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COVID-19 Restrictions Reduced Abortion Clinic Visits, Even in Blue States

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  • Martin Andersen
  • Sylvia Bryan
  • David Slusky

Abstract

Due to COVID-19, 33 states banned elective medical procedures, and 13 of these states included surgical abortions. We collected street addresses of abortion clinics and linked them to SafeGraph’s data on visitor counts. We found at least a 6% decrease in clinic visits in February-May 2020 versus 2019. States that banned elective procedures or imposed other measures (e.g., stay-at-home orders) saw a substantial additional decrease (18.5% and 24.1%, respectively). There was also a significant additional 12.7% decrease from explicit surgical abortions bans, driven entirely by clinics that provided surgical abortions. Additionally, elective procedure bans reduce abortion clinic visits even in states supportive of abortion, suggesting our results are salient even in a post-Roe U.S. We estimate that the decrease in foot traffic over these four months reduced abortions by 7% in 2020 relative to 2019, or approximately 32,000 fewer abortions.

Suggested Citation

  • Martin Andersen & Sylvia Bryan & David Slusky, 2020. "COVID-19 Restrictions Reduced Abortion Clinic Visits, Even in Blue States," NBER Working Papers 28058, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    • Handle: RePEc:nbr:nberwo:28058
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    3. Joanna Venator & Jason Fletcher, 2021. "Undue Burden Beyond Texas: An Analysis of Abortion Clinic Closures, Births, and Abortions in Wisconsin," Journal of Policy Analysis and Management, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 40(3), pages 774-813, June.
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    7. Jason M. Lindo & Caitlin Knowles Myers & Andrea Schlosser & Scott Cunningham, 2020. "How Far Is Too Far? New Evidence on Abortion Clinic Closures, Access, and Abortions," Journal of Human Resources, University of Wisconsin Press, vol. 55(4), pages 1137-1160.
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    9. Fischer, Stefanie & Royer, Heather & White, Corey, 2018. "The impacts of reduced access to abortion and family planning services on abortions, births, and contraceptive purchases," Journal of Public Economics, Elsevier, vol. 167(C), pages 43-68.
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    Cited by:

    1. Dena Bravata & Jonathan H. Cantor & Neeraj Sood & Christopher M. Whaley, 2021. "Back to School: The Effect of School Visits During COVID-19 on COVID-19 Transmission," NBER Working Papers 28645, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    2. Cantor, Jonathan & Sood, Neeraj & Bravata, Dena M. & Pera, Megan & Whaley, Christopher, 2022. "The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and policy response on health care utilization: Evidence from county-level medical claims and cellphone data," Journal of Health Economics, Elsevier, vol. 82(C).
    3. Fernanda Marquez-Padilla & Biani Saavedra, 2022. "The unintended effects of the COVID-19 pandemic and stay-at-home orders on abortions," Journal of Population Economics, Springer;European Society for Population Economics, vol. 35(1), pages 269-305, January.

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    More about this item

    JEL classification:

    • H75 - Public Economics - - State and Local Government; Intergovernmental Relations - - - State and Local Government: Health, Education, and Welfare
    • I18 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Health - - - Government Policy; Regulation; Public Health
    • J13 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demographic Economics - - - Fertility; Family Planning; Child Care; Children; Youth

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