On April 16, 2024, Arizona residents held a rally for abortion rights in Phoenix, Arizona.
Gina Ferrazzi | Los Angeles Times | Getty Images
Abortion is an important issue for many voters, especially young women heading into the November election.
Diana Greene Foster, a demographer who studies the impact of unwanted pregnancy on people’s lives, says abortion isn’t just about politics or health care: It’s also a personal financial issue.
Foster is a professor at the University of California, San Francisco Turn around and studyThis is a landmark study of the socioeconomic consequences of Americans who “reject” abortion. The study followed 1,000 women over five years to January 2016. The women in the study had all sought an abortion at some point before the study began; not all received one.
More from Personal Finance:
How to Lower Your Medical Costs During Open Enrollment
Ozempic is driving up your health care costs
Working mothers are still more likely to care for their children
In November, voters 10 states Arizona, Colorado, Florida, Maryland, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New York and South Dakota will choose whether to adopt state ballot measures on abortion access.
Such ballot measures follow a 2022 U.S. Supreme Court decision that overturned Roe v. Wade, which established a constitutional right to abortion five years ago.
Nationwide, women under 30 see abortion as the most important issue for them to vote on on Election Day, according to Election Day. KFF Female Voter SurveyThe survey polled 649 women from September 12 to October 1.
Abortion is one of the least important issues, according to one registered Republican Pew Research Center poll The survey of 9,720 U.S. adults was conducted from August 26 to September 2.
CNBC spoke with Foster to discuss the economics of abortion and the financial impact of the end of Roe v. Wade.
The conversation has been edited and condensed for clarity.
Low-income earners most likely to seek abortion
Greg Yakuch: Can you describe the number of women who typically seek abortion in the United States?
Diana Green Foster: One of the great things about the Turn Around Study is that our demographics are very similar to the demographics of the abortion community nationally.
More than half are already raising children. More than half are in their 20s. Although many people think of teenagers as the primary recipients, a small number are teenagers.
Mainly low-income earners. As time goes on, this happens more and more. It is disproportionately concentrated among those with the least economic resources.
GI: Why?
Digital GF: I think wealthier people have easier access to contraceptives, even after birth control Obamacare mandates coverage. Not everyone can benefit from it. Not all states are participating.
(Medical providers) still provide contraceptives. There are 20 states with laws that say you should be able to get a year’s supply at a time, but few places actually offer it. The law says you should be able to get it, but you don’t. Research I’ve led shows that if you ask people to go back every month or trimester for refills, as is very common, you’re more likely to have an unintended pregnancy. The law has changed, but the practice has not. Access is not yet complete.
In addition, some people have abortions when they plan to become pregnant because of problems with their own health, the health of their fetus, and their living environment. Therefore, even birth control pills are not the final solution.
Greater likelihood of poverty and eviction
GI: What are the economic findings of your research?
Digital GF: When we tracked people over time, we found that those who were denied abortions were more likely to say their family income was below the federal poverty line. They were more likely to say they did not have enough money to meet basic living needs such as food, housing and transportation.
diana green foster
Courtesy: Diana Green Foster
Wanting to support an existing child is a common reason for abortion. We found that when mothers are unable to obtain abortions, existing children are more likely to be poor and have low family resources.
(so do they) more likely Being evicted, they would be saddled with more debt if an abortion was denied.
GI: Can we quantify these impacts?
Digital GF: For example, six months after seeking an abortion, 61% of those who were denied an abortion were living below the poverty line, while less than half (45%) of those who received an abortion were living below the poverty line. The higher odds of being below (the federal poverty level) persisted for four years.
Based on credit reports, we found that women who declined abortions had a significantly higher amount of debt that was 30 days or more past due, reaching $1,749.70, a 78% increase relative to pre-pregnancy (on average). The number of public records of bankruptcies, evictions and court decisions for those who were denied abortions increased significantly, by 81%.
GI: Why does this happen?
Digital GF: Having a baby is a huge investment. The decision to raise children depends on a level of social support, housing security, and access to health care that our country simply cannot provide for low-income people.
Why costs for women are both rising and falling
GI: Your research was conducted while Roe v. Wade was still law. that is This is no longer the case. How do you anticipate these economic consequences might be affected?
Digital GF: In Transition Research, people were refused abortions because they were too far along in their pregnancies, but now you can be refused abortions at any point in your pregnancy, e.g. 13 states. Therefore, it may affect a larger population.
But there are other changes, related to resources to help people get around and information about how to order medical abortion pills online. Therefore, not everyone who wants an abortion now carries their pregnancy to term.
There have been a lot of efforts to circumvent state laws, and I think the Turn Around Study really shines a light on why. People understand their condition and are very motivated to seek care, even when their country tries to ban it.
GI: What economic impacts might some women in these states experience?
Digital GF: I’m actually looking into Roy and the financial costs (expenses) of the end of the trip. The fee increases by $200 for those out of state. People were delayed for more than a week.
Under Roe, people could drive to abortion clinics or hitchhike; they were more likely to fly and have to take more transportation. More than half of the people spent the night here. On average they travel 10 hours. That means taking time off, too. Therefore, this significantly increases the cost for those who travel to have an abortion.
Some people ordered their medications online, but they were not (included) in the study. For these people, costs may come down because the drug can be ordered online for less than $30.
But you have to understand it, you have to have an address, you have to have the internet, and it takes a certain level of knowledge to be able to do that. Follow-up medical care may be needed, so you must have access to it.
About The Author
