Alison Gemmill, Assistant Professor, Population, Family and Reproductive Health, Johns Hopkins University
Title: Unpacking the impact of US abortion restrictions on health and fertility: Challenges, lessons learned, and future directions
Abstract: Abortion restrictions in the US have far-reaching consequences for health and fertility, yet studying these impacts presents significant methodological and data challenges. This talk will examine the effects of restrictive abortion policies on maternal and infant health, fertility patterns, and health disparities, drawing on recent research, including analyses of abortion bans’ contributions to rising infant mortality. It will also address key challenges, including the violation of parallel trends assumptions, which complicates causal inference, and the difficulty of identifying heterogeneous effects across different populations. The talk will conclude with future directions, emphasizing the need for expanded research on maternal health, particularly the epidemiology of miscarriage care, which remains poorly understood in the context of abortion restrictions.
Faculty, staff, and students interested in meeting with an external guest can sign up online.
