Study Links Abortion Bans to Rising Infant Mortality Rates in Several States

A new study shows that infant mortality rates have surged in states with strict abortion laws implemented after the Supreme Court's decision in 2022, raising alarms about the potential reversal of progress in infant health outcomes.

Infant mortality rates have risen in U.S. states that have imposed abortion bans, according to a recent study analyzing the ramifications of the Supreme Court's 2022 ruling that overturned Roe v. Wade. The research found an estimated 478 infant deaths across 14 states where abortion access is severely restricted, suggesting these fatalities could have been avoided had the bans not been implemented. Alison Gemmill, a co-author of the study, stated that "restrictive abortion policies" threaten to undo decades of progress in combating infant mortality rates in the country.

Following the Supreme Court's reversal of the nearly 50-year precedent protecting women's rights to terminate pregnancies before viability, a majority of states have enacted various levels of abortion restrictions. Currently, 17 states have nearly banned abortions altogether, often allowing exceptions only in cases of rape, incest, or maternal health emergencies. These states include Idaho, Alabama, Arkansas, Indiana, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, and West Virginia. Other states have instituted bans at different gestational limits, including six weeks in Florida and Georgia, and 12 weeks in Nebraska and North Carolina.

The study, recently published by researchers from Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, calculated an increase in infant mortality rates to 6.26 per 1,000 live births in states with abortion restrictions. This figure contrasts with an anticipated rate of 5.93 per 1,000 live births, reflecting a relative increase of 5.6%. Particularly alarming was the surge in deaths linked to congenital anomalies, which rose by 10.87%, affecting disadvantaged populations and those already at higher risk of mortality.

Specifically, non-Hispanic Black infants recorded a mortality rate of 11.81 per 1,000 live births post-ban, surpassing the expected 10.66 per 1,000, reflecting nearly an 11% increase. Researchers indicate that the rise in congenital malformations correlates with the denial of abortions in non-viable pregnancy cases, highlighting the additional risk to groups with lower socioeconomic status who experience delays in receiving timely medical care.

Further examination from the same research institution also pointed to a trend of increasing fertility rates in states with strict abortion bans, revealing a rise of 1.7% or about 22,180 births among reproductive-aged females in such areas since Roe v. Wade was overturned. This increase in birth rates was most pronounced in states already facing significant maternal and child health challenges.

The findings raise vital questions about the long-term implications of abortion restrictions on community health and the well-being of vulnerable populations as debates over reproductive rights continue.