Abortion bans linked to people moving out of state, study says
When the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade in 2022, a majority of the justices decided that abortion rights should be determined by individual states. New research finds that after two years, thousands of Americans in parts of the country with strict abortion bans decided to leave those states.
Following the Dobbs decision, the 13 states with strict abortion bans, from Alabama to West Virginia, collectively lost a net loss of 36,000 residents per quarter, meaning the number of people leaving the states was greater than the number of people moving into them. difference. analyze The report was written by economists from the Georgia Institute of Technology and the College of Wooster and released this month by the National Bureau of Economic Research.
The analysis, based on U.S. Postal Service address change data, found single-person households were more affected by states, which may indicate that young people move out of states that ban abortion at higher rates than families. This may be because families trying to move face greater challenges considering their parents need to change schools or give up their careers.
Is it an issue for states that ban abortion?
While abortion is often viewed as a cultural or religious issue, abortion also has profound economic consequences for individuals and society as a whole. For example, turnaround studies have documented in detail the economic toll experienced by women who cannot access abortion services Discover Those who are denied the program have higher rates of financial problems and are more likely to rely on government assistance such as food stamps.
New research shows that states that ban abortion may face long-term economic consequences if they lose large numbers of residents, especially young workers who are critical to the state’s workforce.
“In terms of the impact on state economies, our findings suggest that employers in states with bans may face challenges in attracting and retaining workers, especially younger workers, which could impact economic growth and development. “Researchers Daniel L Dench, Jason M. Lindo and Kelly Lifchez of the Georgia Institute of Technology and Jancy Ling Liu of the College of Worcester wrote in an email to CBS MoneyWatch.
The study did not identify whether those who moved from states that banned abortion were men or women, nor where they landed, including states that protected abortion. But researchers say the impact is so significant that states that ban abortion could lose nearly 1% of their population within five years.
Abortion bans and weak safety nets
Separately, an Associated Press analysis found that many states with strict abortion bans fail to provide adequate safety nets. These issues include difficulty accessing programs like food stamps and lack of access to doctors due to maternal care deserts.
Tennessee is one of 13 states with outright abortion bans, and Republican state leaders say they are strengthening services for families. For example, Tennessee is increasing Medicaid coverage for mothers from 60 days to one year postpartum in 2022, making the program available to 3,000 mothers each year.
But Tennessee performed poorly on the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children, Medicaid, adequate maternal care and paid family and medical leave requirements, according to an October report. study Published in the American Journal of Public Health. Other states with abortion bans, including Alabama, Georgia and Missouri, also ranked poorly on multiple measures, the analysis found.
In states where abortion is banned or restricted to the first trimester, women with young children report difficulty accessing social services, according to one agency. opinion poll Presented by health policy research organization KFF. For example, nearly half said it was difficult for women in their state to get food stamps, compared with 3 in 10 in states where abortion is generally allowed.
Dr Nigel Madden, the report’s lead author, said: “Those who call themselves anti-abortion and advocate for abortion bans often say these policies are designed to protect children, women and families.” study. But the weakness of the safety net demonstrates “the hypocrisy of this argument.”
At the same time, many young Americans are paying attention to a state’s access to reproductive health care. Axios in 2022 pollingAbout 6 in 10 people ages 18 to 29 say a state’s abortion laws will affect their decision about where to live, ranging from “a little” to “a lot.”
To be sure, there are many reasons why people choose to leave a particular state, say researchers at the Georgia Institute of Technology and the College of Wooster. They added: “Countries that ban abortion differ from countries that protect or maintain abortion access in ways other than abortion policy.”
But the study concluded that a lack of reproductive options, social services and health care could make abortion-strict states less attractive to some residents, especially young Americans.
contributed to this report.
