The political movement to restrict abortion access following the U.S. Supreme Court’s 2022 decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, which overturned Roe v. Wade, has been quite active.
This ruling granted states the authority to regulate abortion without federal oversight, leading to a wave of restrictive laws, including total bans and six-week gestational limits. A recent study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) by Dr. Alison Gemmill, titled US Abortion Bans and Infant Mortality, examines a potential consequence related to the abortion bans in more restrictive states, specifically pertaining to infant mortality rates.
The study conducted a population-based, cross-sectional analysis using national statistics data from 2012 through 2023. The focus was on 14 states that enacted either total abortion bans or restrictions at six weeks of gestation. These states were Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Oklahoma, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, and West Virginia.
By comparing observed infant mortality rates post-ban with expected rates, based on historical trends, the researchers assessed the impact of these restrictive policies on neonatal and infant health outcomes.
The study found a statistically significant increase in infant mortality rates in states with restrictive abortion laws. Specially, there was an overall rise in infant mortality in these states, from an expected 5.93 per 1,000 live births to an observed 6.26 per 1,000 live births, which represents a 5.6-percent rise, or 478 excess infant deaths.
The study also found that Black infants experienced the largest increase in mortality rates compared to their non-black demographic groups. Finally, the study also found that the deaths due to congenital anomalies rose by 10.87 percent, from 1.24 per l,000 live births to 1.37.
The findings of this study suggest that restrictive abortion laws may have unintended negative consequences on maternal and infant health. Many public health experts argued that abortion restrictions would lead to an increase in high-risk pregnancies.
Without the option to terminate nonviable or medically complex pregnancies, this study confirms the untended consequences that have led to more infants being born with severe health conditions – and a concerning increase in infant mortality rates.
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