Texas abortion restrictions linked to rise in infant deaths: Study

A rise in infant deaths in Texas is linked to the state’s abortion ban passed in 2021, According to a study published in JAMA Pediatrics on Monday.

Analysts at John Hopkins University and Michigan State University investigated how many children died before their first birthday after Texas passed a bill in September 2021 that effectively banned abortion about 5 to 6 weeks into pregnancy.

Between 2021 and 2022, infant deaths in Texas increased from 1,985 to 2,240, a 12.9 percent increase, the analysis found. This is significantly higher than the 1.8 percent increase recorded in the rest of the US during the same period.

The Texas heartbeat law was the strictest state abortion law in the country at the time, making it illegal for Texas doctors to perform an abortion after detecting a fetal heartbeat, usually about six weeks after conception. Before the law, Texas allowed abortions up to 22 weeks into pregnancy.

The new law does not make exceptions for rape or incest, nor congenital anomalies or birth defects.

The researchers also found that Texas’ infant mortality rate — the number of deaths per thousand live births — jumped higher than the rest of the U.S., increasing 8.3 percent between 2021 and 2022. The rate for the rest of the U.S. increased by 2.2 percent.

The study also found that the number of congenital anomalies increased the most in Texas, by 22.9 percent, but not in the rest of the US, which saw a 3.1 percent decrease from 2021 to 2022.

“Our findings suggest increases in infant mortality, particularly due to congenital anomalies, among infants who would have been in early gestation when SB8 took effect in Texas, which banned abortions after embryonic cardiac activity,” the researchers wrote, noting that studies and analyzes additional ones are needed. necessary.

The study’s release on Monday coincided with the two-year anniversary of the Supreme Court decision that overturned Roe v. Wade. Wade and eliminated the 1973 precedent granting the constitutional right to abortion.

The ruling gave states the authority to limit or ban abortion procedures, prompting several Republican-led states to quickly enact legislation restricting residents’ access to the procedure.

Dr. Alison Gemmill, one of the study’s lead authors, said the study is “particularly relevant” given the Supreme Court ruling.

“These findings suggest that restrictive abortion policies may have important unintended consequences in terms of child health and the associated trauma to families and medical costs,” Gemmill said. said in a statement.

The researchers used statistical models and publicly available death certificate data from January 2018 to December 2022.

Another research paper published last year linked nearly 10,000 additional live births in Texas to the state’s abortion ban.

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