Does poor reproductive health prevent poor women from escaping poverty? Despite the plethora of survey data showing that poor households tend to be larger and that poor women tend to have higher rates of fer- tility, experts have debated whether these conditions cause poverty or are symptoms of poverty. In research funded by the MacArthur Foundation and published by the World Bank, Thomas Merrick and I found that poor reproductive health outcomes—early childbear- ing, maternal mortality/morbidity, and unintended/ mistimed pregnancy—have negative effects on overall health, and, under certain circumstances, on educa- tion and household well-being
