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Episode 512Sep 7, 2021

Reproductive rights are economic rights

Research shows a connection between abortion access and the economic mobility and financial security of women.

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NEW YORK, NEW YORK - SEPTEMBER 01: Debra Sweet, wears a mask inscribed with the words " No Forced Motherhood" as she joins people gathered for a reproductive rights rally at Brooklyn Borough Hall on September 01, 2021 in Downtown Brooklyn in New York City. NOW-NYC and Planned Parenthood of Greater New York Action Fund organized a rally for reproductive rights after a Texas law that has been dubbed the "Heartbeat Bill" went into effect. The law ends access to abortion after six weeks of pregnancy and would allow anyone to sue abortion providers and “aiders and abetters” in civil court. Abortion rights activists have asked the Supreme Court to block the law, but as of Wednesday morning the court has allowed the law to go into effect. In May, Supreme Court justices agreed to review a Mississippi case on the state's ban on abortion procedures after 15 weeks of pregnancy,  a direct challenge to Roe v. Wade, the 1973 landmark decision that legalized abortion nationwide. A ruling on that case is expected in 2022.
NEW YORK, NEW YORK - SEPTEMBER 01: Debra Sweet, wears a mask inscribed with the words " No Forced Motherhood" as she joins people gathered for a reproductive rights rally at Brooklyn Borough Hall on September 01, 2021 in Downtown Brooklyn in New York City. NOW-NYC and Planned Parenthood of Greater New York Action Fund organized a rally for reproductive rights after a Texas law that has been dubbed the "Heartbeat Bill" went into effect. The law ends access to abortion after six weeks of pregnancy and would allow anyone to sue abortion providers and “aiders and abetters” in civil court. Abortion rights activists have asked the Supreme Court to block the law, but as of Wednesday morning the court has allowed the law to go into effect. In May, Supreme Court justices agreed to review a Mississippi case on the state's ban on abortion procedures after 15 weeks of pregnancy, a direct challenge to Roe v. Wade, the 1973 landmark decision that legalized abortion nationwide. A ruling on that case is expected in 2022.
Photo by Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images

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It might not be talked about much, but reproductive rights are an economic issue.

There’s a growing body of research suggesting a link between access to abortion and women’s economic stability.

“We have evidence that for women who delayed becoming mothers, because they had access to abortion, those women were much more likely to attend college, to graduate college, to obtain occupations that are kind of professional in nature. And they had higher wages by as much as about 10%. And they were about half as likely to live in poverty as adults,” said Caitlin Myers, an economics professor at Middlebury College who studies the effects of reproductive policies.

Myers also pointed to evidence that women who encounter obstacles to obtaining an abortion and are ultimately unable to have one are much more likely to face bankruptcy proceedings, see their credit status decline and suffer financial distress.

In the aftermath of Texas’ abortion ban, we’ll discuss reproductive rights as an issue of economic justice and why access to abortion is rarely seen through an economic lens.

In the news fix, we discuss Afghanistan’s new government and what it might mean for the country’s economy. Later, a listener shares his favorite Ikea hack, and the fart joke that keeps on giving.

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Here’s everything we talked about today:

Read the transcript here.

The Team