When restrictions are placed on abortions, more children may end up in foster care

Embargoed until: Publicly released: 2023-11-07 03:00

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The amount of children placed in foster care in the US increases when a state restricts access to abortion, according to US research. The team looked at the rates of foster care entries across the US since 2000 and compared them with the introduction of Targeted Regulation of Abortion Providers (TRAP) laws, which have been used for decades to restrict abortion in particular states. The researchers say restricted abortion access was associated with an 11% increase in children entering the foster system, with the increases attributable to inadequate housing. They say this research could provide some insight into the potential impact on the foster system of the overturning of Roe v Wade in 2022 which has led to more laws criminalising and banning abortion.

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Journal/
conference: JAMA Pediatrics

Research:Paper

Organisation/s: Bentley University, USA

Funder: Data from the Adoption and Foster Care Analysis and Reporting System were originally collected by the Children’s Bureau. Funding for that project was provided by the Children’s Bureau, Administration on Children, Youth and Families, Administration for Children and Families, US Department of Health and Human Services. The collector of the original data, the funder, the Archive, Cornell University, and their agents or employees bear no responsibility for the analyses or interpretations presented here.

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