In Search of Determinants of Abortion Policy in a Post-Casey World

Although abortion remains one of the most prevalent and controversial political and social issues in the United States, academic and policy research on the determinants of state abortion policies is surprisingly sparse, and most existing studies are cross-sectional. In our research, we utilize a new panel dataset on abortion policy covering the post-Casey years to explore these determinants. Our findings reveal that the Ranney Index, indicating the measure of Democrat control in state government, increases the likelihood of fewer abortion restrictions in the state, aligning with expectations and previous literature. Interestingly, liberal citizen ideology slightly decreases the odds of reducing abortion restrictions. Another surprising finding is that higher median household income and a greater share of the population that is college-educated are associated with restrictions to abortion services.