The Effect of Values and Secularism on Attitude towards Pre-Implantation Genetic Diagnosis of Embryos

Graziella Di Marco, Zira Hichy, Sharon Coen and Noelia Rodriguez-Espartal
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Graziella Di Marco: Department of Educational Sciences, University of Catania, 95124 Catania, Italy
Zira Hichy: Department of Educational Sciences, University of Catania, 95124 Catania, Italy
Sharon Coen: Directorate of Psychology and Public Health, University of Salford, Salford M6 6PU, UK
Noelia Rodriguez-Espartal: Department of Psychology, Pontificia Universidad Católica del Perú, San Miguel, Lima 32, Peru

Social Sciences, 2018, vol. 7, issue 11, 1-10

Abstract: In this study we tested the associations of four high-order values (openness to change, self-transcendence, conservation, and self-enhancement, devised according to Schwartz’s model) and secularism of state with individuals’ attitude towards pre-implantation genetic diagnosis of embryos. Moreover, we tested the mediating effects of secularism of state on the relationship between values and attitude towards this issue related to embryos. Participants were 289 Spaniards who completed a questionnaire. Results showed that attitude towards pre-implantation genetic diagnosis was negatively affected by conservation and positively by self-transcendence. Moreover, results indicated that attitude towards a secular state positively correlates with attitude towards pre-implantation genetic diagnosis. Finally, results showed that secularism mediated the effects of conservation and self-transcendence, but not the effect of openness to change and self-enhancement on attitude towards pre-implantation genetic diagnosis. Taken together, results of this study suggest that people adopting values emphasizing the defence of the tradition reject pre-implantation genetic diagnosis because they want state laws to represent religious traditional values; on the other hand, people endorsing values emphasising the welfare of all accept pre-implantation genetic diagnosis because they want state laws to be free from religious values.

Keywords: values; secularism; pre-implantation genetic diagnosis of embryos (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: A B N P Y80 Z00 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2018
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