Updated draft: In June 2022, the Dobbs v. Jackson Supreme Court decision overturned Roe v. Wade, sending abortion regulation back to states. Within months, bans were enforced in some states while others expanded protections. I study how these bans affected the practice locations of OBGYNs. 🧵
![Screenshot of front matter.
The Impact of Abortion Bans on the Physician Labor Market: Compositional and Pipeline Effects*
Ethan Bergmann†
August 28, 2026
[Most recent version here]
Abstract
I study the physician labor market after Dobbs, which allowed states to enforce abortion bans. I link quarterly obstetrician-gynecologist (OBGYN) locations to political contributions and use synthetic difference-in-differences to compare provider supply and migration between total-ban and abortion-protecting states. I find no aggregate supply decline. However, this stability masks compositional changes: relative per-capita supply falls for female, early-career, top-ranked, and Democratic-donating providers, while male and unranked supply increases. These shifts are more consistent with workforce entry and exit than migration by existing providers. Together, Dobbs polarized the U.S. OBGYN workforce, with implications for reproductive-care access and future supply.
JEL Codes: I11, I18, J44, J61
Keywords: abortion policy, physician labor markets, political sorting](https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:te2ri7usmycg2c4vkpfonizq/bafkreie3mpcerlg45nopdxtqrynbtfpsdnqwecarlrwi6pm5f3y5s6a73i)