Understanding Jurors' Decisions in aMock Trial Involving Self-Inflicted Abortion: Effects of Defendant Raceand Abortion Attitudes

Authors

Marissa H. Sun, Kenyon CollegeFollow
Margaret Stevenson, Kenyon CollegeFollow

Document Type

Poster

Publication Date

Summer 2023

Abstract

Because Asian women are stereotyped as cold and non-nurturing mothers, they might face particular scrutiny in abortion-related criminal cases. Mock jurors (N = 159) considered a defendant (depicted as either South Asian or White) charged with murder stemming from alleged self-induced abortion. Participants experienced “voir dire,” indicating abortion attitudes before the mock trial. Although there were no effects of defendant race, pro-abortion attitudes predicted diminished conviction likelihood–effects mediated by less defendant moral outrage, less defendant blame, greater defendant credibility and warmth, and greater defendant empathy, sympathy, and similarity. Eliminating pro-abortion prospective jurors will likely tilt juries toward conviction in abortion-related cases.

Rights Statements

http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC-NC/1.0/

Recommended Citation

Sun, Marissa H. and Stevenson, Margaret, "Understanding Jurors' Decisions in aMock Trial Involving Self-Inflicted Abortion: Effects of Defendant Raceand Abortion Attitudes" (2023). John W. Adams Summer Scholars Program in Socio-Legal Studies. Paper 7.
https://digital.kenyon.edu/summerlegalprogram/7