Latest news with #BloombergSchoolofPublicHealth
Yahoo
14-02-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Infant mortality rises in US states with abortion bans, study finds
Infant mortality rates have increased in US states which have enacted abortion bans following the landmark ruling overturning the nationwide right for women to access the procedure, a new study has found. According to researchers, there were an estimated 478 infant deaths across 14 states with bans or heavy restrictions after six weeks of pregnancy - which they say would not have occurred had they not been not 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. In its 2022 ruling, the US Supreme Court reversed its 50-year-old Roe v Wade decision which had protected a woman's constitutional right to terminate a pregnancy up until the point of foetal viability, around the 24th week. The study, published this week by researchers from the John Hopkin's Bloomberg School of Public Health, found an increase in mortality rates for babies born with congenital issues, as well as among groups where death rates already were higher than average. 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 a total ban include Idaho, Alabama, Arkansas, Indiana, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas and West Virginia. Florida, Georgia, Iowa and South Carolina ban the procedure after 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. In the states which opted to enact the new laws, infant mortality rates increased to 6.26 per 1,000 live births, compared with an expected rate of 5.93 per 1,000 - a relative increase of 5.6%. The study also found an increase in the number of infant deaths from congenital anomalies, rising from an expected 1.24 per 1,000 live births to 1.37 per 1,000 - a relative increase of 10.87%. Mortality from other causes rose to 4.89 per 1,000 from an expected 4.69, a 4.23% increase. Among non-Hispanic Black infants, there were 11.81 deaths per 1,000 live births after the bans, compared to an expected rate of 10.66 per 1,000, an increase of nearly 11%. According to the research, the increase in infant mortality due to congenital malformations was consistent with women being denied abortions for non-viable pregnancies - where a pregnancy cannot possibly result in a liveborn baby. But the increase due to non-congenital causes "is less straightforward", researchers say. The study also found the ban may be disproportionately impacting disadvantaged populations who are already at a higher risk of infant mortality as well as delays in receiving medical care. Separate research from John Hopkin's Bloomberg School of Public Health found that abortion bans were also linked to increased fertility rates. Following the overturning of Roe v Wade, which returned control over the procedure back to individual states, researchers found that the number of births per 1,000 reproductive-aged females in affected states rose by 1.7%, or 22,180. The estimated differences in fertility were largest in states with among the "worst maternal and child health outcomes", the research suggested. What happens now Roe v Wade has been overturned? What are the abortion laws in US states?
BBC News
14-02-2025
- Health
- BBC News
US infant mortality rises in states with abortion bans, study finds
Infant mortality rates have increased in US states which have enacted abortion bans following the landmark ruling overturning the nationwide right for women to access the procedure, a new study has found. According to researchers, there were an estimated 478 infant deaths across 14 states with bans or heavy restrictions after six weeks of pregnancy - which they say would not have occurred had they not been not 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. In its 2022 ruling, the US Supreme Court reversed its 50-year-old Roe v Wade decision which had protected a woman's constitutional right to terminate a pregnancy up until the point of foetal viability, around the 24th week. The study, published this week by researchers from the John Hopkin's Bloomberg School of Public Health, found an increase in mortality rates for babies born with congenital issues, as well as among groups where death rates already were higher than average. This included Black infants, as well as for babies whose parents were unmarried, younger, did not attend college, and for those living in southern 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 with a total ban include Idaho, Alabama, Arkansas, Indiana, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas and West Georgia, Iowa and South Carolina ban the procedure after 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. Congenital malformations In the states which opted to enact the new laws, infant mortality rates increased to 6.26 per 1,000 live births, compared with an expected rate of 5.93 per 1,000 - a relative increase of 5.6%.The study also found an increase in the number of infant deaths from congenital anomalies, rising from an expected 1.24 per 1,000 live births to 1.37 per 1,000 - a relative increase of 10.87%.Mortality from other causes rose to 4.89 per 1,000 from an expected 4.69, a 4.23% non-Hispanic Black infants, there were 11.81 deaths per 1,000 live births after the bans, compared to an expected rate of 10.66 per 1,000, an increase of nearly 11%.According to the research, the increase in infant mortality due to congenital malformations was consistent with women being denied abortions for non-viable pregnancies - where a pregnancy cannot possibly result in a liveborn baby. But the increase due to non-congenital causes "is less straightforward", researchers study also found the ban may be disproportionately impacting disadvantaged populations who are already at a higher risk of infant mortality as well as delays in receiving medical research from John Hopkin's Bloomberg School of Public Health found that abortion bans were also linked to increased fertility the overturning of Roe v Wade, which returned control over the procedure back to individual states, researchers found that the number of births per 1,000 reproductive-aged females in affected states rose by 1.7%, or 22,180. The estimated differences in fertility were largest in states with among the "worst maternal and child health outcomes", the research suggested.
Yahoo
13-02-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
States with abortion bans had an even higher than expected infant death rate. Here's why.
The number of infants dying after states enact abortion bans is even higher than expected, a new study found. At the same time, more babies are being born in states that implemented a complete or six-week ban after the Supreme Court overturned the constitutional right to abortion in 2022. But the effects — sampled from more than a dozen states that had abortion bans — aren't felt evenly, according to studies published in JAMA Thursday. 'It is disproportionately impacting people who are already at the greatest risk of poor maternal and child health outcomes,' said Suzanne Bell, an assistant professor at Johns Hopkin's University's Bloomberg School of Public Health who co-authored both studies. Evidence indicates many wealthier people have been able to travel to terminate pregnancies, contributing to increases in abortions despite bans. However, people who are poor, nonwhite and live in Southern states also now bear higher infant deaths and increased births because they lack access to abortion services. 'The data are reflecting some of these stories we have heard,' said Usha Ranji, associate director for women's health policy at KFF, a health policy nonprofit. In news reports and research, she said, people who lost access to abortion 'were being forced to continue a pregnancy, even though they knew that it would not result in them being able to take a child home.' Alison Gemmill, an associate professor at the Bloomberg School of Public Health who co-authored both studies with Bell, called infant deaths a 'bellwether.' There are warning signs for overall health outcomes. 'We have a very clear reason as to why it's trending in the wrong direction,' she said. 'It's because of policy choices.' The studies, both funded by National Institutes of Health grants, built on existing research by the two researchers looking at infant deaths in Texas after the state enacted its 'heartbeat bill' banning abortion after six weeks' gestation in 2021, before the Supreme Court's June 2022 decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization. That study found jumps in infant deaths, and even greater spikes from congenital anomalies or birth defects that cause infant mortality, compared to declines nationally. Other research has found similar nationwide increases in infants dying after states enacted abortion bans. In the new findings published in the American Medical Association's journal, researchers aimed to get a national picture of abortion bans across the U.S. In 14 states that enacted abortion bans, the two studies looked at infant deaths, before a child's first birthday, and birth rates among females ages 15 to 44, defined as of reproductive age. They drew from National Center for Health Statistics data from 2012 to December 2023. Researchers estimated 478 additional infant deaths and 22,180 more live births than what would have occurred without the bans. Infant deaths had been declining in recent decades. However, in states that enacted bans, the study found infant deaths were 5.6% more than what they would have been without the bans. Meanwhile, deaths due to congenital anomalies, or birth defects, increased 10.9%. Those that didn't have defects but still died, such as from complications during birth, also rose 4.2%. But there were stark differences, namely with non-Hispanic Black infants and mothers. Black infants died at an 11% rate higher than expected, or about 265 infant deaths. Birth rates were higher for Black, Latino and other nonwhite people, as well as people who received Medicaid, didn't have a college degree, and those who were unmarried or younger. Deaths and births disproportionately occurred in the South, which has already tended to have worse infant and maternal health outcomes than the rest of the country. More specifically, researchers found Texas had an outsized influence. Texas overwhelmingly accounted for deaths and births. In addition to being a large state by population, the state previously had large numbers of abortion providers forced to close operations. And being the largest state by geography, Texans also had to drive further distances or fly to get an abortion, which might not have been possible for others. The studies only looked through the end of 2023, not afterward. Since then, Florida, also moved to limit abortion after six weeks of pregnancy, before most even know they're pregnant. More than half of all states — including nearly all of the South, have restricted abortion access, according to the Guttmacher Institute, a research and policy organization that supports abortion rights. After the Dobbs' decision, organizations moved to donate to provide access to care for women in need of abortions. That funding is withering and could spell trouble for people who couldn't otherwise access an abortion, according to Rachel Jones, a principal research scientist at Guttmacher. 'It could be that these trends that we're seeing are going to become even more exacerbated,' she said. Bell and Gemmill, the study authors, plan to also examine the effects of abortion bans on maternal health outcomes. Black women are disproportionately more likely to die than other mothers. In 2024, reporting by the news organization ProPublica found at least two Georgia women, Amber Thurman, 28, and Candi Miller, 41, who died after not getting access to care under the state's abortion ban. The studies published Thursday are significant in quantifying key public health indicators, Gemmill said. 'Of course, there are individual stories behind these numbers that we're not even conveying here.' This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Infant death rate is higher than expected after abortion bans
USA Today
13-02-2025
- Health
- USA Today
States with abortion bans had an even higher than expected infant death rate. Here's why.
Hear this story The number of infants dying after states enact abortion bans is even higher than expected, a new study found. At the same time, more babies are being born in states that implemented a complete or six-week ban after the Supreme Court overturned the constitutional right to abortion in 2022. But the effects — sampled from more than a dozen states that had abortion bans — aren't felt evenly, according to studies published in JAMA Thursday. 'It is disproportionately impacting people who are already at the greatest risk of poor maternal and child health outcomes,' said Suzanne Bell, an assistant professor at Johns Hopkin's University's Bloomberg School of Public Health who co-authored both studies. Evidence indicates many wealthier people have been able to travel to terminate pregnancies, contributing to increases in abortions despite bans. However, people who are poor, nonwhite and live in Southern states also now bear higher infant deaths and increased births because they lack access to abortion services. Need a break? Play the USA TODAY Daily Crossword Puzzle. 'The data are reflecting some of these stories we have heard,' said Usha Ranji, associate director for women's health policy at KFF, a health policy nonprofit. In news reports and research, she said, people who lost access to abortion 'were being forced to continue a pregnancy, even though they knew that it would not result in them being able to take a child home.' Alison Gemmill, an associate professor at the Bloomberg School of Public Health who co-authored both studies with Bell, called infant deaths a 'bellwether.' There are warning signs for overall health outcomes. 'We have a very clear reason as to why it's trending in the wrong direction,' she said. 'It's because of policy choices.' The studies, both funded by National Institutes of Health grants, built on existing research by the two researchers looking at infant deaths in Texas after the state enacted its 'heartbeat bill' banning abortion after six weeks' gestation in 2021, before the Supreme Court's June 2022 decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization. That study found jumps in infant deaths, and even greater spikes from congenital anomalies or birth defects that cause infant mortality, compared to declines nationally. Other research has found similar nationwide increases in infants dying after states enacted abortion bans. In the new findings published in the American Medical Association's journal, researchers aimed to get a national picture of abortion bans across the U.S. In 14 states that enacted abortion bans, the two studies looked at infant deaths, before a child's first birthday, and birth rates among females ages 15 to 44, defined as of reproductive age. They drew from National Center for Health Statistics data from 2012 to December 2023. Researchers estimated 478 additional infant deaths and 22,180 more live births than what would have occurred without the bans. Infant deaths had been declining in recent decades. However, in states that enacted bans, the study found infant deaths were 5.6% more than what they would have been without the bans. Meanwhile, deaths due to congenital anomalies, or birth defects, increased 10.9%. Those that didn't have defects but still died, such as from complications during birth, also rose 4.2%. But there were stark differences, namely with non-Hispanic Black infants and mothers. Black infants died at an 11% rate higher than expected, or about 265 infant deaths. Birth rates were higher for Black, Latino and other nonwhite people, as well as people who received Medicaid, didn't have a college degree, and those who were unmarried or younger. Deaths and births disproportionately occurred in the South, which has already tended to have worse infant and maternal health outcomes than the rest of the country. More specifically, researchers found Texas had an outsized influence. Texas overwhelmingly accounted for deaths and births. In addition to being a large state by population, the state previously had large numbers of abortion providers forced to close operations. And being the largest state by geography, Texans also had to drive further distances or fly to get an abortion, which might not have been possible for others. The studies only looked through the end of 2023, not afterward. Since then, Florida, also moved to limit abortion after six weeks of pregnancy, before most even know they're pregnant. More than half of all states — including nearly all of the South, have restricted abortion access, according to the Guttmacher Institute, a research and policy organization that supports abortion rights. After the Dobbs' decision, organizations moved to donate to provide access to care for women in need of abortions. That funding is withering and could spell trouble for people who couldn't otherwise access an abortion, according to Rachel Jones, a principal research scientist at Guttmacher. 'It could be that these trends that we're seeing are going to become even more exacerbated,' she said. Bell and Gemmill, the study authors, plan to also examine the effects of abortion bans on maternal health outcomes. Black women are disproportionately more likely to die than other mothers. In 2024, reporting by the news organization ProPublica found at least two Georgia women, Amber Thurman, 28, and Candi Miller, 41, who died after not getting access to care under the state's abortion ban. The studies published Thursday are significant in quantifying key public health indicators, Gemmill said. 'Of course, there are individual stories behind these numbers that we're not even conveying here.'
