The Impact of the Reverse of Roe v. Wade on Physical, General, and Mental Health for Women across the US

Abortion is one of the most controversial topics in the United States and it does not seem to be going anywhere anytime soon. The debate over whether we should legalize abortion is one that was at rest for many years, until June of 2022, a big uproar came when Roe v. Wade was overturned. Using a difference-in-differences (DID) model, this paper investigates how the overturn of Roe v. Wade has impacted mental health, physical health, and general health in women across the United States. The model will break down the states between those that changed their laws after the ruling and those that remained the same. Data is compared from 2020 to 2023, giving us two years before the Court decision and one year after. All of the data comes from the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) annual survey. I find the strongest impact on the health of Hispanic women living in states with any abortion regulations. They face an increased number of days with poor mental health and decreased general health levels. I also find negative impacts on the general health levels of pregnant women with up to a high school level education. Overall, there are some negative health effects from the overturn of Roe v. Wade.