Working Paper: NBER ID: w9193
Authors: Kerwin Kofi Charles; Melvin Stephens Jr.
Abstract: We assess whether in utero exposure to legalized abortion in the early 1970's affected individuals' propensities to use controlled substances as adolescents. We exploit the fact that some states legalized abortion before national legalization in 1973 to compare differences in substance use for adolescents across birth cohorts in different states. We find that persons exposed to early legalization were, on average, much less likely to use controlled substances. We also assess how substance use varies with state level birth rates and abortion ratios. Overall, our results suggest that legalization lowered substance use because of the selective use of abortion by relatively disadvantaged women.
Keywords: No keywords provided
JEL Codes: I12; J13
Edges that are evidenced by causal inference methods are in orange, and the rest are in light blue.
| Cause | Effect |
|---|---|
| Abortion Legalization (J13) | Improved Early Life Circumstances (I24) |
| Improved Early Life Circumstances (I24) | Lower Likelihood of Substance Use (I12) |
| Abortion Legalization (J13) | Lower Likelihood of Substance Use (I12) |
| Reduction in Cohort Size (J11) | Lower Number of Individuals at Risk for Substance Use (I12) |
| In Utero Exposure to Legalized Abortion (J13) | Lower Likelihood of Adolescents Using Controlled Substances (I12) |