TEEN MOTHERHOOD AND ABORTION ACCESS

We investigate the effect of abortion access on teen birthrates using county level panel data. Past research suggested that prohibiting abor tion led to higher teen birthrates. Perhaps surprisingly, we find that more recent restrictions in abortion access, including the closing of abortion clinics and restrictions on Medicaid funding, had the opposi te effect. Small declines in access were related to small declines amo ng in-wedlock births; out-of-wedlock births were relatively unaffected . Both results are consistent with a simple model in which pregnancy i s endogenous and women gain new information about the attractiveness o f parenthood only after becoming pregnant.