What Shapes Abortion Attitudes Around the World

Professor Amy Adamczyk discusses why where you live can change how you see abortion on “The Thought Project” podcast.

February 26, 2026
Podcast: 46 minutes

Abortion attitudes can look deeply personal, but sociologist Amy Adamczyk’s research suggests they are also powerfully shaped by the places we live.

On this episode of The Thought Project, host Tanya Domi speaks with Adamczyk, a professor of Sociology at the CUNY Graduate Center and John Jay College, about her award-winning book Fetal Positions: Understanding the Cross-National Public Opinion About Abortion. Drawing on survey data from over 200,000 people across 88 societies, plus interviews in the United States and China, Adamczyk unpacks why views about abortion vary so widely and why national context, especially religiosity and gender equality, can influence people’s attitudes even when their personal beliefs do not. She also discusses what is shifting in the U.S. after Dobbs, how China’s one-child policy still echoes in public opinion, and what her findings suggest about access, agency, and the future of reproductive rights.

Continued: https://www.gc.cuny.edu/news/what-shapes-abortion-attitudes-around-world

26.02.2026

Interviews/Podcasts

Amy Adamczyk

public opinion on abortion

Professor Wins Award for Book on Abortion Attitudes in the U.S. and Abroad

Amy Adamczyk is a co-recipient of the 2025 Steven F. Messner Outstanding Book Award for “Fetal Positions: Understanding Cross-National Public Opinion about Abortion.”

December 2, 2025

Professor Amy Adamczyk …has been recognized by the Association of Chinese Criminology in the United States (ACCCJ) for her book Fetal Positions: Understanding Cross-National Public Opinion about Abortion. She has been named a co-recipient of the 2025 Steven F. Messner Outstanding Book Award, which recognizes outstanding scholarly contributions in criminology, especially those focusing on China or comparative research.

… Fetal Positions draws on survey data from 88 countries and over 200,000 people, combined with dozens of interviews in China and the United States. Adamczyk explores how religion, economic development, political systems, and media influence abortion attitudes across societies.

Continued: https://www.gc.cuny.edu/news/professor-wins-award-book-abortion-attitudes-us-and-abroad

02.12.2025

Film, Art, Books

Amy Adamczyk

Association of Chinese Criminology

Fetal Positions: Understanding Cross-National Public Opinion about Abortion

Steven F. Messner Outstanding Book Award

Religion often shapes someone’s view of abortion – but what about a woman’s actual decision?

September 25, 2025
Amy Adamczyk

Many factors can shape how someone views abortion – gender, age and education, to name a few. Around the world, however, religious belief is the most powerful predictor that someone will disapprove, as I document in my 2025 book, “Fetal Positions.” Faith traditions’ teachings about abortion vary – and there is diversity of opinions within faiths, too. On average, though, people who say that religion is important in their lives are far more likely to think abortion is morally wrong.

But here’s the paradox: There’s a difference between abstract views and personal decisions. On average, strong religious beliefs and involvement in a religious community do not make an American woman less likely to terminate her first pregnancy, so long as she conceives without a potential marriage partner.

Continued; https://theconversation.com/religion-often-shapes-someones-view-of-abortion-but-what-about-a-womans-actual-decision-265330

25.09.2025