We seek to stimulate the consideration of economic thinking on abortion, reproductive rights, childbearing, and population policies spanning the period of 1873 to 1973. This century began with the Comstock Act in the United States, which made it illegal to send an “obscene, lewd, and/or lascivious” materials through the mail, including contraceptive devices and information on contraception or abortion or how to obtain them; it ended with Roe v. Wade, which conferred the legal right to abortion.
We invite individuals who might be interested in developing a discussion on various formal economic arguments used to support or to constrict choice in childbearing to contact Marianne Johnson ([log in to unmask]) or Rebeca Gomez-Betancourt ([log in to unmask]). Topics could include national population and procreation policies, population economics, Malthusian economics, racist and eugenicist policies and programs, women's rights, gender economics, or the intersection of population and climate.
We invite the SHOE list to stay tuned for more specific information, dates, and presenters.
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Marianne Johnson
Distinguished Professor of Economics
College of Business
University of Wisconsin Oshkosh