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The impacts of reduced access to abortion and family planning services on abortions, births, and contraceptive purchases

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  • Fischer, Stefanie
  • Royer, Heather
  • White, Corey

Abstract

Between 2011 and 2014, Texas enacted three pieces of legislation that significantly reduced funding for family planning services and increased restrictions on abortion clinic operations. Together this legislation creates cross-county variation over time in access to abortion and family planning services, which we leverage to understand the impact of family planning and abortion clinic access on abortions, births, and contraceptive purchases. In response to these policies, abortions to Texas residents fell 16.7% and births rose 1.3% in counties that no longer had an abortion provider within 50 mi. Changes in the family planning market induced a 1.2% increase in births for counties that no longer had a publicly funded family planning clinic within 25 mi. Meanwhile, responses of retail purchases of condoms and emergency contraceptives to both abortion and family planning service changes were minimal.

Suggested Citation

  • 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.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:pubeco:v:167:y:2018:i:c:p:43-68
    DOI: 10.1016/j.jpubeco.2018.08.009
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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Family planning; Abortion; Birth; Contraception; Reproductive; Health;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • J13 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demographic Economics - - - Fertility; Family Planning; Child Care; Children; Youth
    • I18 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Health - - - Government Policy; Regulation; Public Health
    • J08 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - General - - - Labor Economics Policies
    • J18 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demographic Economics - - - Public Policy
    • I38 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Welfare, Well-Being, and Poverty - - - Government Programs; Provision and Effects of Welfare Programs

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