We use a vector autoregression to examine the dynamic relationship between the race-specific percentage of pregnancies terminated by induced abortion and the race-specific percentage of low-birthweight births in New York City. With monthly data beginning in 1972, we find that induced abortion...

The inverse relationship between abortion and crime has spurred new research and much controversy. If the relationship is causal, then polices that increased abortion have generated enormous external benefits from reduced crime. In previous papers, I argued that evidence for a casual...

This paper examines the relationship between the legalization of abortion and subsequent decreases in crime. In a current study, researchers estimate that the legalization of abortion explains over half of the recent decline in national crime rates. The association is identified by correlating...

Research on the effect of laws mandating parental involvement in minors’ abortions has failed to examine an important behavioral response to such laws: Older teenagers may delay an abortion until age 18. For some, this may mean terminating a pregnancy after the first trimester. Using data on...

This article describes the effects of enforcement of the Woman's Right to Know Act, a Texas law requiring that all abortions at or after 16 weeks' gestation be performed in an ambulatory surgical center. In the month the law went into effect, none of the 54 nonhospital abortion providers in...

This issue brief evaluates whether policies requiring parental involvement in minors' decision to obtain an abortion can alter their sexual behavior and help reduce the rates of sexually transmitted infections (STIs) among teens. Using data from the STI surveillance system of the Centers for...