Previous research on morality does not present a clear picture regarding religious effects on abortion and same-sex partnership policies. An examination of the level of permis-siveness in the two policy fields across Western European countries in 2010 reveals that Catholic states do not significantly differ from their Protestant counterparts in terms of policy outputs. Our descriptive analysis of the reform processes in the two fields from 1960 to 2010 emphasizes that Catholicism does not have a direct impact on morality policy output, but that it can slow down the pace of reforms. Through an investigation of the reforms in Austria, which was quick to liberalize abortion but a laggard in intro-ducing legal recognition of same-sex couples, we derive first theoretical implications using an inductive approach. The Austrian case reveals that the influence of the Catholic Church may impede reforms so long as institutional and cultural opportunity structures do not promote secular efforts to politicize the issue and build consensus for policy change.
Keywords:
morality policy, policy speed, Catholic Church, abortion, same-sex partnerships, Austria
