Can we attribute the falling crime rates to the legalization of abortion?
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iamthemob (
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February 25th, 2011
Data associated with the fall of crime in the 90s, which was predicted as being the decade where crime would explode, has as Stephen Levitt has argued been attributed to the ability to prevent unwanted pregnancies – much of that ability associated with the ability to receive an abortion.
The fact is that nearly 50% of the fall of crime has been associated with factors attributed to the ability to receive an abortion. This isn’t causal, and can be more dangerously suggestive than anything else, but it is something to think about.
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13 Answers
Can we attribute the legalization of abortion to falling crime rates?
No… maybe the other way around, but not in the way you asked.
But, I feel, even after all scientific criticisms made to Levitt’s freakonomics, that it is a likely causal correlation, for abortion to lower crime rates. I would expect unwanted children to have a more dire perspective than those that are wanted.
re @iamthemob we can attribute falling crime rates to abortion, but abortion is not the consequence of dropping crime rates, as per the title of this topic.
@whitenoise – I think you’ve misread the question then – what I asked was “can we attribute falling crime rates to the legalization of abortion” – perhaps misworded, but the intent was in fact to ask if the falling crime rates can in some way be connected to the legalization of abortion (i.e., does the fact that abortion is legal provide a good deal of the explanation for the falling crime rates).
thanks – that clarification was necessary.
@iamthemob I know what your intent was, but you messed up in the title of your question, not so much in the text itself. I read Levitt’s Freakonomics a couple of years ago and it seems to make sense.
Personally, I feel abortion and certainly family planning an elementary woman’s right and I feel the current republican initiatives against family planning utterly stupid and a danger for the health of future generations. From what I hear the debate is – as always with this topic – also full of lies and populist statements. Not a very good impression.
I would guess there are several factors causing the decrease in crime rates we observed. The economy overall had a very good ride there for many years, and I would guess the more productive people are, and the less poverty there is, the less crime there is. However, I do believe there probably os a legitimate correlation of not causation between abortion availability and lower crime rates. One thing I have always wondered is if the abortion rate went way up once it became legal? Or, is it simply fewer people died from bad abortions? When abortion became legal, the birth control pill and other birth control methods went up in use also.
I live not far from a Memphis, a city that has way too much poverty and crime, violent crime, and indeed high rates of teen pregnancy and multiple babies born to mothers who can not care for the children well. They can get abortions, but many don’t. Maybe many do? I don’t know the stats. Makes me wonder who tends to get more abortions? The middle class who are educated and surrounded by fewer criminal activities in general, or the poor who might be more likely to live in communities with drug dealer, gangs, and bullets flying. I realize the plague of drugs and crime also happens in the middle and upper classes, but the crime associated with it seems more prevalent in poor areas.
@JLeslie
But part of the question regarding who receives the most abortions is also based in who is most likely to be properly educated in safe sex techniques, and who is most likely to use that education…
@iamthemob Hmmm. The thing is, I am weary of averages, because within various subcultures or communities in America it might be very different. Like the average age many years ago people died was 40 years old (I don’t know the exact age, just using it as an example) but it was not that most people died around 40, but that infant mortality brought the mean average way down.
My point about the birth control is let’s say fewer unwanted births were happening in general, maybe we could argue birth control brought down the crime rate just looking at numbers? I think the pill became legal in all 50 states in the 60’s? Probably widespread use in the 70’s I am guessing. But, I guess your point is the poor were less lakely to use birth control anyway? I hate to think my comments make it sound like I think all poor people are criminals because I do not think that for a second, I want to make that clear. Still, in the end what it does say if we accept the premise, is unwanted children not being born result in lower crime rates and better for society
@JLeslie – Good point – then we have to question how much general birth control advocacy plays a part.
Sure.
That was the idea behind legalizing abortion in the first place. See Ruth Bader Ginsberg’s comments on the subject
It certainly responsible for a reduction in dangerous, illegal abortions. It is not responsible for all the reduction in crime that you claim has been observed.
@Dr_Lawrence – Indeed – but it has not been stated or claimed that it is responsible for “all the reduction in crime” that has been observed. It may be a major contributing factor, though.
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