A thread on the probable effects of reforming #abortion laws, based on research. First, restricting abortion laws will probably reduce abortion but only marginally. Classic example: Romania 1966. Fertility spiked after abortion was made illegal (tinyurl.com/yxehyykk) but 
the initial fertility spike quickly petered out. Women however massively kept relying on (illegal, unsafe) abortion for birth control, also in the absence of modern contraceptives. Result: spiking maternal death rates.(tinyurl.com/yx8tod4r) that dropped after 1989 when
the restrictive abortion law was overturned again. At that time, Romania had the highest maternal death rate in Europe (jstor.org/stable/1966479…).
Unintended effects ripple through the generations, as children born under the ban did worse at school and achieved less labor market success: columbia.edu/~cp2124/papers…
Other countries also provide helpful evidence. Ireland had one of the most restrictive abortion laws. Irish women massively traveled to England to obtain abortions (tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.10…)
Same is true for Poland: popline.org/node/648310
The problem with restricting abortion laws is that legal restrictions do not reduce the demand for abortion. Modern contraceptives do. My colleagues and I show in this study on the Netherlands (academic.oup.com/esr/article/28…) that
the availability of modern contraceptives explains why abortion in the Netherlands is cheap, safe, legal, and incredibly rare. The Netherlands are an ideal example of how effective birth control policies work
This research shows: to reduce #abortion incidence, do not restrict abortion access. The effects are marginal, and the consequences for women's health are dire. Instead, promote and distribute modern contraceptives. They work and empower women.
#RoeVWade #AbortionBan
#RoeVWade #AbortionBan
Making modern #contraceptives cheap, available and socially acceptable is the only policy that works in reducing unintended pregnancies, demand for abortion services, and ultimately, abortion incidence.
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