U.S. Infant Mortality Rates Increased After Roe v. Wade Was Overturned, Study Finds

Since the overturn Roe v. Wade, infant mortality rates in the United States have risen significantly due to the abortion bans that have gone into effect, according to a new study. 

The study — published October 21 by JAMA Pediatrics — analyzed data on infant morality from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) since 2018 and compared it the infant mortality rates 18 months after the Dobbs v. Jackson ruling.

Dobbs v. Jackson is the June 2022 landmark Supreme Court decision that overturned Roe v. Wade, which granted women the right to an abortion in every state.

Researchers found that after the ruling, overall infant mortality increased by 7% and increased by 10% for infants with disabilities. Also, about 80% of those additional infant deaths could be attributed to congenital abnormalities.

Congenital anomalies can range from mild to severe, and in some cases, babies are only able to survive a few months. The most common types can affect the baby’s spine or heart.

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Alison Gemmill — perinatal epidemiologist at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, who wasn’t involved in the study — told the Los Angeles Times that these findings show that the Dobbs decision prevented women from terminating their pregnancies that would’ve otherwise ended in abortion, similar to her own research.

She recently led a more focused study in Texas that showed a rise in infant mortality rates following the state’s ban on abortion.

“Prior to these abortion bans, people had the option to terminate if the fetus was found to have a severe congenital anomaly — we’re talking about organs being outside of the body and other things that are very severe and not compatible with life,” Gemmill told the outlet. However, if women in these situations had no choice but to continue their pregnancies, “those babies would die shortly after birth.” 

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Dr. Parvati Singh, an assistant professor of epidemiology and lead author of the new study, explained that the nationwide findings mirror those concluded from research at the state level, calling it a “national ripple effect.”

"This research provides preliminary evidence of the harmful consequences of federal abortion restrictions in terms of infant mortality outcomes," Singh told MedPage Today.

“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 Dr. Maria Gallo, a professor of epidemiology and study co-author.