A study published recently in the Journal of Health Economics by UW-Madison researchers links the U.S. Supreme Court’s Dobbs decision, which curtailed abortion access in many states, to a significant yet overlooked consequence: an uptick in child protective services (CPS) involvement, particularly among communities already marginalized and under-resourced.
Christine Durrance, a UW-Madison professor of public affairs, led the research in collaboration with La Follette School of Public Affairs faculty Yang Wang and Barbara Wolfe.
Essential background: Many researchers have found that communities of color and children living in poverty often face increased surveillance and involvement with CPS, resulting in an overrepresentation of such children in the child welfare system. Other scholars have questioned the protective versus punitive nature of the child welfare system, which can exacerbate inequalities, including reproductive justice scholar Dorothy Roberts, who has called the child welfare system America’s “family policing system.” Abortion policies and access have been an unstudied part of this involvement.
Study findings: Researchers analyzed the effects of post-Dobbs policy changes and increased distance to abortion providers that largely resulted from the Dobbs ruling. The study reveals a clear link between abortion restrictions and higher rates of referrals to child protective services. As abortion access diminished, the findings show a significant rise in CPS involvement, both among children in the family and subsequent births, particularly affecting economically disadvantaged communities.
By the numbers: The researchers find that a 100-mile increase in distance to the nearest abortion clinic is associated with a 5% increase in the rate of child protective services referrals. Following state policy changes triggered by the Dobbs decision, CPS referral rates rose by between 13% and 18%.
Zooming in: Restrictions make abortion care more costly and less accessible, leading to stress, financial strain on families, and higher birth rates. Restrictive abortion policies also lead to negative health outcomes and the potential for family violence, making child welfare concerns even more likely.
Why it matters: More than half of women seeking abortion have existing children in the home. Policies and programs are needed to support not only people’s ability to prevent and terminate pregnancy, but also their ability to raise their children in safe and healthy environments.
Previously: Additional recent studies by the same researchers found that state mandatory waiting periods for abortion care and abortion restrictions triggered by the Dobbs decision are associated with increases in intimate partner violence against women of reproductive age.
The bottom line: These studies, part of several UW Collaborative for Reproductive Equity (CORE) research projects monitoring and documenting access to reproductive healthcare post-Dobbs, illuminate the extensive social costs of limiting abortion access. The findings underscore the need for policies that consider the broader implications of abortion restrictions on individual, family, and child well-being.
Related:
- Impacts of abortion restrictions on pregnant people, their partners, families, and communities
- Study: Mandatory waiting periods for abortion increase intimate partner violence
- Post-Dobbs case studies: Reports from Wisconsinites who considered abortion when it was unavailable
- Post-Dobbs changes in abortion access in Wisconsin and nationally