According to the study by the Institute of Labor Economics, the overturning of Roe v. Wade in June 2022 may have resulted in the birth of 32,000 additional babies. After the decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization births rose by an average of 2.3 percent in states enforcing abortion bans or restrictions. That may be less than many pro-choice advocates suggested, but it still amounts to tens of thousands of babies.
It is not clear how other factors may have affected this increase from increased immigration across the Southern border to changing economic conditions. Even before Dobbs, the rate of abortion had been falling steadily in the United States.
Roughly a quarter of women of reproductive age face increased driving distances due to states with bans on abortion.
Overall, the increase for women in that age bracket went up roughly three percent.
In a related story,Carson City District Court Judge James Russell has ruled against putting a constitutional amendment on the ballot for 2024 to make abortion a constitutional right. In his opinion, Judge Russell found that the amendment violated the “single subject rule” by including various issues beyond abortion:
“This Court agrees with Plaintiffs that the Petition embraces a multitude of subjects that amount to logrolling,” Russell wrote. “Subsection 1, alone, embraces the following subjects: prenatal care, childbirth, postpartum care, birth control, vasectomy, tubal ligation, abortion, abortion care, management of a miscarriage, and infertility care … Thus, it is improper to characterize these broad categories as a ‘single subject’ because there is no explanation as to how these provisions are functionally related.”