conflict with the decision to overturn Roe prior to the ruling. This paper aims to therefore inform policy recommendations within abortion and constitutional law.

Keywords

SCOTUS; abortion; Roe v. Wade; dysfunction

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