2021 St. Louis Economic Impact Report

Abortion bans costs Missourians billions of public and private dollars, impacting individuals, families, employers and the state and local governments.

Being denied an abortion has serious consequences. The largest study of the long term effects of being denied an abortion, the Turnaway Study, found that people forced to continue unintended pregnancies, and consequently their families, are likely to experience long-term economic insecurity and hardship in addition to an increased risk of future birthing complications and remaining in contact with abusive partners. Being denied an abortion lowered a [person’s] credit score, increased a [person’s] amount of debt and increased the number of their negative public financial records, such as bankruptcies and evictions. We studied the public and private costs of banning abortion in Missouri on the City of St. Louis.