Summary Of Steven D. Levitt's Freakonomics

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Abortion laws will always be seen as a controversial subject. In Freakonomics, Steven D. Levitt and John Donahue discuss the correlation between crime rate and abortion laws. They dismiss other factors such as gun control, proactive policing and increased incarceration rates and instead focus on the theory that Roe v. Wade played a greater role in crime rate fall.

In 1973 Roe v. Wade ruled anti abortion laws unconstitutional. This allowed for unwanted pregnancies to be terminate. Data supports that unwanted children are at risk for a future in crime as a result of poor school performance, as well as engagement in self destructive behaviour and anti-social behaviour. In 1970, there are five states with legalized abortion including Los Angeles

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