Limiting abortion access is bad for the economy

New York (CNN Business) Reproductive rights activists are worried about women losing abortion access in parts of the United States. Economists are worried, too , because restricting reproductive freedom comes at an economic cost to the nation.

The US Supreme Court may be poised to overturn the landmark 1973 Roe v. Wade ruling as soon as next month, as indicated by a recently leaked draft opinion . Thirteen states have trigger laws that would immediately ban abortions if the ruling was overturned.

The decision is widely thought to be more ideologically and politically motivated, rather than driven by an attempt to protect women from worse outcomes. Those might include financial hardship, restricted ability to attain a higher education and move up the socio-economic ladder, as well as overall poorer health outcomes for women reliant on clinics for preventative care. All of this would affect the state of the workforce, economic output and increase the need for government support, economists say.

The consequences are likely so extensive and far-reaching that it is hard to quantify them, said Jason Lindo, professor of economics at Texas A&M.

It also comes at a time when the share of women in the labor force , which dropped dramatically during the Covid recession, has still not recovered to pre-pandemic levels.