Study: More than 1,500 estimated births in Wisconsin after abortion access was paused after Roe v. Wade was overturned
MILWAUKEE (CBS 58) -- For the first time, new scientific data shows how Wisconsinites were impacted by the loss of abortion services when Roe v. Wade was overturned.
The IZA Institute of Labor Economics studied more than a dozen states that were impacted by a stoppage of abortion services.
In Wisconsin, researchers estimate there were more than 1500 new births once abortion services were paused amid widespread uncertainty over state law.
It's either 1,500 new lives to celebrate, or 1,500 families forced into something they did not want, depending on how someone feels about abortion.
The study authors said the nationwide effects will be felt and studied for years to come, but this is the first attempt to look at how people were affected by the Dobbs decision that overturned Roe v. Wade.
Daniel Dench is an assistant professor at the Georgia Tech School of Economics. He is also one of the study's authors. He told us, "People's lives were affected by this. For good or for bad or for otherwise."
Dench said researchers are not saying the results are good or bad, but the information shows, "If you make it harder for women to obtain abortions, then fertility rates will rise."
Dench said the 1,503 estimated births in Wisconsin that would not have occurred if not for the Dobbs decision were more than they expected based on prior data.
He said this study is on the first six months of 2023 and the estimates could shift. He also said researchers do not yet know the effects after the first six months.
Reactions to the study mirrored positions on abortion itself.
Jenny Higgins, the director of the University of Wisconsin's Collaborative for Reproductive Equity, said the figure, "represents an individual person whose body has been hijacked."
But Gracie Skogman, legislative director with Wisconsin Right to Life, said, "It's always a remarkable joy to meet this new life, to see many of these women who have chosen motherhood for the first time, or maybe expanding their family."
Pro-choice advocates told us a person carrying a child to term when they don't want to leads to a variety of negative outcomes.
Higgins said, "We have evidence abortion restrictions are associated with increases in maternal morbidity and mortality rates."
She said there are also increases in intimate partner violence and in poverty for existing children. "Especially for folks living on low incomes in Wisconsin, accessing abortion care has already been difficult, if not insurmountable in the years leading up to the Dobbs decision."
And Dench said, "Most abortions are obtained by women who are below 200% of the poverty level."
But pro-life groups say the Dobbs decision has led to many new families for people who had planned to seek an abortion.
Skogman, of Wisconsin Right to Life, said, "But now they have their children here today because of this. It's really incredible to watch their courage through this decision."
Skogman said pregnancy resource centers have seen a massive increase in clients since Dobbs, and they need to keep providing resources to support new parents.
She told us, "We have to ensure that women are provided with that critical support. We see the data. We know that many women choose to have an abortion because of things like health care or housing insecurity. And those are all things we can help to solve."
Abortion services resumed soon after a Dane County judge ruled the state's 1849 infanticide law does not apply to abortion.
But pro-choice groups say accessing that care is still not easy for some.
Higgins said, "A host of unscientifically grounded abortion restrictions present major obstacles for people seeking care."
This study also looked at how much further people had to drive for abortion services once they were stopped in their state.
In Wisconsin, people had to drive nearly 44 miles more.
Researcher Dench said that likely prevented many people from pursuing an abortion, especially if accessing a car was a challenge.