Unintended Pregnancies Are an Economic Issue

Ohio voters on Tuesday passed a measure enshrining the right to abortion in the state’s constitution. The outcome, the latest in a string of ballot-measure victories for reproductive freedom in conservative-leaning states, was an affirmation of women’s right to make decisions about their own bodies. The people who read political tea leaves for a living are saying the abortion issue may help Democrats overcome voters’ persistently bad feelings about the economy.

Although abortion is often talked about as the archetypal culture war battle — in contrast to so-called “kitchen table” concerns like inflation — whether and when to have children is one of the biggest economic decisions a woman can make. New research highlights just how important reproductive autonomy is to women’s earning power. Unintended pregnancies have a lasting and harmful effect on women’s careers, a study led by economists at the University of Chicago found.