Downstream effects of post‐Dobbs abortion bans: Birth rates and WIC

Lilly Springer

Economic Inquiry, 2026, vol. 64, issue 3, 830-843

Abstract: Abortion bans tend to impact the cohorts of women that are eligible for the supplemental nutrition program special supplemental nutrition program for women, infants, and children the most. I use synthetic difference‐in‐differences models and 2017–2023 monthly state‐level data to estimate the change in birth rates and WIC participation that states with total abortion bans experience. States that implemented total abortion bans by the start of 2023 experience a 1.6% increase in the overall birth rate in 2023 and a 4.3% and 2.1% increase in monthly postpartum women and formula‐fed infant WIC participation respectively, leading to a total additional $6.9 million in food costs.

Date: 2026
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations:

Downloads: (external link)
https://doi.org/10.1111/ecin.70053

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:bla:ecinqu:v:64:y:2026:i:3:p:830-843

Ordering information: This journal article can be ordered from
https://ordering.onl ... s.aspx?ref=1465-7295

Access Statistics for this article

Economic Inquiry is currently edited by Tim Salmon

More articles in Economic Inquiry from Western Economic Association International Contact information at EDIRC.
Bibliographic data for series maintained by Wiley Content Delivery ().