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Abortion Bans, Restrictions Could Cost U.S. Economy $140 Billion: New Report
Because when people can’t choose when or if to have kids, their paychecks and job options tend to stagnate, dwindle, and disappear.
REWIRE NEWS GROUP
By Susan Buttenwieser
State abortion restrictions and bans have done substantial damage to the U.S. economy since the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade on June 24, 2022.
A new report from the Institute for Women’s Policy Research, a national think tank focused on economic equity and eliminating barriers for women, estimates that the 16 states with the most restrictive abortion policies are responsible for more than $68 billion in annual lost earnings. In places like Alabama, Louisiana, and West Virginia, abortion bans have pushed women out of the workforce, diminished their earnings, and limited job growth, the report found.
Removing reproductive health-care barriers could result in an estimated 325,000 more women aged 15-44 participating in the workforce each year, the report shows. That could boost the national gross domestic product of the entire country by 0.5 percent.
“Abortion bans are a drag on the economy by impacting women’s choices about their careers,” Melissa Holly Mahoney, the report’s co-author told Rewire News Group. “When women are unable to make choices about when, or if, to start a family, they are less willing to change jobs, to take time out from employment for education or skills-training, which could then lead to higher-paying jobs.”