Birth control, sterilization, and abortion.

27 Catholics and 27 Protestant clergymen in the San Diego area were given an attitude questionnaire on birth control, sterilization, and abortion in families with specific genetic problems. Results showed that a) the majority, although not all, of the clergymen follow the official positions of their churches in these matters, b) Protestant clergymen were more likely than Catholic clergymen to approve of birth control, abortion and sterilization, and c) the approval responses of clergymen were not greatly influenced by whether the illness variables involved high Mendelian risk, high psychological cost, high social cost, or poor prognosis. The approval responses were not significantly influenced by the socioethnic backgrounds of the families.