States with strictest abortion laws offer the least support for women and families
States with abortion bans are falling short in helping lower-income families, experts say.
States with abortion bans are falling short in helping low-income families, experts say.
New research from Northwestern Medicine in Chicago compared state abortion laws to public programs meant to help families, such as paid parental leave and state-funded nutrition programs for families with children.
“States with the most severe abortion restrictions have the least public infrastructure to support families,” said Dr. Nigel Madden, a maternal-fetal medicine physician at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, who led the study published Wednesday in the American Journal of Public Health.
Previous research has shown that about half of the number of women who seek abortions live below the federal poverty line, while three-quarters do not have enough money to cover housing, transportation and food. About 60% already have at least one child at home.
The majority of women in the United States who want an abortion can still get one, said Caitlin Myers, a professor of economics at Middlebury College who studies the economic implications of reproductive policies.
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