It appears that infant mortality rates in the United States have risen following the implementation of abortion limitations.
After the Supreme Court of the USA abolished the nationwide right to abortion, there's been a notable surge in infant fatalities, as per a study in the medical journal "JAMA Pediatrics". This study revealed that infant mortality rates increased significantly in the months following the overturning of abortion rights, typically due to birth defects.
The authors of the study pointed out the repercussions of restricting abortion access in numerous regions. The landmark ruling to abolish abortion rights was made by the predominantly conservative Supreme Court in June 2022, turning it into a heated topic in the ongoing U.S. presidential election campaign.
Maria Gallo and Parvati Singh from Ohio State University analyzed data spanning 18 months post the ruling and contrasted it with previous figures. Gallo informed the AFP news agency that the U.S. experienced an unexpectedly high infant mortality rate in those months after the decision. In three specific months - October 2022 and March and April 2023 - the rate was approximately 7% higher than usual, leading to an additional average of 247 infant deaths each month.
The majority of these deaths were linked to birth defects such as heart issues. Prior to the overturning of the right to abortion, those affected could have opted for termination instead of carrying on the pregnancy and experiencing the loss of an infant, according to Gallo. In the words of Singh, "We have to contemplate the hardships faced by people, including the impact on mental health, when abortion is denied or when a woman is forced to carry a fetus with a lethal genetic defect."
The study highlighted several anomalies in infant mortality rates after the Supreme Court's decision. These anomalies included an unexpectedly high infant mortality rate and a significant increase in infant deaths due to birth defects, such as heart issues.
