Axios: “Women in states with abortion bans are nearly three times more likely to die during pregnancy, childbirth or soon after giving birth, according to a report from the Gender Equity Policy Institute shared first with Axios.
The big picture: The U.S. has the highest maternal mortality rate among developed nations, and government officials and health experts are concerned that conditions will worsen now that a federal right to abortion has been struck down.
- The report authors wrote that “people in banned and restrictive states have worse outcomes than their counterparts in supportive states,” adding that anti-abortion states “are less likely to enact policies, like paid parental leave, which have been shown to improve outcomes for new parents and babies.”
- These conditions, the report says are “more precarious” for the six in 10 women (59%) live in states that “ban or restrict abortion care and other reproductive health care.””