A report in the American Journal of Public Health looks at the link between abortion bans and pregnancy-associated or pregnancy-related mortality.

Texas has one of the strictest abortion bans in the nation. Pregnancy-associated mortality deaths occur during pregnancy or within one year after the pregnancy.

They can be caused by both medical and non-medical factors. Pregnancy-related mortality occurs during or after a pregnancy usually due to obstetric complications.

Study co-author Suzanne Bell – a PhD and associate professor of population, family, and reproductive health, at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health – said they found a possible 9.2% increase in pregnancy-associated deaths in 14 states that have a complete or six-week abortion ban.

"These states are concentrated in the South," said Bell, "and generally, these states are already states that experience among the worst maternal health outcomes. We suspect that these types of policies are likely to increase disparities."

Researchers analyzed data from all 50 states and Washington DC between 2016 and 2023. Texas passed its abortion ban in 2021.

The maternal mortality rate increased by 68% in the state between 2018 and 2020, with Black and Hispanic women being disproportionally affected. Healthcare professionals say most pregnancy-related deaths are preventable.

The state's Maternal Mortality and Morbidity Review Committee suggests enhancing postpartum follows-ups and improving access to quality maternal care as ways to improve outcomes, but Bell said she believes the bans could potentially make health disparities worse.

"Recent efforts to address the U.S. maternal mortality crisis have actually led to some meaningful progress," said Bell, "but our study results suggest that these gains may be vulnerable to restrictions on reproductive health care."

Currently, 18 states have complete or 6-week abortion bans in effect. The study excluded deaths that occurred during the COVID-19 Pandemic.

Source: Public News Service