Infant mortality in the United States increased significantly following the Supreme Court’s decision to overturn federal abortion protections, with congenital anomalies cited as a primary cause, according to a new study published by Ohio State University researchers.
The Supreme Court, which holds a conservative majority following three appointments during Donald Trump’s presidency (2017-2021), ended the 50-year-old constitutional right in June 2022, allowing states to legislate on the matter.
At least 20 states have since imposed strict restrictions or complete bans on pregnancy terminations.
The issue features prominently in this year’s election campaign, with Americans set to vote on abortion rights guarantees in no fewer than 10 states on 5 November.
The new research, conducted by Maria Gallo and Parvathi Singh from Ohio State University and published in JAMA Pediatrics, analyses database evidence on the impact of abortion restrictions.
The findings align with two earlier studies this year focusing on Texas, where abortion is now completely prohibited, even in cases of incest or rape.
Infant mortality in the US was much higher than expected in the months following the Supreme Court decision, Maria Gallo, a professor of epidemiology specialising in reproductive health, told AFP.
The infant mortality rate was 7% higher than normal nationwide in October 2022, March 2023, and April 2023, with 247 additional deaths recorded in each of these months. The majority of deaths were attributed to congenital anomalies.
“These are cases where, before the Supreme Court decision, terminations would likely have occurred rather than continuing the pregnancy and experiencing the death of their child”, Gallo said.
The researchers’ next step will be to determine whether this increase occurred across all states or was concentrated in those that imposed restrictions on abortion access.
“There is a broader human toll we need to consider, including mental health implications” when women are denied abortions and forced “to continue pregnancies where the foetus has a lethal congenital anomaly”, Singh noted.
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