About the report

In the year following the Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v. Wade in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, more than 52,000 people left abortion-ban states each quarter because of re- strictions to care. Research conducted by the Institute for Women’s Policy Research in partnership with Morning Consult, alongside economic analysis from Georgia Tech and the National Bureau of Economic Research, documents how this “brain drain” due to abortion bans is reshaping labor markets and population growth. Younger workers and highly educated professionals are more likely to leave states with abortion bans, and nearly one-in-five people planning to have children within the next decade has moved, or knows someone who has moved, because of these restrictions.

Even as some companies expand in states like Texas, new economic research by Daniel Dench and Jason Lindo shows that abortion bans are reshaping housing markets: rents have stalled, vacancy has risen, signaling declining demand and reduced appeal for residents.

This anthology puts faces to the numbers through the experiences of patients, physicians, business leaders, and families. Together, the stories illustrate how the brain drain is unfolding in real time—and how access to comprehensive reproductive health care supports stable families, strong workforces, and sustainable economic growth.

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How have abortion bans affected you?

Abortion bans are reshaping where people live, work, and raise families. The Center for Reproductive Rights wants to hear from you: have you moved, changed careers, or wanted to move but couldn’t because of reproductive healthcare restrictions? Have these laws affected your education, career path, or family decisions? Your story can help illustrate the impact of these laws and support efforts to protect reproductive rights.