The research question I’m leaning towards for my small-n research is: what explains the different abortion laws in Ireland and Malta? Both of these countries have very strong ties to the Roman Catholic church. In Ireland, the 2016 Census indicated that 78.3% of the population identified as Roman Catholic. [1] As for Malta, the 2012 International Religious Freedom Report from the US Department of State indicated that 91% of the population is Roman Catholic. [2]
Within the Catholic Church, bishops and the Pope have a ‘divine authority’ not seen in Protestantism that provides that their interpretation of what is and is not moral is the will of Christ. [3] Thus, when the Church teaches that “…to directly attack unborn life is a grave crime, a sin and a great evil” it is interpreted as the will of Christ that cannot be interfered with under any circumstances. [4] This provides very strong guidance and its influence can be seen in majority-Catholic countries.
My dependent variable is legal abortion. In this specific instance, it can be operationalized as a dummy variable–yes abortion is legal or no it is not legal. This is possible when comparing Ireland and Malta because abortion is illegal in Malta under any circumstances. [5] In other cases, it could potentially take values such as ‘legal,’ ‘legal under some circumstances,’ or ‘illegal’ since some countries have laws that allow for abortion under circumstances such as rape, maternal health concerns, and fetal health concerns. [6] The data set that provides information comes from the Center for Reproductive Rights and details the grounds for legal abortion in European countries. [7]
In a landslide referendum this past May, Ireland voted to repeal a constitutional amendment that gave equal rights to both fetuses and mothers. [8] On the other hand, abortion is illegal in Malta under any circumstances. [9] This provides for an interesting comparison given that these are two very Catholic countries with very different abortion laws.
[1] Faith Survey, “Irish Census (2016) Measuring religious adherence in Ireland.” <https://faithsurvey.co.uk/irish-census.html> (Accessed Oct. 28 2018).
[2] Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor, “Malta 2012 International Religious Freedom Report,” US Department of State, 1.
[3] Peter J. Riga. “The Authority of the Catholic Church Over Abortion,” The Linacre Quarterly 73, 2 (May 2006), 194.
[4] Ibid, 195.
[5] Center for Reproductive Rights, “Ground for Legal Abortion in 46 European Countries.” Joint Oireachtas Committee on the Eighth Amendment of the Constitution Supplementary Material, November 2017.
[6] Ibid.
[7] Ibid.
[8] Kimiko de Freytas-Tamura. “Ireland Votes to End Abortion Ban, in Rebuke to Catholic Conservatism,” The New York Times, May 26, 2018.
[9] Center for Reproductive Rights.
Bibliography
Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor, “Malta 2012 International Religious Freedom Report,” US Department of State, 1-3.
Center for Reproductive Rights, “Ground for Legal Abortion in 46 European Countries.” Joint Oireachtas Committee on the Eighth Amendment of the Constitution Supplementary Material, November 2017.
de Freytas-Tamura, Kimiko. “Ireland Votes to End Abortion Ban, in Rebuke to Catholic Conservatism,” The New York Times. (26 May 2018).
Faith Survey, “Irish Census (2016) Measuring religious adherence in Ireland.” <https://faithsurvey.co.uk/irish-census.html> (Accessed Oct. 28 2018).
Riga, Peter J. “The Authority of the Catholic Church Over Abortion,” The Linacre Quarterly 73, 2 (May 2006), 194-196.
October 29, 2018 at 10:47 pm
Megan, this is fascinating research. I see in your two case studies, you have variation in your dependent variable, one country (Ireland) with legal abortion and another (Malta) with laws making abortion legal under all circumstances. What do you believe are the key intervening variables that will guide the causal mechanism underlying pro-life or pro-choice abortion policies? I would recommend looking at more domestic policies enacted in both countries to see how separation of church and state has evolved over time and why.
November 1, 2018 at 10:46 pm
Overall an excellent job, Megan — you’ve set up a good controlled comparison here along with some very good thoughts on your DV and data sources. My only thought/suggestion would be to think beyond a simple dichotomous operationalization of the DV towards something that captures more dimensions or more depth with respect to the legality of abortion. Is there a way to think about different types of outcomes here (thinking that the DV could have other values, even if those other values are not in the cases that you have selected)? That would be one way to better leverage the strength of the methodology.