Infant Deaths in US Rise 7% After Supreme Court Overturns Roe v. Wade
Author: Ohio State University
Published: 2024/10/21
Publication Type: Findings
Peer-Reviewed: Yes
Topic: Youth and Disability - Publications List
Page Content: Synopsis - Introduction - Main
Synopsis: U.S. babies died at a higher rate in the months following Dobbs decision, and infant mortality was highest among those born with chromosomal or genetic abnormalities.
Why it matters: This article is significant and insightful as it presents new research findings on the impact of the Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health decision on infant mortality rates in the United States. The study, published in JAMA Pediatrics, reveals a 7% increase in overall infant mortality and a 10% increase in mortality among babies born with congenital anomalies in the months following the Supreme Court's decision. These findings are particularly noteworthy as they provide concrete evidence of the broader public health consequences of restricting access to abortion care. The research highlights the complex relationship between reproductive health policies and infant health outcomes, offering valuable data for policymakers, healthcare professionals, and the public to consider when evaluating the full impact of abortion restrictions - Disabled World (DW).
Introduction
U.S. babies died at a higher rate in the months following the Supreme Court's 2022 Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health decision, and infant mortality was highest among those born with chromosomal or genetic abnormalities, new research has found.
Main Item
The findings mirror previous research analyzing the experience in Texas after a ban on abortions in early pregnancy and illuminate the consequences of restricting access to abortion care, said Maria Gallo and Parvati Singh, researchers from The Ohio State University who conducted the national analysis appearing online today (Oct. 21) in JAMA Pediatrics.
"In the seven to 14 months after Roe v. Wade was overturned, we saw a 7% increase in infant mortality, and a 10% increase in those babies born with congenital anomalies," said Singh, an assistant professor of epidemiology.
From 2018 through 2023, monthly infant mortality averaged 5.6 deaths per 1,000 live births and mortality with congenital anomalies averaged 1.3 deaths per 1,000 live births. When the researchers compared the months after Dobbs with the months before, they found 247 more total infant deaths per month than expected and 204 more deaths per month than expected due to chromosomal and genetic conditions.
"I'm not sure that people expected infant mortality rates to increase following Dobbs. It's not necessarily what people were thinking about. But when you restrict access to health care it can cause a broader impact on public health than can be foreseen," said Gallo, a professor of epidemiology.
This study doesn't reflect variations from state to state, but the researchers said they would expect the impact to be more pronounced in states with more restrictive abortion laws.
To determine the effect of the Dobbs decision on infant mortality, and on infant mortality due to congenital problems in particular, the researchers used a national birth outcomes database to look for patterns from 2018 to 2023.
"Birth outcomes are usually pretty stable in any population, and in a large population like the entire U.S., infant mortality is typically quite consistent except for some predictable seasonal peaks and valleys," Singh said. The researchers accounted for those routine changes when analyzing the data.
"Babies born to people who became pregnant in the first part of 2022 are where we see these additional deaths," Singh said.
The researchers did not see an elevated rate of infant death beyond 14 months after the decision, Gallo said.
"Will this continue past this time period? That's an open question," she said. "It could be that, yes, it will because (abortion care) access is shut down in some states. But it also could be that eventually more state policymakers are seeing that this isn't what people in the state want and more will pass constitutional amendments to protect access."
Going forward, the researchers would like to look at the impact based on different populations, including those who typically struggle more when care is limited, and to examine maternal mortality rates.
"There's a broader human toll to consider, including mental health consequences of being denied abortion care or being forced to carry a fetus with a fatal genetic abnormality to term," Singh said.
Related Information
- U.S. Supreme Court's Credibility Plummets to Historic Low: Recent poll reveals deep distrust in the US judicial system, with 33% of Americans expressing no confidence that courts will act in their best interest.
- Pregnant Women Receive Least Support in States with Most Restrictive Abortion Legislation: U.S. states that have the most severe restrictions on abortion may also have the poorest reproductive health care and support infrastructure.
- Abortion Opinions Tied to Religion and Race Views: Research provides empirical evidence of the strong relationship between racial attitudes and beliefs about abortion rights.
- Psychiatric Harm from Restricting Access to Abortion: Severe stress from an inability to access abortion harms the fetus and can trigger psychiatric illness, suicide, or postpartum psychosis in the mother.
Attribution/Source(s): This peer reviewed publication was selected for publishing by the editors of Disabled World (DW) due to its relevance to the disability community. Originally authored by Ohio State University and published on 2024/10/21, this content may have been edited for style, clarity, or brevity. For further details or clarifications, Ohio State University can be contacted at osu.edu NOTE: Disabled World does not provide any warranties or endorsements related to this article.