In Texas, escalating infant mortality rates linked to stringent abortion regulations.
Research unveiled today in JAMA Pediatrics, a journal published by the American Medical Association, suggests a connection between Texas' restrictive abortion laws and an escalation in infant deaths.
Last year, an investigative report by CNN discovered a dramatic upsurge in infant fatalities following the passage of Texas' abortion law. This revelation has now been supported by a study conducted by researchers from Johns Hopkins University and Michigan State University.
Apparently, no previous study has systematically evaluated infant mortality rates after the enactment of Texas' abortion law. However, this study claims to be the pioneering attempt to do so, and its findings align with those of CNN's report.
In September 2021, Texas implemented a near-total ban on abortions beyond six weeks of pregnancy. With the subsequent overturning of federal abortion rights by the US Supreme Court in the summer of 2022, a trigger law was activated in Texas, effectively outlawing all abortions except those meant to safeguard the life of the mother.
The study focuses on the effects of Senate Bill 8, a Texas law that does not allow exceptions for rape, incest, or congenital anomalies. The only exception was if a physician deemed a medical emergency to exist.
Between 2021 and 2022, the study reveals that Texas experienced a 12.9% increase in infant deaths compared to a 1.8% rise in the rest of the US. Moreover, the infant mortality rate in Texas exhibited a significant growth compared to the nation as a whole, hinting at a rise in infant deaths not solely due to a rise in births. During the same period, the infant mortality rate rose 8.3% in Texas, contrasting with a 2.2% increase in the rest of the country.
The neonatal mortality rate, or the death rates of newborns under 28 days, also witnessed an increase in Texas, but a decrease in the rest of the US.
The authors assert that their study provides some of the first empirical evidence on the link between restrictive abortion policies and infant deaths, employing population-based data and a robust causal inference method. However, they emphasize the need for further study to comprehend the underlying reasons for these findings.
According to the authors, the consequences of restrictive abortion policies may extend beyond just adding family trauma and medical costs. A critique of the Texas law was also published alongside the study, penned by three independent medical experts.
They predict that, in the years ahead, as more people are affected by abortion bans, research will shed light on the adverse effects of these bans. Future research, they suggest, should focus on strategies for collective action against and resistance to the growing influence of extremist ideologies in the medical field.
The study also found that the incidence of congenital anomalies increased in Texas from 2021 to 2022, but not in the rest of the US. The study was based on publicly accessible death certificate data and analyzed infant and neonatal deaths across the country from January 2018 to December 2022.
