We analyze the introduction of prescription-free access to morning-after pills—emergency contraceptives aiming to prevent unintended pregnancy and subsequent abortion after unprotected sexual intercourse.
Abstract
Exploiting a staggered difference-in-differences setting for Europe combined with randomization inference, we find sharp increases in sales and manufacturers’ revenues (100%). However, whilst not reducing abortions significantly, the policy triggers an unexpected increase in fertility of 4%, particularly among women aged 25–34. We elaborate on mechanisms by looking at within-country evidence from Germany, which suggests that fertility is driven by decreasing use of birth control pills in response to easier access to morning-after pills.
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More information on this seminar can be found on VERBseminar.org. Registration is required and can also be done here.
Organisers
- Tinna Laufey Ásgeirsdóttir (University of Iceland)
- Ana Inés Balsa (Universidad de Montevideo)
- John Cawley (Cornell University)
- Hans van Kippersluis (Erasmus University Rotterdam)