Is TRAP a Trap?

Abstract

I evaluate the impact of abortion clinic closures on violence against women of reproductive age. Using a difference-in-differences approach and data from the National Incident-Based Reporting System, I find that increasing the distance to abortion clinics had sizable and nonlinear effects on violence against women. A 25-mile increase in the distance to the nearest clinic increases the number of reported violent offenses against women by up to 1.9 percent; the effect decreases as the initial distance from a clinic rises. The largest effects occur among Hispanic and Black women. The evidence also suggests that violence against children increases after clinic closures.