The Consequences of Abortion and Contraception Policies on Young Women's Reproductive Choices, Schooling and Labor Supply

I specify a dynamic life-cycle model of abortion, contraceptive use, schooling, and labor supply decisions of US women. I structurally estimate the model, allowing for abortion misreporting, using from the NLSY97, aggregate abortion provider data from the Guttmacher Institute, and information on mandatory counseling restrictions at the state level. I simulate a series of policies and find that eliminating access to abortion services increases contraceptive use but decreases women’s schooling and lifetime earnings. I also find that providing free contraception would increase contraceptive use and decrease abortion rates substantially, while also leading to an increase in women’s schooling.