Date of Award
Spring 5-3-2022
Document Type
Thesis
Degree Name
Master of Arts (MA)
Department
Economics
First Advisor
Partha Deb
Second Advisor
Jessica Van Parys
Academic Program Adviser
Karna Basu
Abstract
Abortion remains highly legally restricted in many developing countries, constraining women to unsafe providers. As of 2019, 23,000 women die each year due to unsafe abortions in low- and middle-income countries. These deaths are almost entirely preventable with universal access to safer abortion methods. In 2006, some regions in Peru, a country that legally restricts abortion except to preserve the mother’s life, adopted a harm-reduction approach to address this health issue within their legal framework. The model works by providing information on safely terminating a pregnancy using misoprostol, a drug generally prescribed by a gastroenterologist but available to women on the black market. Doctors provide information on proper dosage and perform health checks before and after abortions. Using a difference-in-differences model, I assess the impact of access to a safer abortion method without legalization on reproductive choices, pregnancy and child care practices, time devoted to work, bargaining power in the household, and risky behavior.
Recommended Citation
Imran, Azka, "The Effects of Access to Safe Abortion Methods on Women’s Health and Employment" (2022). CUNY Academic Works.
https://academicworks.cuny.edu/hc_sas_etds/860