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Frequency Of Sexual Activity Among Unmarried Adolescent Girls: Do State Policies Pertaining To Abortion Access Matter?

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  • Bisakha Sen

    (Department of Economics, University of Alabama at Birmingham)

Abstract

While considerable research exists on whether abortion restrictions affect adolescents’ demand for abortions, less work has been done about whether such restrictions deter pregnancy-risk behavior among adolescents. This paper uses data from the first round of the NLSY97 to investigate the effects of two abortion restrictions -- unavailability of Medicaid funding and laws requiring parental involvement -- on the frequency of sexual activity among (unmarried) adolescent girls. Results from zero-inflated negative binomial models indicate that neither restriction has significant effects on the frequency of sexual activity per se or on the frequency of non-contracepted sexual activity.

Suggested Citation

  • Bisakha Sen, 2006. "Frequency Of Sexual Activity Among Unmarried Adolescent Girls: Do State Policies Pertaining To Abortion Access Matter?," Eastern Economic Journal, Eastern Economic Association, vol. 32(2), pages 313-330, Spring.
    • Handle: RePEc:eej:eeconj:v:32:y:2006:i:2:p:313-330
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    File URL: http://web.holycross.edu/RePEc/eej/Archive/Volume32/V32N2P313_330.pdf
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. T. Paul Schultz, 1994. "Marital Status and Fertility in the United States: Welfare and Labor Market Effects," Journal of Human Resources, University of Wisconsin Press, vol. 29(2), pages 637-669.
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    6. Sen, Bisakha, 2002. "Does alcohol-use increase the risk of sexual intercourse among adolescents? Evidence from the NLSY97," Journal of Health Economics, Elsevier, vol. 21(6), pages 1085-1093, November.
    7. Karin Brewster, 1994. "Neighborhood context and the transition to sexual activity among young black women," Demography, Springer;Population Association of America (PAA), vol. 31(4), pages 603-614, November.
    8. Levine, Phillip B., 2003. "Parental involvement laws and fertility behavior," Journal of Health Economics, Elsevier, vol. 22(5), pages 861-878, September.
    9. Joyce, Theodore & Kaestner, Robert, 1996. "State reproductive policies and adolescent pregnancy resolution: The case of parental involvement laws," Journal of Health Economics, Elsevier, vol. 15(5), pages 579-607, October.
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    12. Levine, Phillip B. & Trainor, Amy B. & Zimmerman, David J., 1996. "The effect of Medicaid abortion funding restrictions on abortions, pregnancies and births," Journal of Health Economics, Elsevier, vol. 15(5), pages 555-578, October.
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    Cited by:

    1. Amanda J. Felkey & Kristina M. Lybecker, 2018. "Do Restrictions Beget Responsibility? The Case of U.S. Abortion Legislation," The American Economist, Sage Publications, vol. 63(1), pages 59-70, March.
    2. Clarke, Damian, 2023. "The Economics of Abortion Policy," IZA Discussion Papers 16395, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).
    3. Sen, Bisakha & Wingate, Martha Slay & Kirby, Russell, 2012. "The relationship between state abortion-restrictions and homicide deaths among children under 5 years of age: A longitudinal study," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 75(1), pages 156-164.
    4. Bisakha Sen, 2007. "State Abortion Restrictions and Child Fatal‐Injury: An Exploratory Study," Southern Economic Journal, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 73(3), pages 553-574, January.
    5. Marshall Medoff, 2010. "The Impact of State Abortion Policies on Teen Pregnancy Rates," Social Indicators Research: An International and Interdisciplinary Journal for Quality-of-Life Measurement, Springer, vol. 97(2), pages 177-189, June.

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