Roe v. Wade was Overturned and The Devastating Economics Will Heavily Impact Black and Hispanic Women
Here is the economics of it all. From losing wages and hindering the progress of women to forcing women deeper into poverty, overturning Roe V. Wade is a way to keep women down
Mark today as the day you finally realized women are second-class citizens. We are told what to do, what to wear, where to go, how much to earn, how to speak, and now, we are told we must bare children against our will. The very idea of fundamental human rights is lost in conversations referring to women, especially Black and Latin women. For us, the message is clear: You do not matter.
The Supreme Court Justices moved forward with overturning Roe V. Wade today and while it is not a shocking decision, it is one that will cause a ripple effect in our communities, our states, our unity and our economics. Last month, a leak in the Supreme Court showed the world the intent of the Justices - to overturn the constitutional right of women. After learning about the opinions of the far-right associated justices, women hit the streets to march and advocate for their rights. Women in senate seats and in the house of representatives pushed the conversation to bring more awareness about the detrimental results of overturning the decision and generations of women continued the fight with donations to organizations like the Jane Fund and Planned Parenthood but with all that effort, we sit here today with zero control over our own bodies.
The Economics of Banning Abortions
Banning abortions prevents women from fully participating in society. It causes long lasting trauma, a cycle of poverty and an isolation of women from the workforce. In short, banning abortions eliminates the ability for women to pursue happiness.
Where the original Roe decision acknowledged that making people carry and raise unwanted children could “force upon” women “a distressful life and future,” the draft opinion, written by Justice Samuel Alito, barely mentioned the substantial ways that the loss of access to safe, legal abortion would hamper the ability of women to participate fully in society.
The burden of banning abortions weighs heavily on those who are already disproportionately marginalized - particularly women of color and transgender people. There are many statistics providing substantial evidence of how this impacts the Black, Brown and LGBTQ+ communities but here are a few simple clarifying stats:
in 2014, forty-nine per cent of all abortions were obtained by people who were below the federal poverty line.
As of 2004, approximately a third were obtained by people who were white, thirty-seven per cent by those who were Black, and twenty-two per cent by Hispanic people.
Black women are significantly more likely than white women to experience an unintended pregnancy, owing to disparities in the economy and the health-care system, and other factors;
for the same group, childbirth is more dangerous.
When Roe v. Wade legalized abortion in most of the country in 1973, it created a positive impact in the lives of women:
abortion legalization reduced the number of women who became teen mothers by 34%
abortion legalization reduced the number of those who became teen brides by 20%
abortion legalization reduced maternal mortality among Black women by 30-40%
abortion legalization increased women’s education, labor force participation, occupational prestige, and earnings and that all these effects were particularly large for Black women
Additionally, research shows that abortion access has not only had profound effects on women’s economic and social lives but has also impacted the circumstances into which children are born. Researchers using difference-in-differences research designs have found that abortion legalization reduced the number of children who were unwanted (Bitler and Zavodny, 2002a), reduced cases of child neglect and abuse (Bitler and Zavodny, 2002b; 2004), reduced the number of children who lived in poverty (Gruber, Levine, and Staiger, 1999), and improved long-run outcomes of an entire generation of children by increasing the likelihood of attending college and reducing the likelihood of living in poverty and receiving public assistance (Ananat, Gruber, Levine, and Staiger, 2009).
Furthermore, while women have made great “progress in terms of their educational attainment, career trajectories, and role in society, mothers face a variety of challenges and penalties that are not adequately addressed by public policy.”
Following the birth of a child, it’s well documented that working mothers face a “motherhood wage penalty,” which entails lower wages than women who did not have a child
Maternity leave may combat this penalty as it allows women to return to their jobs following the birth of a child – encouraging them to remain attached to the labor force (Rossin-Slater, 2017). However, as of this writing, the U.S. only offers up to 12 weeks of unpaid leave through the FMLA, which extends coverage to less than 60% of all workers
And even if a mother is able to return to work, childcare in the U.S. is costly and often inaccessible for many. Families with infants can be expected to pay around $11,000 a year for childcare and subsidies are only available for 1 in 6 children that are eligible under the federal program
These stats are critical to understanding the penalty placed on women seeking abortions as a majority tend to be low-income mothers.
In the most recent survey of abortion patients conducted by the Guttmacher Institute, 97% are adults, 49% are living below the poverty line, 59% already have children, and 55% are experiencing a disruptive life event such as losing a job, breaking up with a partner, or falling behind on rent (Jones and Jerman, 2017a and 2017b).
Whatever your personal beliefs are about women and their right to an abortion, it is abundantly clear - based on data and not emotions - there is a casual link between access to abortion and the ripple effect on the lives of the women seeking abortions. From access to higher education to higher earnings to life lasting impacts on the born child, banning abortions limits women from fully participating in society and isolates them from “Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness."
Many of the statistics you point out get lost on most conservatives, including the broader point that the overall health and wellness of women rises dramatically when there is access to abortion; and when it's denied, as you mentioned, women of color suffer the most, as they always do. It's a sad time, but I'm hoping the silver lining will be that many people will be galvanized. Thanks for writing, Giselle.