Economic Impacts of Abortion Ban

The economic impacts of abortion ban in Georgia have been widely studied. There is a lot of information about the economic impacts of abortions in Georgia and across the United States, but most reports have focused on the adverse effects that the passage of this law would have on women’s health and access to reproductive care. We will provide an overview of what studies show about the state-wide economic consequences if HB 481 goes into effect.

The number of potential abortions due to lack of access would likely drop by as much as 80%. The Guttmacher Institute estimates that nearly 100,000 women may have an abortion each year due solely because they live far away from an available clinic where they can receive care safely and legally.

Harms to State and Local Economies under Abortion Bans

Abortion bans have a negative economic impact on women, their families, and communities. In many states with abortion bans on the books or in effect, women are dissuaded from seeking abortions because they cannot afford to pay for them out-of-pocket. 

This can be especially harmful to low-income women who already face barriers to accessing health care services and other necessities like food and housing.

The economic impacts of abortion bans on the national level

In addition to being economically detrimental for women who must travel long distances or spend large amounts of money to access reproductive healthcare.

These laws also damage state economies by keeping young people from moving into jobs within those industries that rely heavily on immigrant labor—and thus reducing overall productivity levels across all sectors within those states’ borders (including agriculture).

Steps forward for the federal and state governments

The federal government should:

• Increase access to contraception. The U.S. government currently does not fund any programs that provide contraceptives for low-income women or anyone who cannot afford them, which means most people do not have access to birth control and can’t plan their pregnancies. 
• This is particularly problematic for young people who may want children but need to know how they’ll afford them in the future or whether having one will impact their education or career opportunities.
• Improve sex education in schools across the country by focusing on topics such as gender identity and sexual health instead of just focusing on abstinence-only programs (which have been shown time and time again not work). 
• These efforts could help reduce teen pregnancy rates while teaching teens about safe sex practices like using condoms correctly during partnered sexual activity.
• This is especially important given the recent news about STD rates among people under 21 years old being higher than ever due to unsafe behaviors like unprotected oral sex through dams (like dental dams) used during oral intercourse.”

Pathways for Impacting Economic Outcomes 

If you are considering the economic impact of a potential abortion ban, it is important to keep in mind that there are multiple pathways for enacting such a law. The most direct route would be through state legislation or regulation. However, this route has little chance of success due to its lack of popularity among lawmakers and voters alike.

A more promising path forward would be through a local ordinance (e.g., city ordinances) or federal regulation (e.g., FDA regulations). However, these two types of laws have less impact than state regulation because they have less power than other forms do.

They still provide opportunities for economic growth if appropriately enacted—and they may even enable businesses in certain areas where they don’t currently exist!

Children’s Outcomes

The economic impact of abortion bans is broad, affecting many different aspects of society. For example:

The government will lose revenue from taxes and fees that it collects on behalf of women who have abortions. This loss can be significant for states with low per-capita incomes (such as Mississippi) but even more so for states with highly populated areas, such as New York City and Los Angeles.

Changes in Access in the Post-Roe Period

The most obvious effect of abortion bans is that they make it more difficult for women and families to access care. In the post-Roe period, a woman’s ability to access legal abortion services may be impacted by:

• The distance from the nearest clinic or hospital (e.g., if she lives on the east coast and her nearest abortion provider is in New York City).
• Her ability to qualify for Medicaid coverage for abortions at all—even if she has private health insurance that covers some or all care costs (as will likely be the case with most women).

The Next Generation

• The next generation is not being born.
• The next generation needs to be educated.
• The next generation needs to be trained.
• The next generation does not have jobs or salaries and cannot contribute to an economy that thrives on productivity and innovation, which means it’s hard for them to get ahead in life.
• This, in turn, means our country is less competitive than it could be if we were working together as a nation rather than getting in each other’s way through abortion bans and anti-immigrant sentiment (which also hurts workers).

Targeted Regulation of Abortion Providers (TRAP) Laws

TRAP laws are regulations that target abortion providers and do not apply to other medical practices. The goal of these laws is to make it more difficult for women to access abortion services by making it more expensive or time-consuming for those providers. 

These laws have been passed in several states across the U.S., with Arizona being one of the most recent examples where such a bill was passed on March 13, 2017 (HB 2134).

The term “TRAP” refers to “targeted regulation of abortion providers,” which means that there are specific requirements placed on physicians who provide abortions and other procedures related to health care without being medically necessary or safe for pregnant women at any stage during pregnancy.

These requirements may include requirements regarding building size, parking lot size and width, etcetera—and those who don’t meet them face fines up front instead!

More on Abortion and Roe v. Wade

In 1973, the Supreme Court ruled that abortion was protected under both state laws and federal law as a fundamental right under the 14th Amendment’s Equal Protection Clause (which protects against discrimination on the grounds of race or sex). 

This ruling overturned all state laws banning abortion nationwide—and in many cases, it also allowed women who were pregnant but had already given birth to seeking abortions obtainable outside their home country if they were traveling internationally with their spouse or partner for at least one year after giving birth to one child (so long as no more than two children live together).

The majority opinion states: “The Due Process Clause protects every citizen from deprivation of life itself without due process of law.” It continues: “The word ‘person’ has been defined broadly enough to include artificial entities like corporations.”

Potential Economic Impact of Abortions

If a state were to ban abortion, the impact would be felt throughout the economy. The state’s largest employer would likely be affected by this change because it would require more time and money for pregnant women to travel elsewhere for their procedures. 

Businesses that serve women might have trouble keeping up with demand if they have no idea when or where they can get an abortion in their town or city.

Women who work in the medical field could lose their jobs if abortion becomes illegal in all 50 states and Washington, D.C., which is what happens when businesses close down due to a lack of customers (or, even worse—a shortage). 

Business owners will also feel the effects: They’ll need more employees because fewer people want abortions performed on them! And those same employers will probably cut back on spending money on other things too; maybe even fire some workers altogether.”

The Departure of Businesses

When a state’s business climate becomes hostile to private enterprise, it is not long before companies begin to leave. In fact, Georgia has already lost thousands of jobs due to recent efforts by Gov. Brian Kemp ® and state legislators to make abortion illegal in the state—and these losses will continue unless something changes.

The impact on your business may include the following:

• No longer being able to hire employees from within Georgia because they cannot afford household expenses or health care costs if they become pregnant;
• Not being able to attract workers who want their families protected under the law;
• Less tax revenue comes into local governments because taxes go up when there are fewer people living in an area;
• An adverse effect on your company’s reputation as being pro-business friendly if you continue operating while restricting access for yourself or others living within its borders

Conclusion

Economic studies are helpful in understanding the impact of abortion on the economy, but they are only one piece of the puzzle. The abortion ban will have an effect on people’s lives and their livelihoods.

(Written by Dr. Ebad Khan)

References 

• Haas-Wilson D. (1993). The economic impact of state restrictions on abortion: parental consent and notification laws and Medicaid funding restrictions. Journal of policy analysis and management : [the journal of the Association for Public Policy Analysis and Management], 12(3), 498–511.
• Coast, E., Lattof, S. R., Meulen Rodgers, Y. V., Moore, B., & Poss, C. (2021). The microeconomics of abortion: A scoping review and analysis of the economic consequences for abortion care-seekers. PloS one, 16(6), e0252005. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0252005.
• Moore, B., van der Meulen Rodgers, Y., Coast, E., Lattof, S. R., & Poss, C. (2021). History and scientific background on the economics of abortion. PloS one, 16(9), e0257360. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0257360.
• Lattof, S. R., Coast, E., Rodgers, Y. V. M., Moore, B., & Poss, C. (2020). The mesoeconomics of abortion: A scoping review and analysis of the economic effects of abortion on health systems. PloS one, 15(11), e0237227. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0237227.
• Moore, B., Poss, C., Coast, E., Lattof, S. R., & van der Meulen Rodgers, Y. (2021). The economics of abortion and its links with stigma: A secondary analysis from a scoping review on the economics of abortion. PloS one, 16(2), e0246238. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0246238.
• Coast, E., Lattof, S. R., van der Meulen Rodgers, Y., & Moore, B. (2019). Economics of abortion: a scoping review protocol. BMJ open, 9(7), e029939. https://doi.org/10.1136/bmjopen-2019-029939.