Page 1 GAO-25-107477 Abortion Restrictions
Research suggests that restrictions on abortion access can have
economic implications for individuals who seek or are unable to obtain
abortions, their families, and aspects of the economy more broadly. In
June 2022, in its decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health
Organization (Dobbs decision), the U.S. Supreme Court held that the
Constitution does not confer a right to abortion.
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Since the 2022 decision,
several states have taken actions to protect or restrict access to abortion.
Questions have been raised about the potential economic effects of recent
state actions restricting abortion, even as the state-level legal landscape
regarding abortion continues to evolve.
We were asked to examine what is known about the potential economic
and household effects of state-level restrictions on abortion, as well as
efforts of federal agencies to assess these effects. This report provides
information on the potential economic effects of state-level abortion
restrictions on individuals and households across different demographic
groups and on aspects of the economy more broadly. It also looks at the
role federal agencies play in collecting abortion-related data and assessing
the economic effects of state restrictions.
This report presents findings from our review of 55 studies that met our
standards for rigor and quality and were relevant to this study. We also
present perspectives from our interviews with four academic researchers,
officials from three national organizations with subject matter expertise,
and information from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
(CDC) and the Social Security Administration (SSA). In addition, we
present data from the Guttmacher Institute on the number and rate of
abortions before and after the Dobbs decision. See “How did we identify
and review studies examining the potential economic effects of state
abortion restrictions?” and “How GAO Did This Study” for additional details
on our methodology.
• Studies we reviewed report that abortion restrictions can have
negative economic effects for women seeking an abortion as well
as for women who are unable to obtain an abortion and instead
carry their pregnancies to term. Studies also found that laws
restricting abortion access can have broader effects, for example,
by influencing decisions about where to live, as well as birth and
maternal mortality rates. Given how recently the Dobbs decision
U.S. Government Accountability Office
bortion Restrictions: Research Suggests
otential Economic and Household Effects of
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