Unencumbered access to abortion allows women to avoid mistimed pregnancies and their associated health risks. I assess the adverse health consequences of reduced access to abortion by examining a Texas policy change which forced the closure of many abortion clinics in the state. Using a TWFE DID research design across time and Texas counties, I estimate the effect of an increase in distance to the closest abortion clinic on Severe Maternal Morbidity (SMM), a measure of childbirth complications. I find that the Texas law led to increases in SMM across counties, driven by low-income women. These results underline the importance of considering distributional health consequences associated with a reduction in abortion access.
