This paper looks at conflict definition of morality issues like abortion, same-sex marriages etc. in Western Europe. The paper argues that conflicts on these issues can take two forms, which we label the religious and the secular world. In the religious world, morality issues are seen as cases of a broader conflict between religious and secular actors, especially in the party system. This leads to politicization of morality issues. In the other – the secular – world, there is no general conflict which these issue can be seen as cases of. Morality issues are rarely politicized and conflict definition varies across issues. The paper shows the relevance of this distinction across 5 countries – Spain, the Netherlands, Switzerland, Denmark, and UK.
