Roe v Wade and American fertility

Objectives. This article examines the effect of abortion legalization on fe rtility rates in the United States. Methods. Fertility rates were compared over time between states that varied in the timing of abortion legalization. Results. States legalizing abortion experienced a 4% decline in fertility r elative to states where the legal status of abortion was unchanged. The rel ative reductions in births to:to teens, women more than 35 years of age, no n-White women, and unmarried women were considerably larger. If women did n ot travel between states to obtain an abortion, the estimated impact of abo rtion legalization on birth rates would be about 11%. Conclusions. A complete recriminalization of abortion nationwide could resu lt in 440 000 additional births per year. A reversal of the Roe v Wade deci sion leaving abortion legal in some states would substantially limit this i mpact because of the extent of travel between states.