Project Title
Do Abortion Rates Affect Suicide Rates?
Faculty Mentor(s) Name(s)
Dr. Brooke Conaway
Abstract
According to Gissler et al. (2014), suicide rates for women directly after having abortions are three times higher than suicide rates for women overall. According to the CDC, suicide rates in the US have increased by more than 3 percentage points since 2009; by 2018, it was 14.2 percent. The CDC also reports that abortion rates decreased by 3 percent from 2009 to 2018 before the recent overturn of Roe V. Wade. As abortions become more difficult to obtain, it is important to closely examine their implications for mental health. I use state-level panel data from 2014 to 2018 to test whether abortion rates affect suicide rates. Controlling for other relevant factors such as incarceration rates, childhood poverty, income percentage change, divorce rates, gender, and race, I found that abortion rates have a statistically significant negative effect on suicide rates in the United States. The results suggest that reduced access to abortions may have unintended consequences related to suicide rates.
Do Abortion Rates Affect Suicide Rates?
According to Gissler et al. (2014), suicide rates for women directly after having abortions are three times higher than suicide rates for women overall. According to the CDC, suicide rates in the US have increased by more than 3 percentage points since 2009; by 2018, it was 14.2 percent. The CDC also reports that abortion rates decreased by 3 percent from 2009 to 2018 before the recent overturn of Roe V. Wade. As abortions become more difficult to obtain, it is important to closely examine their implications for mental health. I use state-level panel data from 2014 to 2018 to test whether abortion rates affect suicide rates. Controlling for other relevant factors such as incarceration rates, childhood poverty, income percentage change, divorce rates, gender, and race, I found that abortion rates have a statistically significant negative effect on suicide rates in the United States. The results suggest that reduced access to abortions may have unintended consequences related to suicide rates.