Attitudes toward nontraditional women using IVF: The importance of political affiliation and religious characteristics.

Abstract

Assisted reproductive technology (ART) has advanced in recent years and it is likely that the public’s perceptions of such technology have changed over time. The use of ART by nontraditional women (e.g., single women, lesbians) has increased; thus, it is important to assess the public’s attitudes toward in vitro fertilization (IVF), the most common ART, and the women who use such technology. The purpose of the study is to determine whether certain demographics, political and religious affiliations, and religious characteristics relate to approval of IVF use by nontraditional women. Undergraduate students were recruited from a public, medium-sized university in the western United States; 267 participants responded to multiple questions on an online survey. Using ordinary least square regression analyses, findings indicate that political affiliation is one of the strongest predictors, and that certain religious characteristics are more important in assessing attitudes than religious affiliation. Implications for assessing attitudes toward nontraditional women using IVF and inclusion of religious affiliation and characteristics in future studies are discussed.