From Access to Wellness: Early Life Exposure to Abortion Legalization and the Next Generation’s Health

Hamid Noghanibehambari, David Slusky and Hoa Vu

No 33571, NBER Working Papers from National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc

Abstract: We examine the multigenerational impacts of legalized abortion in the United States by analyzing how early-life exposure to this policy shift affects birth outcomes in the next generation. Using event study and two-way fixed effects models, we link maternal early-life exposure to legal abortion with improved birth outcomes in the subsequent generation, including higher birth weights and reduced rates of low birth weight. Our analysis of the mechanisms shows that these improvements in birth outcomes are not driven by changes in maternal racial or age composition within the treated generation. Instead, enhanced educational attainment and increased prenatal care utilization among the treated generation appear to play a critical role. Our results highlight the far-reaching implications of reproductive health policies, especially relevant in the post-Dobbs era, where access may once again become constrained for many.

JEL-codes: H75 I12 I18 J13 J16 J18 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025-03
Note: CH EH
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Working Paper: From Access to Wellness: Early Life Exposure to Abortion Legalization and the Next Generation’s Health (2025)
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