When the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade in 2022, a majority of the justices decided that abortion rights should be left up to the states. New research finds that after two years, thousands of Americans in parts of the country with strict abortion bans decided to leave those states.
In the wake of the Dobbs decision, each of the 13 states with strict abortion bans, from Alabama to West Virginia, has declined, according to an analysis by economists. The quarter totaled a net loss of 36,000 residents, which represents the difference between the number of people leaving the states and the number of people moving into them.
The analysis, based on U.S. Postal Service address change data, found that single-person households were disproportionately affected by state, which may indicate that young adults move out of states that ban abortion at higher rates than households. This may be because families trying to move face greater challenges considering their parents need to change schools or give up their careers.
Is it an issue for states that ban abortion?
Although abortion is often viewed as a cultural or religious issue, it also has profound economic consequences for individuals and society as a whole. For example, turnaround studies have documented in detail the economic toll experienced by women who cannot access abortion services Discover Those who are denied the program have higher rates of financial problems and are more likely to rely on government assistance such as food stamps.
New research shows that states that ban abortion may face long-term economic consequences if they lose large numbers of residents, especially young workers who are critical to the state's workforce.
“In terms of the impact on state economies, our findings suggest that employers in states with bans may face challenges attracting and retaining workers, especially younger workers, which could impact economic growth and development. College researchers Daniel L Dench, Jason M. Lindo and Kelly Lifchez and the College of Worcester's Jancy Ling Liu wrote in an email to CBS MoneyWatch.
The study did not identify whether those who moved from abortion-ban states were men or women, nor where they landed, including states that protected abortion. But researchers say the impact is so significant that states that ban abortion could lose nearly 1% of their population within five years.
Abortion bans and weak safety nets
Separately, an Associated Press analysis found that many states with strict abortion bans fail to provide adequate safety nets. These issues include difficulty accessing programs like food stamps and being unable to see a doctor due to maternal care deserts.
Tennessee is one of 13 states with outright abortion bans, and Republican state leaders say they are strengthening services for families. For example, Tennessee is increasing Medicaid coverage for mothers from 60 days to one year postpartum in 2022, making the program available to 3,000 mothers each year.
But Tennessee performs poorly on the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children, Medicaid, adequate maternal care and paid family and medical leave requirements, according to a study published in October in the American Journal of Public Health. Other states with abortion bans, including Alabama, Georgia and Missouri, also ranked poorly on multiple measures, the analysis found.
In states where abortion is banned or restricted to early pregnancy, women with young children report difficulty accessing social services, according to a survey by the health policy research group KFF. For example, nearly half said it was difficult for women in their state to get food stamps, compared with 3 in 10 in states where abortion is generally allowed.
Dr. Nigel Madden, the study's lead author, said: “Those who claim to be anti-abortion and advocate for bans on abortion often believe that these policies are to protect children, women and families.” But the weakness of the safety net shows “this argument hypocrisy.”
At the same time, many young Americans are paying attention to a state's access to reproductive health care. In a 2022 Axios poll, about 6 in 10 people ages 18 to 29 said a state's abortion laws would affect their decision about where to live, ranging from “a little” to “a lot” superior”.
To be sure, there are many reasons why people choose to leave a particular state, say researchers at the Georgia Institute of Technology and the College of Wooster. They added: “Countries that ban abortion differ from countries that protect or maintain abortion access in ways other than abortion policy.”
But the study concluded that a lack of reproductive options, social services and health care could make abortion-strict states less attractive to some residents, especially young Americans.
contributed to this report.
