Does Proposed Anti-Abortion Legislation Affect Access to Abortion Care? A State-by-State Comparison [ID: 1371679

Abstract

INTRODUCTION: Concerns over unhindered access to abortion have heightened because of newly proposed state legislation designed to restrict care in the United States. This study examines the effect of such measures on abortion access within each state prior to the 2022 Dobbs v Jackson ruling. METHODS: Proposed anti-abortion measures from 2015 to 2019 were collected from Guttmacher Institute databases, and sorted by state and legislative progress. Rates of abortions during that period were collected from Centers for Disease Control Vital Statistics reports, and similarly sorted by state. Basic statistical analyses were used to compare data. RESULTS: The average ratio of introduced to enacted anti-abortion legislation in the United States was 0.176, with North Dakota having the highest ratio of 1. Average overall abortion rates did not significantly change during this time (9.70 versus 9.44 per 1,000, P=.79). However, the correlation coefficient of state data comparing enacted legislation to overall abortion rates grew in magnitude from −0.189 in 2015 to −0.350 in 2019. The overall percent change in abortion rate per enacted legislation was −0.0089%, with Washington, DC, having the largest at −0.14%. CONCLUSION: Prior to the overturning of Roe v Wade, most state-introduced anti-abortion bills failed to be enacted into law. However, in states legislating restriction, women were disproportionately affected by lack of access to abortion locally. Patients and physicians alike should remain vigilant to the danger posed by anti-abortion legislation that would further hinder access to the reproductive health care of women.