Infant deaths have risen with states' abortion bans

[Yo_Mama_Been_Loggin]

By Lisa Jarvis / Bloomberg Opinion

Two new studies in the Journal of the American Medical Association drive home the devastating effects abortion bans have on the lives of women and children: Severe restrictions lead to many more unplanned births, as well as more infant deaths.

That outcome isn’t a surprise. It mirrors what was gleaned from early data on infant mortality in Texas, the first state in the country to impose a strict ban. That law, which bans nearly all abortions, was passed in 2021.

However, the studies, which separately examined infant mortality and fertility rates in states with the strictest abortion laws in 2023, offer important nuance by pinpointing who is most affected by shrinking access to reproductive health care.

And they are a harbinger of what’s to come. The research must be viewed in the context of the fast-evolving landscape for abortion access in the U.S. The analyses capture the first pregnancies and births after the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade in June 2022. More bans have gone into effect since then, and more efforts are underway to make it harder for women to obtain abortion care. In other words, things could get a lot worse.

https://www.heraldnet.com/opinion/comment-infant-deaths-have-risen-with-states-abortion-bans/

[Aristus]

1. It's a shame that being "pro-life" does not extend to wanting to reduce infant mortality.

But I guess, once they're born, those lives are no longer so precious...