Please use this identifier to cite or link to this item: https://hdl.handle.net/10419/316715 
Year of Publication: 
2025
Series/Report no.: 
IZA Discussion Papers No. 17760
Publisher: 
Institute of Labor Economics (IZA), Bonn
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.
Subjects: 
intergenerational effects
infant health
Roe v. Wade
Abortion
Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization
JEL: 
H75
I12
I18
J13
J16
J18
Document Type: 
Working Paper

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