%0 Thesis
%9 Master Essay
%A Decker, Alison
%D 2020
%F pittir:38465
%I University of Pittsburgh
%P 52
%T Economic Impacts of Roe v. Wade
%U http://d-scholarship-dev.library.pitt.edu/38465/
%X One in four women in the U.S. will have an abortion by the time they are 45. Despite being nationally legalized in 1973 with the Supreme Court’s ruling of Roe v. Wade, abortion legalization still remains a polarizing political debate. Abortion legalization is an issue of public health significance because evidence shows that legal abortion reduces negative health outcomes for both women and their children. Currently, the debate surrounding abortion lacks empirical evidence to inform policy. This essay includes a literature review exploring the impacts of Roe v. Wade on several economic indicators including fertility, poverty, and female labor force participation. This essay also includes an analysis on the impact of Roe v. Wade on the female labor force participation rate, comparing rates of female labor force participation in states that legalized abortion prior to Roe v. Wade and in states that legalized abortion after in 1973. This analysis shows that states that did not legalize abortion until 1973 saw a greater increase in female labor force participation when compared to other states, proving that abortion legalization contributed to female labor force participation. With the results of the 2016 election, the repeal of Roe v. Wade has come into discussion and for the first time, it is a real possibility. Ultimately, this essay can be used to inform the current abortion debate and influence policy to ensure a woman’s right to choose to have an abortion.