Abortion may seem an unlikely topic for the U.S. Senate Committee on the Budget to tackle but committee chairman Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.) said in his opening statement that “Reproductive rights … are intrinsically tied to economic opportunity.”
It is possible to measure economic harm from dismantling Roe v. Wade, he said of the Supreme Court decision that returned abortion access policy back to state control.
“The Dobbs decision triggered an immediate crisis for millions of women as antiquated state bans snapped back into place, and some states implemented new restrictions on reproductive freedom,” Mr. Whitehouse said on Wednesday.
“Reproductive freedom and choice, including abortions and contraception … increases the probability that women attend college and boosts local economies. Freedom turns out to have economic value,” he said….
