Birthing a Nation: The Effect of Fertility Control Access on the Nineteenth-Century Demographic Transition
نویسنده
چکیده
During the nineteenth century, the U.S. birthrate fell by half. While previous economic literature has emphasized demand-side explanations for this decline, many of these arguments are confounded by changes in the supply of technologies to control fertility. I exploit the introduction of state laws governing American women’s access to abortion to measure the effect of changes in the supply of fertility technologies on the number of children born. I estimate an increase in the birthrate of 4 to 15 percent when abortion is restricted. I also explore the legal characteristics and political economy of these laws.
منابع مشابه
PRELIMINARY—DO NOT CITE Birthing a Nation: The Effect of Fertility Control Access on the 19th Century Demographic Transition by
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