This paper uses data on the distribution of abortions by weeks of gestation to examine the
relationship between abortion restrictions and the timing of abortions. State-level data from
1974 to 1997 indicate that adoption of parental involvement laws for minors or enforcement
of mandatory waiting periods is positively associated with the post-first trimester percentage
of abortions. However, autocorrelation-corrected specifications indicate that enforced
parental involvement laws increase the share of later-term abortions by lowering the first …