Infant mortality rises in US states with abortion bans, study finds
Infant mortality rates have increased in US states which have enacted abortion bans, a study has found. Researchers estimate there were 478 infant deaths across 14 states which have outright bans or heavy restrictions - which they say would not have occurred had the laws not been in place.
Infant mortality rises in US states with abortion bans, study findsInfant mortality rates have increased in US states which have enacted abortion bans, a study has found.Researchers estimate there were 478 infant deaths across 14 states which have outright bans or heavy restrictions - which they say would not have occurred had the laws not been in place.
Alison Gemmill, co-leader of the study, said "restrictive abortion policies" could be "reversing decades of progress" in reducing infant deaths across the US.This included black infants, as well as for babies whose parents were unmarried, younger, did not attend college, and for those living in southern states.
As of January 2025, 17 states have outlawed nearly all abortions, though some have narrow exceptions for cases of rape, incest or the health of the mother.States with some form of total abortion ban are Idaho, Alabama, Arkansas, Indiana, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas and West Virginia.
Florida, Georgia, Iowa and South Carolina ban the procedure beyond six weeks of pregnancy.Meanwhile, there are bans in place in Nebraska and North Carolina for procedures after 12 weeks, while it is 18 weeks in Utah.
