Using the Synthetic Control Method to Determine the Effect of Ultrasound Laws on State-Level Abortion Rates

The purpose of the present study is to determine if laws requiring ultrasounds prior to an abortion being performed have any effect on the demand for abortions. Using state-level data, a synthetic control model (SCM) and a fixed effects model, results of the present study suggest that ultrasound laws have no statistically-significant effects on state-level abortion rates. In the SCM analysis, 21 states were in the treatment group (state had enacted an ultrasound law) and 22 states were in the potential control group. Results also suggest that states with lower per capita incomes, more non-Whites, and more abortion providers had higher abortion rates. This study is important because it is the first to use an SCM analysis to examine the effects of any type of restrictive abortion law on the demand for abortions.