Infant mortality increased in the US in the months after Dobbs decision, study finds
Infants born with congenital anomalies were most affected by the increased mortality rate.
Infant mortality rates are on the rise after Roe v. Wade was overturned and states began to implement strict abortion bans, a new study finds.
The study, published Monday by JAMA Pediatrics, analyzed the infant mortality rate before and 18 months after Dobbs v. Jackson overturned Roe V. Wade, which protected the constitutional right to an abortion.
It found that the mortality rate increased by 10% in infants born with congenital anomalies nationwide. The mortality rate increased by 7% in all infants born in the United States with and without underlying conditions.
"Infant mortality was higher than expected, overall and among those with congenital anomalies, for several months after the Dobbs decision," the study says.
The finding follows an earlier study by JAMA Pediatrics that found that following Texas' heartbeat law, which puts a near-total ban on abortion, the state saw an increase in infant deaths.
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What are congenital anomalies?
Congenital anomalies can include the following, according to the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development:
- Heart defects, like missing or misshapen valves.
- Neural tube defects, when the spinal cord, brain and other related body parts do not form properly. It usually occurs early on during a pregnancy.
Abortion bans following Dobbs decision
Dobbs v. Jackson is the Supreme Court decision that overturned Roe v. Wade (1973) and Planned Parenthood v. Casey (1992), and left the decision on whether or not to ban abortions up to the states.
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Denied, delayed abortions despite medical emergency
In 2022, Texas enacted a ban that prevents all abortions, with few exceptions.
At the beginning of October, the Supreme Court rejected the Biden administration's attempt to require emergency abortions in Texas when needed to prevent serious injury to the mother.
People in the state have filed federal complaints that they were denied abortions for ectopic pregnancies, saying they nearly died and suffered losses of fallopian tubes after they were repeatedly turned away for treatment.
In May, the Texas Supreme Court rejected a challenge to the state's abortion ban by women who had serious pregnancy complications. That decision came months after the court ruled that Kate Cox, a Dallas area mother carrying a fetus with a fatal condition, did not qualify for an abortion under state laws based on her doctor's "good faith belief" that she needed the procedure.
A Georgia woman also died in 2022 after waiting 20 hours for a hospital to treat her complications from an abortion pill, according to ProPublica.
Contributing: Cy Neff, Paste BN
Julia is a trending reporter for Paste BN. You can connect with her on LinkedIn, follow her on X, formerly known as Twitter, Instagram and TikTok: @juliamariegz, or email her at jgomez@gannett.com