WHAT

The Dobbs Project is a first-of-its-kind research project to determine whether and how the U.S. Supreme Court’s ruling in 2022 in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, that abortion is not a constitutional right, is impacting rates of child marriage in the U.S.

WHY

The U.S. Supreme Court’s “Dobbs decision” – a reversal of the Supreme Court’s ruling 50 years prior in Roe v. Wade – raised many questions. One of those questions is whether and how the new policy is impacting rates of child marriage in the U.S., given that pregnancy often is a driver of forced marriage and child marriage.

The Dobbs Project is answering that question.

WHO

The Dobbs Project is spearheaded by:

• McGill University researchers – led by Prof. Alissa Koski, a social epidemiologist whose research investigates how social events affect population health;
• Equality Now, the global nonprofit determined to create a just world for women and girls; and
• Unchained At Last, the survivor-led nonprofit determined to end forced and child marriage in the U.S.

HOW

The Dobbs Project research team is collecting and analyzing marriage-age data from all 50 U.S. states – since no central repository for such data exists – and will continue to do so annually to determine whether rates of child marriage are increasing due to the Dobbs decision.

WHEN

Unchained and its allies plan to continue the Dobbs Project for the foreseeable future. Key milestones include:

• November 2023: Unchained begins searching for a Part-Time Research Assistant to help lead the project.

Questions about the Dobbs Project? Contact Unchained.