Is Welfare Pro-life? Assistance Programs, Abortion, and the Moderating Role of States

Abstract

This article examines the role of American welfare programs in low-income women’s choices concerning abortion and childbirth. It considers the economic resources that programs confer and the context of resource delivery. The study argues that differences in state abortion rights climates moderate welfare receipt’s relations with pregnancy decisions. Data from the Fragile Families and Child Wellbeing study are linked to state context. Analyses suggest that welfare recipients are substantially less likely to turn to abortion than are comparable low-income pregnant women but that this is only true of recipients in states where abortion policies, access to abortion providers, and public opinion reflect a pro-life orientation. Estimates suggest that welfare participation positively predicts abortion in states with a pro-choice stance. The findings identify a clearer relation between welfare and pregnancy resolution than previous research suggests and illuminate the conditional nature of this link.