Do All Roads Lead to the Same Destination? Proximity to Abortion Providers, Abortions, and Their Conditions in Portugal

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Abstract

In Portugal, 65% of gynecologists conscientiously object to performing abortions, limiting the provision of abortion services across the country. This paper exploits quasi-random variation in abortion supply related to changes in doctor availability to examine how variations in proximity to an abortion provider affect the probability a pregnancy is aborted and the conditions under which abortions occur, including when, where, and how. Using a novel dataset of the universe of legal abortions in Portugal, I find suggestive evidence that there are fewer abortions among women living further away from a provider relative to women living closer. I also find evidence that these women have abortions later, are more likely to be referred by public hospitals to private clinics, and have an increased risk of having a surgical abortion.

Citation

Melo, António. 2024. “Do All Roads Lead to the Same Destination? Proximity to Abortion Providers, Abortions, and Their Conditions in Portugal.” Journal of Population Economics 37, article 70. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00148-024-01048-1.

@article{Melo24,
author = {Ant{\'o}nio Melo},
year = {2024},
title = {Do All Roads Lead to the Same Destination? Proximity to Abortion Providers, Abortions, and Their Conditions in Portugal},
journal = {Journal of Population Economics},
volume = {37},
number = {70},
doi = {10.1007/s00148-024-01048-1}}