Study reveals rise in infant mortality rate following abortion bans in US
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Months following the Supreme Court Dobbs decision that abrogated the constitutional right to an abortion, the infant mortality rate in the United States has significantly increased, according to new research. The majority of those were infants who were born with congenital anomalies or birth defects.
The findings of the research are similar to a previous study, which analysed the consequences of a ban on abortions in early pregnancy in Texas, said Maria Gallo and Parvati Singh, researchers from The Ohio State University.
“In the seven to 14 months after Roe v. Wade was overturned, we saw a seven per cent increase in infant mortality and a 10 per cent increase in those babies born with congenital anomalies,” said Singh, an assistant professor of epidemiology and lead author of the study, according to Ohio State News.
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In the paper published in JAMA Pediatrics, Singh and Gallo compared the infant mortality rates for 18 months after the Dobbs verdict against historical trends. Their findings revealed that infant mortality was higher than expected by about seven per cent, with an average of 247 more infant deaths per month due to chromosomal and genetic conditions.
“This is evidence of a national ripple effect, regardless of state-level status,” said Singh, according to CNN.
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The new study revealed that 80 per cent of infant deaths were because of congenital anomalies, which was higher than expected in six of the 18 months after the Dobbs decision. Congenital anomalies cases can range from mild to severe, and in some cases, babies are only able to survive a few months. The most common types can affect the baby’s spine or heart.
“This is the tip of the iceberg,” Singh said. “Mortality is the ultimate outcome of any health condition. This is a very, very acute indicator. It could be representative of underlying morbidity and underlying hardship.”
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“Whether the pregnancy was wanted or unwanted, we know that many of these are pregnancies that would have ended in abortion had people had access to those services,” said Ushma Upadhyay, an associate professor at the University of California, San Francisco, who is involved with researching abortion trends in the US.
Experts are saying an abortion ban can impact access to broader health care, which may increase the risk for both babies and mothers.
“These studies are providing a signal that people aren’t getting the care that they need, and because of that, there are spillover effects,” said Alison Gemmill, a demographer and perinatal epidemiologist at Johns Hopkins University who led the research on rising infant mortality and abortion restrictions in Texas.
(With inputs from agencies)
