TX Observer: “States with abortion restrictions suffer a 16 percent increase in infant mortality rate, according to a new study published in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine.
“What’s also notable is that the data is pre-Dobbs—it came from 2014–2018. That means these numbers are likely to get much, much worse,” abortion advocate Jessica Valenti said.
The United States has the highest infant and maternal mortality rates out of any other high-income country and, in 2021, the infant mortality rate in the U.S. was 5.4 deaths per 1,000 live births. This research supports previous studies that have found that abortion restrictions are linked to increased maternal and infant death rates which disproportionately affect Black communities.
Previous research has cited inadequate prenatal care, high rate of cesarean section, and poverty, which contributes to chronic illnesses like obesity, diabetes and heart disease, as causes of the high risk of infant and maternal mortality in the country. However, the recently published study “Abortion Restrictiveness and Infant Mortality: An Ecologic Study, 2014-2018,” found that state-level abortion restrictions made even more of an impact on infant mortality rates than socioeconomic factors, like poverty.”