Labor and Population Program. U.S. Abortion Policy and Fertility
Abstract
As measured by the total fertility rate (TFR), or the number of lifetime births per woman, fertility in the United States fell sharply in the early 1960s. It dropped below replacement levels in the 1970s, where it remains today. Also in the late 1960s and early 1970s, several states, followed by the U.S. Supreme Court in its 1973 Roe V. Wade decision, legalized abortion. Following legalization, Medicaid funded many abortions, but since then most states have stopped such funding. What are the links between changes in abortion policy and fertility in the United States? Jacob Alex Klerman explores this question through an analysis of birth statistics by race, age, state, and parity (first or subsequent birth). Despite large numbers of abortions there is currently more than one abortion for every three live births in the United States the effect of abortion policy on the number of children born is not clear. Klerman's analysis considers the effects of abortion legalization and funding on fertility. He also reviews the implications of abortion policy for welfare reform, particularly the goals of reducing both out-of-wedlock births and abortion rates.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Jan 01, 2000
- Accession Number
- ADA375484
Entities
Organizations
- RAND Corporation