The Impacts of Reduced Access to Abortion and Family Planning Services on Abortion, Births and Contraceptive Purchases

76 Pages Posted: 1 Aug 2017 Last revised: 24 Aug 2018

See all articles by Stefanie Fischer

Stefanie Fischer

California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo

Heather Royer

University of California, Santa Barbara (UCSB)

Corey White

California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo

Multiple version iconThere are 3 versions of this paper

Date Written: August 14, 2018

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 miles. 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 miles. Meanwhile, responses of retail purchases of condoms and emergency contraceptives to both abortion and family planning service changes were minimal.

Keywords: family planning, abortion, birth, contraception, reproductive, health

JEL Classification: J13, I18, J08, J18, I38

Suggested Citation

Fischer, Stefanie and Royer, Heather and White, Corey, The Impacts of Reduced Access to Abortion and Family Planning Services on Abortion, Births and Contraceptive Purchases (August 14, 2018). Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=3010397 or http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.3010397

Stefanie Fischer

California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo ( email )

San Luis Obispo, CA 93407
United States

HOME PAGE: http://https://sites.google.com/site/stefaniejfischer/

Heather Royer

University of California, Santa Barbara (UCSB) ( email )

South Hall 5504
Santa Barbara, CA 93106
United States

Corey White (Contact Author)

California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo ( email )

San Luis Obispo, CA 93407
United States

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