The Costs of Reproductive Health Restrictions

Sep 13, 2021
  • Description

Access to comprehensive reproductive health care is central to gender equity and women's full participation in the workplace. For businesses, restrictions on access to reproductive health care are not only at odds with stated corporate values, such as equity and inclusion, they also affect the ability of companies to deliver on their value propositions.

In recent decades, a rise in state efforts to limit access to comprehensive reproductive health care has threatened women's equality and participation in the workforce and put state and regional economies at risk. Between January 1st and April 29, 2021 alone, 536 abortion restrictions, including 146 abortion bans, were introduced across 46 states. Sixty-one of those restrictions have been enacted across 13 states, including eight bans. The effect of these restrictions is amplified by federal policies such as the Hyde Amendment, which limits the use of federal dollars for abortion. These measures fall hardest on women that already face systemic obstacles accessing health care and economic opportunities—including Black women, Hispanic women, low-income women, rural women, LGBTQ+ individuals, and more.  To date, the economic costs of these restrictions have not been fully articulated.

This new tool seeks to capture the costs of reproductive health restrictions at the state level.

The Costs of Reproductive Health Restrictions