Freakonomics Radio

Abortion and Crime, Revisited

The controversial theory linking Roe v. Wade to a massive crime drop is back in the spotlight as several states introduce abortion restrictions. Steve Levitt and John Donohue discuss their original research, the challenges to its legitimacy, and their updated analysis. Also: what this means for abortion policy, crime policy, and having intelligent conversations about contentious topics.

Credit: Bob Jagendorf/CC BY 2.0

In 1973, the U.S. Supreme Court legalized abortion in all 50 states in a case called Roe v. Wade. Lately, however, several states have been imposing new restrictions on abortion. An issue that appeared to be settled four-and-a-half decades ago is once again so raw that it’s become a prominent feature of the 2020 presidential race, with each Democratic candidate trying to outdo the next in their vigorous support of keeping abortion legal and accessible.

Meanwhile, some three decades ago, a totally different story was dominating media coverage and the political conversation: violent crime. The crime rate had begun to rise in the 1960s, continued on through the ’70s and ’80s…