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Papal visits and abortions: evidence from Italy

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  • Egidio Farina

    (Queen’s University Belfast)

  • Vikram Pathania

    (University of Sussex)

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.

Suggested Citation

  • Egidio Farina & Vikram Pathania, 2020. "Papal visits and abortions: evidence from Italy," Journal of Population Economics, Springer;European Society for Population Economics, vol. 33(3), pages 795-837, July.
    • Handle: RePEc:spr:jopoec:v:33:y:2020:i:3:d:10.1007_s00148-019-00759-0
    DOI: 10.1007/s00148-019-00759-0
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    Cited by:

    1. Marie, Olivier & Zwiers, Esmée, 2022. "Religious Barriers to Birth Control Access," CEPR Discussion Papers 17427, C.E.P.R. Discussion Papers.
    2. Matteo Pazzona & Nicola Spagnolo, 2024. "Do not shut up and do dribble: social media and TV consumption," Journal of Population Economics, Springer;European Society for Population Economics, vol. 37(2), pages 1-25, June.
    3. António Melo, 2024. "Do all roads lead to the same destination? Proximity to abortion providers, abortions, and their conditions in Portugal," Journal of Population Economics, Springer;European Society for Population Economics, vol. 37(4), pages 1-31, December.
    4. Endrich, Marek & Gutmann, Jerg, 2020. "Pacem in Terris: Are Papal Visits Good News for Human Rights?," ILE Working Paper Series 37, University of Hamburg, Institute of Law and Economics.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Abortion; Religion; Pope; Culture; Fertility;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • D91 - Microeconomics - - Micro-Based Behavioral Economics - - - Role and Effects of Psychological, Emotional, Social, and Cognitive Factors on Decision Making
    • J13 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demographic Economics - - - Fertility; Family Planning; Child Care; Children; Youth
    • Z12 - Other Special Topics - - Cultural Economics - - - Religion

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