MPRC Seminar Series: Ted Joyce

The Impact of Parental Involvement Laws on the Abortion Rate of Minors

About the Presentation

We conduct a comprehensive analysis of the effect of parental involvement (PI) laws on the incidence of abortions to minors across a span of nearly three decades. We find that, on average, PI laws enacted before the mid-1990s are associated with a 15% to 20% reduction in minor abortions. PI laws enacted after this time are not, on average, associated with declines in abortions to minors. We find that out-of-state travel is not a substantive moderating factor of the effect of PI laws. 

About the Speaker

Ted Joyce, Ph.D., is a Professor of Economics at Baruch College and the Graduate Center, the City University of New York and a Research Associate in the National Bureau of Economic Research’s program in Health Economics.He has published extensively in the area economic demography and reproductive health policy.  His recent research projects include a three-year study funded by the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD) on the effect of state laws on teen fertility. 

For more information, contact Jennifer Doiron at jdoiron1@umd.edu or 301-405-6403.