Papal visits and abortions: evidence from Italy

Egidio Farina and Vikram Pathania ()
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Egidio Farina: Queen’s University Belfast
Vikram Pathania: University of Sussex

Journal of Population Economics, 2020, vol. 33, issue 3, No 3, 795-837

Abstract: Abstract We investigate the impact of papal visits to Italian provinces on abortions from 1979 to 2012. Using administrative data, we find a 10–20% decrease in the number of abortions that commences in the 3rd month and persists until the 14th month after the visits. However, we find no significant change in the number of live births. A decline in unintended pregnancies best explains our results. Papal visits generate intense local media coverage, and likely make salient the Catholic Church’s stance against abortions. We show that papal visits lead to increased church attendance, and that the decline in abortions is greater when the Pope mentions abortion in his speeches.

Keywords: Abortion; Religion; Pope; Culture; Fertility (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: D91 J13 Z12 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2020
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (6)

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DOI: 10.1007/s00148-019-00759-0

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