Scandinavian Working Papers in Economics
Working Papers in Economics,
University of Gothenburg, Department of Economics
No 512: The Impact of Legalized Abortion on Child Health Outcomes and Abandonment. Evidence from Romania
Andreea Mitrut () and Francois-Charles Wolff ()
Additional contact information
Andreea Mitrut: Dept of Economics, Uppsala University and UCLS, Uppsala Center for Labor Studies; Dept of Economics, University of Gothenburg; Bucharest Academy of Economic Studies, Postal: Box 513, SE 751 20 Uppsala
Francois-Charles Wolff: LEMNA, Université de Nantes, France; CNAV and INED, Paris, France, Postal: Department of Economics., School of Business, Economics and Law, Göteborg University, Box 640, SE 40530 GÖTEBORG
Abstract: We use household survey data and a unique census of institutionalized children to analyze the impact of abortion legalization in Romania. We exploit the lift of the abortion ban in December 1989, when communist dictator Ceausescu and his regime were removed from power, to understand its impact on childrens health at birth and during early childhood and whether the lift of the ban had an immediate impact on child abandonment. We find insignificant estimates for health at birth outcomes and anthropometric z-scores at age 4 and 5, except for the probability of low birth weight which is slightly higher for children born after abortion became legal. Additionally, our findings suggest that the lift of the ban had decreased the number of abandoned children.
Keywords: abortion; health; anthropometric outcomes; child abandonment; Romania
35 pages, August 9, 2011
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