Have the two-child limit to welfare policy and cuts to contraceptive services in Britain impacted abortion rates and household poverty?
Lead Research Organisation:
University of Liverpool
Department Name: Public Health Policy & Systems
Abstract
Have the two-child limit to welfare policy and cuts to contraceptive services in Britain impacted abortion rates and household poverty?
Aim of this project
To find out how recent changes to the benefits system and contraception services have affected rates of abortion and household poverty.
Why this is important
Many unplanned pregnancies end in abortion. There are more than 200,000 abortions each year in England and Wales, with higher rates among people living in poorer areas. The Government's austerity programme, which started in 2010, aimed to save the Government money by cutting money available through welfare benefits and reducing money local authorities receive to provide public services. In 2017, they introduced a policy where third or subsequent children are not entitled to the "child element" of support in the benefit system (called the two-child limit). This is worth £2,780 per child per year. Recent evidence suggests that this policy is pushing some people to end wanted pregnancies, to avoid being pushed (further) into poverty. Funding for contraceptive services has also been cut, potentially increasing unplanned pregnancies and abortions. There is an urgent need to look at whether these policies are driving increases in abortions, or if larger families are being pushed into poverty by continuing subsequent pregnancies, and if some groups of people (e.g. single parents, younger parents, ethnic minority women) have been more affected than others. This will help the Government to design better policies to support individuals and families.
What we are planning to do
1. We will review information published on changes to child-related welfare support policies and abortion services. We will hold workshops with members of the public to understand how current social welfare policies impact on pregnancy decision making. Through this we will produce detailed policy summaries (e.g., eligibility criteria) and a map of how these policies may have affected individuals and families.
2. We will analyse national statistics and large-scale survey data to measure changes in abortion rates and poverty since the introduction of the two-child limit. We will compare abortion rates before and after the introduction of the two-child benefits cap, among women likely to be affected by the policy and those who are less likely to be affected.
3. We will look at how abortion rates have changed since changes to funding of contraception services, by analysing national statistics and data on spending on and use of contraceptive services. We will look at whether some groups of women have been more affected by these changes.
How we will involve members of the public and other stakeholders
We will hold workshops with members of the public to develop our research plans, to review the policy changes and to generate recommendations for the Government, and we will invite people to become public advisors on this project. We will also hold separate workshops with other stakeholders including abortion healthcare providers, charity and advocacy organisations, MPs, researchers, and representatives from local government.
How we will support people involved in this project
We will offer training in understanding and communicating research evidence to support individuals with lived experience to contribute to national inquiries and debates about policies that affect women and children.
How we will share our findings
With the members of the public involved with this project, we will write one-page summaries of our results. We will submit these to parliamentary committees that oversee these policies and share them with abortion providers and anti-poverty advocates. We will produce and share infographics through trusted organisations on social media and put clear summaries on the University of Liverpool website and other online forums. We will publish our findings in research journals and make our data available for other researchers.
Aim of this project
To find out how recent changes to the benefits system and contraception services have affected rates of abortion and household poverty.
Why this is important
Many unplanned pregnancies end in abortion. There are more than 200,000 abortions each year in England and Wales, with higher rates among people living in poorer areas. The Government's austerity programme, which started in 2010, aimed to save the Government money by cutting money available through welfare benefits and reducing money local authorities receive to provide public services. In 2017, they introduced a policy where third or subsequent children are not entitled to the "child element" of support in the benefit system (called the two-child limit). This is worth £2,780 per child per year. Recent evidence suggests that this policy is pushing some people to end wanted pregnancies, to avoid being pushed (further) into poverty. Funding for contraceptive services has also been cut, potentially increasing unplanned pregnancies and abortions. There is an urgent need to look at whether these policies are driving increases in abortions, or if larger families are being pushed into poverty by continuing subsequent pregnancies, and if some groups of people (e.g. single parents, younger parents, ethnic minority women) have been more affected than others. This will help the Government to design better policies to support individuals and families.
What we are planning to do
1. We will review information published on changes to child-related welfare support policies and abortion services. We will hold workshops with members of the public to understand how current social welfare policies impact on pregnancy decision making. Through this we will produce detailed policy summaries (e.g., eligibility criteria) and a map of how these policies may have affected individuals and families.
2. We will analyse national statistics and large-scale survey data to measure changes in abortion rates and poverty since the introduction of the two-child limit. We will compare abortion rates before and after the introduction of the two-child benefits cap, among women likely to be affected by the policy and those who are less likely to be affected.
3. We will look at how abortion rates have changed since changes to funding of contraception services, by analysing national statistics and data on spending on and use of contraceptive services. We will look at whether some groups of women have been more affected by these changes.
How we will involve members of the public and other stakeholders
We will hold workshops with members of the public to develop our research plans, to review the policy changes and to generate recommendations for the Government, and we will invite people to become public advisors on this project. We will also hold separate workshops with other stakeholders including abortion healthcare providers, charity and advocacy organisations, MPs, researchers, and representatives from local government.
How we will support people involved in this project
We will offer training in understanding and communicating research evidence to support individuals with lived experience to contribute to national inquiries and debates about policies that affect women and children.
How we will share our findings
With the members of the public involved with this project, we will write one-page summaries of our results. We will submit these to parliamentary committees that oversee these policies and share them with abortion providers and anti-poverty advocates. We will produce and share infographics through trusted organisations on social media and put clear summaries on the University of Liverpool website and other online forums. We will publish our findings in research journals and make our data available for other researchers.
