Unshocking Revelations: Your Mom Hates Your Abortion, Young Latina

Hey, Latina. You know what abortion you had? No, the other one. Yes. Your parents aren’t too psyched about it.

A 2007 study by the Pew Forum and a more recent Gallup Poll from May of this year show that a large percentage of Latinos are against abortion, although there seems to be a shift in opinion from one generation to  the next. The discussion on Latinos and their stance(s) on issues like abortion have become especially pertinent as Sonia Sotomayor is poised to become the first Latina to join the Supreme Court.

The Pew Forum’s Director, Luis Lugo, had this to say about the survey’s findings as they relate to a younger generation of Latinos:

[The younger generation is] much, much closer to mainstream American values … in stark contrast to the first generation who are much more conservative on this issue.

In fact, current research show that, although Latinos make up about 15% of the nation’s population, Latinas comprise 22% of all abortions. We will say though that this discrepancy, to us, works more to highlight attitudes surrounding safe sex and expectations in relationships than it does political views on abortion. 

Many point to the rising numbers of politically and socially conservative Latino Evangelists as a sign that the pendulum might swing back to less Latinos supporting abortion. Of course, there’s always been a chasm between what people publicly profess to believe and what they personally practice. Either way, it’ll be interesting to see how this discussion will further unfold as talk shifts away from, like, nunchucks, and back towards Sotomayor’s record and her opinions. 

FEATURE-Generational shift for U.S. Hispanics on abortion [Reuters]