Socioeconomic consequences of abortion compared to unwanted birth

The Turnaway Study is a five-year prospective longitudinal study which aims to understand the effect of abortion on women's lives. Women were recruited from 30 abortion clinics across the country where no clinic within 150 miles performs procedures at a later gestation. The study includes women just above the gestational limit who were turned away from an abortion (n=231), just below the limit who received an abortion (n=452), and who received a first trimester abortion (n=273). This analysis presents the socioeconomic consequences for a family when a woman receives or is denied an abortion.

At the time of seeking an abortion, there were no differences in financial wellbeing between the women receiving and being denied abortions: 45% received public assistance, two thirds had household incomes below the federal poverty level (FPL) and the average household size was 3.7. One year later, 86% of women denied an abortion were living with the baby; 11% had placed the baby for adoption. Women denied abortion were more likely to be receiving public assistance (76% vs. 44%) and have household income below the FPL (67% vs. 56%) than women who received an abortion. The proportion of women denied an abortion who were working full time was lower than among women who received an abortion (48% vs. 58%).

Consistent with women's reasons for wanting an abortion, primarily that they could not afford a child, many families increasingly rely on public assistance and remain in poverty after being denied an abortion.