Abstract
This research examined changes in the distribution of abortions among states following the U.S. Supreme Court's 1973 decision invalidating most state laws restricting abortions, and compared that distribution with the distribution that would have been observed if all state abortion rates had been equal, and with the actual and equal rate distributions of divorces. After 1973 the influence of pre-decision abortion laws on the distribution of abortions decreased and the ecological correlations between the characteristics of states and the number of abortions changed toward a more "natural" or expected pattern. Little change was observed in the distribution of hospitals performing abortions, an indication that the decision influenced individual behavior more than it influenced existing social institutions. Restrictions enacted since 1973 had little influence on the distribution. Results are interpreted as supporting theoretical approaches that emphasize environmental control of behavior over those that emphasize individual autonomy in person-environment interactions.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Alan Guttmacher Institute.Abortion: Need, services, and policies, 50 state profiles. New York, NY: Author, 1979.
Alwin, D.F., & Hauser, R.M. The decomposition of effects in path analysis.American Sociological Review 1975,40 37–47.
Bailey, K.D., & Mulcahy, P. Sociocultural versus neoclassical ecology: A contribution to the problem of scope in sociology.Sociological Quarterly 1972,13 37–48.
Barker, R.Ecological psychology. Stanford, CA: Stanford University Press, 1968.
Bechtel, R.B.Enclosing behavior. Stroudsberg, PA: Dowden, Hutchinson & Ross, 1977.
Bialock, H.M., Jr.Causal inferences in nonexperimental research. Chapel Hill, NC: University of North Carolina Press, 1961.
Bronfenbrenner, U.The ecology of human development: Experiments by nature and design. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 1979.
Campbell, D.T., & Stanley, J.C.Experimental and quasi-experimental designs for research. Chicago, IL: Rand-McNally College Publishing Co., 1963.
Cartwright, E.S. Ecological variables. In E.F. Borgatta & G.W. Bohrnstedt (Eds.).Sociological methodology 1969. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass Publishing Co., 1969.
Duncan, O.D., & Schnore, L.F. Cultural, behavioral, and ecological perspectives in the study of social organization.American Journal of Sociology 1959,65 132–146.
Forrest, J.D., Sullivan, E., & Tietze, C. Abortion in the United States, 1977–1978.Family Planning Perspectives 1979,11 329–335, 337–341.
Forrest, J.D., Tietze, C., & Sullivan, E. Abortion in the United States, 1976–1977.Family Planning Perspectives 1978,10 271–279.
Gold, R.B. After the Hyde amendment: Public funding for abortion in FY 1978.Family Planning Perspectives 1980,12 131–134.
Gottfredson, G.D.Models and muddles in human ecology: An examination of high school crime rates. Baltimore, MD: Center for Social Organization of Schools, The Johns Hopkins University, 1978. (ERIC Document Reproduction Services No. ED 172 342).
Hawley, A.H.Human ecology: A theory of community structure. New York, NY: Ronald Press, 1950.
Henshaw, S.K., Forrest, J.D., Sullivan, E., & Tietze, C. Abortion in the United States, 1978–1979.Family Planning Perspectives 1981,13 6–7, 10–17.
Henshaw, S.D., Forrest, J.D., Sullivan, E., & Tietze, C. Abortion services in the United States, 1979 and 1980.Family Planning Perspectives 1982,14 5–15.
Henshaw, S.D., Forrest, J.D., & Blaine, E. Abortion services in the United States, 1981 and 1982.Family Planning Perspectives 1984,16 119–127.
Kelly, J.G. Ecological constraints on mental health services.American Psychologist 1966,21 535–539.
Kenny, D.A.Correlation and causality. New York, NY: John Wiley & Sons, Inc., 1979.
Linney, J.A., & Repucci, N.D. Research design and methods in community psychology. In P.C. Kendall & J.N. Butcher (Eds.).Handbook of research methods in clinical psychology. New York, NY: John Wiley & Sons, Inc., 1982.
Michaels, J.W. On the relation between human ecology and behavioral social psychology.Social Forces 1974,52 313–321.
Miller, M.K., & Stokes, C.S. Path analysis in sociological research.Rural Sociology 1975,40 193–201.
Richards, J.M., Jr. An ecological analysis of the impact of the U.S. Supreme Court's 1973 abortion decision.Journal of Applied Social Psychology 1978,8 15–28.
Richards, J.M., Jr. An improved "ecological" factor analysis of state characteristics.JSAS Catalog of Selected Documents in Psychology 1981,11 12. (MS 2196).
Stokols, D. On the distinction between density and crowding: Some implications for future research.Psychological Review 1972,29 253–295.
Stokols, D. Environmental psychology.Annual Review of Psychology 1978,29 253–295.
Stokols, D. Environmental psychology: A coming of age.G. Stanley Hall Lecture Series 1982,2 155–205.
U.S. Bureau of the Census.Statistical abstract of the United States. Washington, D.C.: Government Printing Office, 1979.
Weinstock, E., Tietze, C., Jaffe, F.S., & Dryfoos, J.G. Legal abortions in the United States since the 1973 Supreme Court decision.Family Planning Perspectives 1975,7 23–31.
Weinstock, E., Tietze, C., Jaffe, F.S., & Dryfoos, J.G. Abortion needs and services in the United States, 1974–1975.Family Planning Perspectives 1976,8 58–69.
Werts, C.E., & Linn, R.L. Path analysis: Psychological examples.Psychological Bulletin 1970,74 193–212.
Willems, E.P. Behavioral ecology and health status and care. In I. Altman & J.F. Wohlwill (Eds.).Human behavior and environment: Advances in theory and research. New York, NY: Plenum Press, 1976.
Williams, S.J. Population policymaking: The abortion issue. In E. Bergman, R.J. Cook, R.D. Tabors, D.R. Weir, Jr., & M.E. Urann (Eds.).Population policymaking in the American states. Lexington, MA: Lexington Books, 1974.
Wright, H.F.Recording and analyzing child behavior. New York, NY: Harper & Row Pubs., 1967.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Additional information
For reprints, write to James M. Richards, Jr., Office of Educational Development, 401 C.H.S.B., UAB School of Medicine, Birmingham, Alabama 35294.
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Richards, J.M. Ecology of abortions in the United States since 1973: A replication and extension. Popul Environ 7, 137–151 (1984). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01255485
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01255485