The Effect of Plan B on Teen Abortions: Evidence From the 2006 FDA Ruling

Inna Cintina () and Morgen Johansen ()
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Inna Cintina: UHERO, University of Hawaii at Manoa
Morgen Johansen: University of Hawaii at Manoa, Public Administration Program and Public Policy Center

No 2014-1, Working Papers from University of Hawaii Economic Research Organization, University of Hawaii at Manoa

Abstract: An increase in the availability of emergency contraception (EC) may lead to a decrease in the abortion rate. The 2006 FDA ruling, which relaxed the prescription requirement for EC for women 18 and older, allows us to apply the difference-in-difference methodology on the age-by-year-by-state abortion data to test this hypothesis. Contrary to the literature, we find a moderate reduction in abortion rates among women aged 18 and 19 after 2006 in states that were affected by the change, compared to changes in the control group. These results are robust in a number of specifications and pass the event specification test.

Keywords: Abortion; Adolescent; Emergency contraception; Plan B; Event study (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: J13 J18 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Pages: 28 pages
Date: 2014-01, Revised 2014-06
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:hae:wpaper:2014-1

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