Working Paper: NBER ID: w26228
Authors: Jason M. Lindo; Mayra Pineda-Torres
Abstract: Beyond a handful of studies examining early-adopting states in the early 1990s, little is known about the causal effects of mandatory waiting periods for abortion. In this study we evaluate the effects of a Tennessee law enacted in 2015 that requires women to make an additional trip to abortion providers for state-directed counseling at least 48 hours before they can obtain an abortion. Our difference-in-differences and synthetic-control estimates indicate that the introduction of the mandatory waiting period caused a 48–73 percent increase in the share of abortions obtained during the second trimester. Our analysis examining overall abortion rates is less conclusive but suggests a reduction caused by the waiting period. Putting these estimates into context, our back-of-the-envelope calculations indicate that Tennessee’s MWP increased the monetary costs of obtaining an abortion by as much as $929 for some women.
Keywords: No keywords provided
JEL Codes: I11; I12; I18; J13; K23
Edges that are evidenced by causal inference methods are in orange, and the rest are in light blue.
| Cause | Effect |
|---|---|
| Tennessee's mandatory waiting period (MWP) (I19) | overall abortion rates (J13) |
| Tennessee's mandatory waiting period (MWP) (I19) | monetary costs of obtaining an abortion (J13) |
| Tennessee's mandatory waiting period (MWP) (I19) | share of abortions obtained during the second trimester (J13) |