Maternal mortality decreasing in pro-life states, study finds

Since Roe v. Wade was overturned, maternal mortality in the United States has decreased – included in states with total abortion bans.

A new study from the JAMA Network examined data on pregnancy-related deaths between 2018 and 2023 and found abortion bans have not increased mortality rates.

Researchers compared the first 14 states to implement abortion bans – Louisiana, Georgia, West Virgnia, Wisconsin, Mississippi, Arkansas, Idaho, Tennessee, Missouri, Oklahoma, Alabama, Kentucky, South Dakota and Texas – with the rest of the nation. 

They found a 2.4% decline in maternal mortality in the ban states, including a 3.3% decrease in Texas. States without abortion bans at the time decreased 9.8%.

However, an important caveat to the study is the COVID-19 pandemic.

The pandemic caused a spike in maternal mortality, with rates doubling to 18.9 deaths per 100,000 live births in 2021.

“These pandemic-related peaks likely contributed to the apparent declines in 2023 as a rebound effect rather than reflecting true improvements in health outcomes,” researchers wrote.

Observers also must account for some states with pro-life laws already having higher maternal mortality rates – even when abortion was readily accessible.

Social factors blamed for pregnancy-related deaths include high rates of poverty, co-morbidities such as obesity, and living in rural areas with less access to healthcare. 

While pro-abortion activists fearmongered that pro-life laws would be dangerous for women’s health, the early data is saying the opposite.

“Abortion bans were not associated with statistically significant overall or state-specific increases in pregnancy-associated, pregnancy-related, maternal, or nonobstetric mortality,” researchers concluded.

Since Roe v. Wade was overturned, even more states have added abortion restrictions.

A total of 41 states limit abortions, often based on gestational age. However, all 41 have exceptions for when the mother’s life is threatened.

Some states also include exceptions for cases involving rape and incest.