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The Impact of Legalized Abortion on Teen Childbearing

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  • John J. Donohue
  • Jeffrey Grogger
  • Steven D. Levitt

Abstract

After 41 consecutive years of increase, out-of-wedlock teen childbearing unexpectedly reversed course in 1991 and by 2002 was 20% below its peak. Explanations for that reversal have proven elusive. In this paper, we present evidence that exposure to legalized abortion in utero for the cohort of women that became teenagers in the 1990s is one factor contributing to this decline. We estimate that the legalization of abortion in the 1970s changed the composition of women at risk of bearing children out of wedlock some 15--24 years later. This composition effect reduced out-of-wedlock teen birth rates by 6%, which accounts for roughly 25% of the observed decline in unmarried teen birth rates over this period. It also lowered rates of unmarried births for women aged 20--24. At the same time, it increased the number of married births to women 20--24, so that there is only a small reduction in total fertility over the ages 15--24. The detailed information available on birth certificates enables a more direct identification of in utero abortion exposure than prior studies looking at other outcomes such as crime. Copyright 2009, Oxford University Press.

Suggested Citation

  • John J. Donohue & Jeffrey Grogger & Steven D. Levitt, 2009. "The Impact of Legalized Abortion on Teen Childbearing," American Law and Economics Review, American Law and Economics Association, vol. 11(1), pages 24-46.
    • Handle: RePEc:oup:amlawe:v:11:y:2009:i:1:p:24-46
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    Cited by:

    1. Wanchuan Lin & Juan Pantano, 2015. "The unintended: negative outcomes over the life cycle," Journal of Population Economics, Springer;European Society for Population Economics, vol. 28(2), pages 479-508, April.
    2. Wanchuan Lin & Juan Pantano & Shuqiao Sun, 2020. "Birth order and unwanted fertility," Journal of Population Economics, Springer;European Society for Population Economics, vol. 33(2), pages 413-440, April.
    3. Marcén, Miriam & Bellido, Héctor, 2013. "Teen Mothers and Culture," MPRA Paper 44712, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    4. Flynn, James, 2024. "Contraceptive Access Creates Positive Selection in Infant Health," IZA Discussion Papers 17320, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).
    5. Mølland, Eirin, 2016. "Benefits from delay? The effect of abortion availability on young women and their children," Labour Economics, Elsevier, vol. 43(C), pages 6-28.
    6. Gábor Hajdu & Tamás Hajdu, 2021. "The long-term impact of restricted access to abortion on children’s socioeconomic outcomes," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 16(3), pages 1-14, March.
    7. Sherajum Monira Farin & Lauren Hoehn-Velasco & Michael F. Pesko, 2024. "The Impact of Legal Abortion on Maternal Mortality," American Economic Journal: Economic Policy, American Economic Association, vol. 16(3), pages 174-216, August.
    8. John J Donohue & Steven Levitt, 2020. "The Impact of Legalized Abortion on Crime over the Last Two Decades," American Law and Economics Review, American Law and Economics Association, vol. 22(2), pages 241-302.
    9. Nina Brooks & Tom Zohar, 2021. "Out of Labor and Into the Labor Force? The Role of Abortion Access, Social Stigma, and Financial Constraints," Working Papers wp2021_2111, CEMFI.
    10. Serkan Ozbeklik, 2014. "The Effect Of Abortion Legalization On Childbearing By Unwed Teenagers In Future Cohorts," Economic Inquiry, Western Economic Association International, vol. 52(1), pages 100-115, January.
    11. Galárraga, Omar & Harris, Jeffrey E., 2021. "Effect of an abrupt change in sexual and reproductive health policy on teen birth rates in Ecuador, 2008–2017," Economics & Human Biology, Elsevier, vol. 41(C).

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