ZOOM

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/88315242921
Meeting ID: 883 1524 2921
Passcode: 187118

Title.- Abortion rates and birth outcomes: evidence from Spain (Marco Cozzani1, Gaia Ghirardi2, Miguel Requena3, Mikolaj Stanek4, and Fabrizio Bernardi3)

1 Università degli Studi di Firenze, Italy

2 WZB Social Science Center Berlin, Germany

3 UNED, Spain

4 University of Salamanca, Spain

Abstract

Access to legal and safe abortion is a key reproductive right that shapes abortion and unwanted pregnancy rates, ultimately affecting birth outcomes. In this paper, we examine the impact of induced abortion (IA) rates – defined as the intentional termination of pregnancy – on infant health outcomes, such as birth weight and the probability of being born low birth weight (LBW <2.500 grams). We also explore heterogeneity by maternal age and by the number of clinics available within a province. We leverage variation in IA access across Spanish provinces and combine IA registers with birth certificate data from 2011 to 2019. Our results show that higher IA rates are associated with improved birth outcomes, but only among very young mothers (under 20 years old). These associations are concentrated in provinces with fewer clinics. Overall, these findings suggest that access to abortion can shape the composition of newborns’ health, particularly among very young mothers, even in a country with a relatively permissive legal framework for abortion.