New Delhi, India

In the aftermath of the overturning of Roe v Wade, maternal deaths in Texas have surged, especially since the state's strict abortion ban in 2021. According to a new study by the Gender Equity Policy Institute (GEPI), the state witnessed a 56 per cent rise in cases of maternal mortality between 2019 and 2022.

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This stark increase is over five times the national rise over the same period — 11 per cent, as per an analysis of federal public health data. 

What's the reason?

Experts point out that "there's only one explanation for this staggering difference in maternal mortality."

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"All the research points to Texas’ abortion ban as the primary driver of this alarming increase," said Nancy L. Cohen, president of the GEPI.

"Texas, I fear, is a harbinger of what's to come in other states," she warned.

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Texas abortion ban

In Texas, the law, known as Senate Bill 8 (SB 8), bans abortions as early as five weeks into pregnancy; the only exception is to save the life of the mother.

Following its enactment, the spike in maternal deaths was observed across all racial groups. Mortality rates for Hispanic women climbed from 14.5 to 18.9 deaths per 100,000 live births, while for white women, the numbers nearly doubled, from 20 to 39.1. Black women, already at a higher risk, saw the maternal death rate increase from 31.6 to 43.6 per 100,000 live births.

GEPI president Nancy L. Cohen described the findings as a clear warning sign of the dangers tied to limiting abortion access. 

"If you deny women abortions, more women are going to be pregnant, and more women are going to be forced to carry a pregnancy to term," said Cohen.

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According to an NBC News report, beyond the immediate risks associated with pregnancy and childbirth, women in Texas have increasingly struggled to access prenatal care, exacerbating fears and creating more health risks for mothers-to-be.

Doctors, like Austin-based OB-GYN Dr. Leah Tatum, have reported a rise in sterilisation requests as women face anxiety about the consequences of unintended pregnancies under SB 8. 

"Fear is something I’d never seen in practice prior to Senate Bill 8," said Dr Tatum, who was not involved in the GEPI study.

Many patients, she said, "feel like they're backed into a corner".

"If they already knew that they didn't want to pursue pregnancy, now they're terrified."

Others who want kids fear that they won't have the medical option to end a pregnancy even in cases where severe fetal abnormalities are discovered, said Tatum. 

In one tragic case, a woman named Kaitlyn Kash was forced to travel to Kansas for an abortion after her foetus was diagnosed with a fatal condition. Due to the Texas ban, she was unable to terminate her pregnancy locally and had to endure the ordeal of being treated like a "criminal" during an already painful time.

"I was being treated like a criminal…I didn't get the dignity that I deserved to say goodbye to my child," said Kash.

"These patients are asking for help. The state of Texas has failed women," stated Dr Tatum.

(With inputs from agencies)