As States Eye Texas-Style Abortion Bans, Economic Costs to Bottom Line and Women are High, New Data Show

Implementing abortion bans in target states could cost local economies nearly $20 billion and hurt women’s earnings and labor force participation.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE – September 13, 2021

Contact: Erin Weber | [email protected] | (646) 719-7021

Washington, DC – States such as Arkansas, Florida, Kentucky, Louisiana, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Carolina, and South Dakota planning to follow Texas’s lead with implementing abortion bans could face steep economic losses if such legislation is enacted, according to game-changing research released earlier this year from the Center on the Economics of Reproductive Health (CERH) at the Institute for Women’s Policy Research (IWPR).

The data estimate that abortion bans and other restrictions on women’s reproductive rights cost a whopping $105 billion dollars per year nationwide by reducing labor force participation and earnings levels and increasing turnover and time-off from work among women ages 15 to 44 years. In Texas, that translates into nearly $15 billion in economic losses for women and businesses in the state. For the states listed above, the economic losses break down as follows:

Arkansas could face almost $1.2 billion in economic loss.
Florida — $6.6 billion loss
Kentucky — $1.8 billion loss
Louisiana — $1.8 billion loss
Ohio — $4.5 billion loss
Oklahoma — $1.7 billion loss
South Carolina — $1.9 billion loss
South Dakota — $326.8 million loss

“Limiting women’s access to the full range of reproductive rights, including abortion, will have dire economic consequences for states and families. These bills hurt women by reducing their labor force participation, cutting into their earnings, and increasing turnover,” said Dr. C. Nicole Mason, President and CEO of the Institute for Women’s Policy Research. “Women and those who support them shouldn’t have to live in fear or be forced to cross state lines to access critical health care services.”

For more information on IWPR’s Center on the Economic of Reproductive Health, click here. And for more information on the economic impact of reproductive rights restrictions in your state, check out IWPR’s interactive map and tool here.



The Institute for Women’s Policy Research strives to win economic equity for all women and eliminate barriers to their full participation in society. As a leading national think tank, IWPR builds evidence to shape policies that grow women’s power and influence, close inequality gaps, and improve the economic well-being of families. Learn more at IWPR.org and follow us on Twitter.

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