Partisan Abortions

• Authors: Libertad González, Luis Guirola and Blanca Zapater
• Journal of Population Economics, Vol. 39, No. 1, February 2026

We study the effect of unexpected government changes on fertility outcomes using administrative data on births and abortions in Spain. Following a difference-in-differences strategy, we find that, after the surprise loss of the party in power in 2004, municipalities with strong support for that party experienced a sharp immediate increase in abortions (of 0.05 pregnancy interruptions per 1000 women in the month after), as well as a decrease in pregnancies (of 0.14 monthly conceptions per 1000 women). We also find a short-term decrease in shotgun marriages. The election also had an immediate effect on economic expectations along partisan lines, a plausible channel for the impact on fertility.