Teenagers and Abortion: The Effects of Social, Economic, and Neighborhood Factors

Susan L. Averett, Lafayette College

Many researchers have investigated the link between state policies and abortions. In contrast, little effort has been directed toward examining whether local policies and neighborhood characteristics are related to abortions. This paper examines whether factors such as the presence of an abortion provider in the county of residence, the number of family planning clinics in the county of residence, the number of doctors per woman in the county of residence, and local health care spending affect a minor's decision to abort a pregnancy. This study considers the impact of these variables on both the decision to get pregnant and, conditional on pregnancy, the decision to abort. The National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health data set contains a contextual data file with information about abortion providers, health care access, and family planning clinics at the county level as well as detailed information on neighborhood characteristics, peers, and friends.