새로운 정책유형으로서 도덕정책에 대한 이론적 고찰과 한국에서의 적용가능성 탐구: 낙태정책을 중심으로

The objective of this article is to contemplate theoretically morality policy as a new policy typology and analyze the influences of citizen opinions and groups, religious forces, political factors, issue salience, and party competition on abortion policy in South Korea. I find several significant results in this study. First, citizen opinions and groups have important impacts on abortion policy with different ways. That is, citizens against abortions have an effect on abortion policy as forming organized citizen groups themselves, whereas those for abortions have an influence on the abortion policy as responding to forces or groups who oppose abortions. Second, while religious forces at the aggregate level desperately oppose abortion policy due to religious or ethical reasons, it does not seem that religion at the individual level has an impact on abortion policy. Third, the influence of political factors is weak, but Congressmen at the individual level have an influence on abortion policy by legislating or proposing bills related to abortions. Fourth, issue salience had an impact on comprehensive abortion policies presented by national government in 2010. Finally, I am not sure whether party competition influences abortion policy or not. But, I indirectly can infer that there is an association between party competition and abortion policy because bills related to abortions are passed when party competition is strong. This study has a significant implication in that it is the first article that introduces morality policy and analyzes its applicability with a case of abortion policy in South Korea.