Long-Run Intergenerational Impact of Abortion Legalization in the United States

In this study, I analyze how children conceived under legal abortion fare in life, particularly in terms of life term health. I leverage the state-level variation in changes to abortion laws predating Roe v. Wade and the changes brought about by Roe v. Wade. I implement difference-in-difference and event study techniques on data from restricted-use administrative microdata on births and deaths in the United States. I find that the likelihood of survival for cohorts conceived under legal abortion improves throughout the life course, though the magnitude varies depending on age and specification.