Social, spatial and political determinants of U.S. abortion rates

The impact of gynecologists' conscientious objection on abortion access

Although abortion in Italy is free of charge and legal in a broad set of circumstances, 71% of gynecologists are registered as conscientious objectors, i.e. they are exempted from performing abortions for reasons of religious or moral beliefs. To assess whether this practice limits abortion access, we analyze aggregate regional data on abortion and a dataset of over one million clinical records of single interventions performed between 2002 and 2016. Results, from both cross-regional panel data and microdata analysis, suggest that conscientious objection hampers abortion access at the local level, being a significant driver of a woman's decision of having an abortion out of the region of residence and leading to longer waiting times to have one. Conscientious objection appears to have a stronger impact on women living in lower-income regions or experiencing other forms of economic disadvantage.

Rewriting the SES: demographic patterns and divorcing families

Socioeconomic data are frequently included in health studies as indicators of social class. These data are used to measure the relationship between the behavior patterns, lifestyles and environments assumed to be associated with class and the topic under study. However, formulas currently used to calculate SES obscure rather than identify class position. This paper examines the Hollingshead SES score, comparing its view of the economic system with recent studies of the labor hierarchy of the United States. An alternative method for analysis and a socioeconomic scaling system which approximates class divisions within the United States today is then offered. A test case, using data from a study on divorcing families, is also presented to illustrate the kinds of information available through the alternative scaling system and show a comparison with the Hollingshead scale.