The Impact of Religion on Attitudes Towards Abortion and Euthanasia. An Empirical Study Among Italian Students

Abstract

Among the sensitive topics of the current public debate in Italy, bioethical questions are certainly to be found, more specifically those questions about the issues surrounding the beginning and the end of life, namely the ethical legitimacy and the legal boundaries of abortive and euthanasian practices. In this study we seek to explore the role of religion in this debate, not only at the level of church doctrine but also at the level of personal convictions and ideas of a Italian young people, which may shape the future of this debate. The empirical findings of this study, on a sample of secondary school students (N = 1087), show that religious beliefs and practices do have a significant impact on the students’ attitudes on abortion and euthanasia and highlight a relevant role of religion in the current public debate on bioethical issues.