Supreme Court leaked abortion draft: U-M experts can comment on political, health effects
May 3, 2022
ANN ARBOR—The U.S. Supreme Court acknowledged a leaked draft opinion on Roe v. Wade, the landmark 1973 court decision that granted federal protection of abortion rights. The University of Michigan has experts who can weigh in on the potential decision, which is expected to be formally announced before the term ends this summer.
Below are the ISR-affiliated U-M experts that can comment on the effects:
Sarah Miller is an assistant professor of business economics and public policy and faculty associate at the Population Studies Center at the Institute for Social Research. She researches health care and health economics and recently published a paper on the economic consequences of being denied an abortion.
“Our recent study compared women who are denied abortions on the basis of gestational age to women who sought and obtained abortions slightly earlier in the pregnancy,” she said. “Those denied abortions experience a spike in financial problems—including serious financial problems such as bankruptcies—that persisted for many years. If Roe v. Wade is overturned, millions will be put in a position where an unplanned pregnancy could expose them to serious long-term financial and economic hardship.”
Contact: 734-647-6978, [email protected]
Josh Pasek is an associate professor of communication and media and faculty associate at the Center for Political Studies in the Institute for Social Research. His research explores how new media and psychological processes each shape political attitudes and behaviors and public opinion. He is also leading a project assessing abortion and public opinion.
“As supporters of abortion access think about ways to respond to the decision, there will be a temptation for some to frame the issue as men trying to control women’s bodies. Although that may well be the effect of the changing legal landscape, the frame is unlikely to be persuasive, as women represent not just the strongest advocates for legal abortion, but also its strongest opponents,” he said. “The landscape on abortion attitudes has shifted massively over time. It’s easy to forget that when Roe was first decided, Republicans were more likely to support abortion access than Democrats and men favored legal access more than women.”
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Joelle Abramowitz is an assistant research scientist at the Survey Research Center at the Institute for Social Research. She studies health insurance, medical expenditures, marriage, fertility and general health topics.
Contact: 609-334-2162, [email protected]