The Effects of Short-Term Variation in Abortion Funding on Pregnancy Outcomes

40 Pages Posted: 15 Sep 1999 Last revised: 21 Dec 2022

See all articles by Philip J. Cook

Philip J. Cook

Duke University - Sanford School of Public Policy; Duke University, Dept. of Economics; National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER)

Allan M. Parnell

Duke University

Michael J. Moore

University of Virginia - Darden School of Business; National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER)

Deanna Pagnini

Princeton University - Office of Population Research (OPR)

Date Written: November 1996

Abstract

In 1978 North Carolina created a special fund to pay for abortions for indigent women. The appropriations for that fund have proven inadequate during five of the years in which it has been in operation, with the result in each case that no state funding was available for several months. This on-again, off-again funding pattern provides a natural experiment for" estimating the short-run effect of changes in the cost of abortions on the number of abortions (and births) to indigent women. We utilize a unique dataset obtained from the State, which includes individual records for all pregnancies terminated in the State since 1978. We estimate the effects of funding termination on the abortion rate per month, the birth rate per month (adjusted to take account of variations in gestation periods), and the probability that a pregnancy will end in abortion, for various demographic groups. The results suggest that the decisions of poor black women aged 18-29 are particularly sensitive to the availability of abortion funding. Overall, approximately 3 in every 10 pregnancies that would have resulted in an abortion, had state funds been available, are instead carried to term.

Suggested Citation

Cook, Philip J. and Parnell, Allan M. and Moore, Michael J. and Pagnini, Deanna, The Effects of Short-Term Variation in Abortion Funding on Pregnancy Outcomes (November 1996). NBER Working Paper No. w5843, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=5102

Philip J. Cook (Contact Author)

Duke University - Sanford School of Public Policy ( email )

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Allan M. Parnell

Duke University ( email )

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Michael J. Moore

University of Virginia - Darden School of Business ( email )

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Deanna Pagnini

Princeton University - Office of Population Research (OPR) ( email )

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609-258-1039 (Fax)

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