The purpose of this paper is to shed light on the causes of the rapid decline in the infant
mortality rate in the United States in the period after 1963. The roles of four public policies
are considered: Medicaid, subsidized family planning services for low-income women,
maternal and infant care projects, and the legalization of abortion. The most striking finding
is that the increase in the legal abortion rate is the single most important factor in reductions
in both white and nonwhite neonatal mortality rates. Not only does the growth in abortion …

The purpose of this paper is to shed light on the causes of the rapid decline in the infant
mortality rate in the United States in the period after 1963. The roles of four public policies
are considered: Medicaid, subsidized family planning services for low-income women,
maternal and infant care projects, and the legalization of abortion. The most striking finding
is that the increase in the legal abortion rate is the single most important factor in reductions
in both white and nonwhite neonatal mortality rates. Not only does the growth in abortion …