Factors Associated with Support for Adolescent Access to Contraception Among Mexican Catholic Parents.

We used a nationally representative survey of 2186 Mexican Catholic parents to assess two outcomes: support for adolescent access to modern contraception and whether adolescents unaccompanied by an adult should have access to contraceptive methods. A majority (85%) of Mexican Catholic parents support adolescent access to modern contraceptive methods, but there was less support (28%) for access to contraception unaccompanied. Further, our results show strong support (92%) for sex education in schools. Parents who believe that good Catholics can use contraception had higher odds of support for adolescent access and unaccompanied access to modern contraception. Mexican Catholic parents support adolescent access to modern contraception, but support for unaccompanied access to contraception is lower. This may reflect an interest in being involved, and not necessarily opposition to contraceptive use. Measures of Catholicism that focus on behaviors may better explain opinions about adolescent access to contraception.

Capturing compassion: A survey of Mexican Catholics assessing abortion support by reason for abortion and degree of Catholicism.

OBJECTIVE: No standard exists to measure religiosity in abortion studies. We test whether religiosity is associated with support for abortion among Mexican Catholics and whether different measures of degree of Catholicism alter the relationship. STUDY DESIGN: We conducted a nationally representative cross-sectional study using survey data from 2669 self-identified Mexican Catholics (response rate 85%). Our three outcomes were 1) overall support for legal abortion and support for abortion under exceptions, grouped as having 2) traditionally high agreement (rape, life) and 3) low agreement (on demand, socioeconomic). We used logistic regression controlling for sociodemographic covariates to test the association of four measures of Catholicism with our outcomes. RESULTS: The majority of Mexican Catholics support abortion in some circumstances. (90% at least one high agreement exception and 40% at least one low agreement exception). The only measure of degree of Catholicism significantly associated with all our outcomes was belief that a person who helps someone who aborts can be a good Catholic. Those who agreed (versus not) had higher odds of support for abortion for both high agreement (aOR 3.6 [95% CI: 1.7-7.9]) and low agreement (aOR 1.9 [95% CI: 1.3-2.7]) exceptions. Respondents who believe a woman who aborts does not need to confess (aOR 2.1 [95% CI: 1.5-2.8]) or needs to confess to God (aOR 1.4 [95% CI: 1.04-1.8]) versus a priest had higher odds of agreement with at least one low agreement exception. CONCLUSION: Opinion toward abortion among Mexican Catholics is diverse. More nuanced measures of Catholicism are valuable in assessing support for abortion, especially exceptions with low support. IMPLICATIONS: The main reasons women need abortion are precisely those with low support among Mexican Catholics. Focusing on nuanced measures of Catholicism can help us identify areas for shared values and frame messaging to meet the diversity of Catholic opinion. Catholicism is not an unsurmountable barrier to liberalization of abortion law.

Access to abortion under the heath exception: a comparative analysis in three countries.

BACKGROUND: Despite Britain, Colombia, and some Mexican states sharing a health exception within their abortion laws, access to abortion under the health exception varies widely. This study examines factors that result in heterogeneous application of similar health exception laws and consequences for access to legal abortion. Our research adds to previous literature by comparing implementation of similar abortion laws across countries to identify strategies for full implementation of the health exception. METHODS: We conducted a cross-country comparative descriptive study synthesizing data from document and literature review, official abortion statistics, and interviews with key informants. We gathered information on the use and interpretation of the health exception in the three countries from peer-reviewed literature, court documents, and grey literature. We next extracted public and private abortion statistics to understand the application of the law in each setting. We used a matrix to synthesize information and identify key factors in the use of the law. We conducted in-depth interviews with doctors and experts familiar with the health exception laws in each country and analyzed the qualitative data based on the previously identified factors. RESULTS: The health exception is used broadly in Britain, somewhat in Colombia, and very rarely in Mexican states. We identified five factors as particularly salient to application of the health exception in each setting: 1) comprehensiveness of the law including explicit mention of mental health, 2) a strong public health sector that funds abortion, 3) knowledge of and attitudes toward the health exception law, including guidelines for physicians in providing abortion, 4) dissemination of information about the health exception law, and 5) a history of court cases that protect women and clarify the health exception law. CONCLUSIONS: The health exception is a valuable tool for expanding access to legal abortion. Differences in the use of the health exception as an indication for legal abortion result in wide access for women in Britain to nearly no access in Mexican states. Our findings highlight the difference between theoretical and real access to legal abortion. The interpretation and application of the health exception law are pivotal to expanding real access to abortion.