Post-Dobbs Infant Mortality Spike Shows 'We Must Restore Abortion Rights'

In yet another example of what's at stake in the November 5 elections, now just two weeks away, researchers revealed Monday that since the U.S. Supreme Court reversed Roe v. Wade in June 2022, babies have died at a higher rate across the country.

Responding to the findings on Tuesday, Congresswoman Pramila Jayapal (D-Wash.)—who has publicly shared her own abortion care story—took aim at Republican nominee Donald Trump, who as president appointed three of the justices behind the Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization ruling that unleashed a GOP attack on reproductive freedom nationwide.

"The U.S. has a higher infant mortality rate than before the Dobbs decision—a direct result of Trump’s right-wing Supreme Court and extreme MAGA abortion bans," Jayapal said on social media. "Another proof point that this was never about protecting life. We must restore abortion rights."

Research published in JAMA Pediatrics in June showed "increased infant mortality in Texas following passage of Senate Bill 8, banning abortion in early pregnancy," notes the new paper, published in the same journal. "The increase appeared pronounced among infants with congenital anomalies, potentially owing to frail fetuses more often being carried to term following the implementation of abortion restrictions."

"In the seven to 14 months after Roe v. Wade was overturned, we saw a 7% increase in infant mortality, and a 10% increase in those babies born with congenital anomalies."

Parvati Singh and Maria Gallo of Ohio State University decided to examine "whether national monthly trends in infant mortality exhibit similar patterns" following Dobbs. They found that "infant mortality was higher than expected, overall and among those with congenital anomalies, for several months after the Dobbs decision in the U.S."

Specifically, "in the seven to 14 months after Roe v. Wade was overturned, we saw a 7% increase in infant mortality, and a 10% increase in those babies born with congenital anomalies," said Singh, an assistant professor of epidemiology, in a statement.

More than 20 states currently have total abortion bans or limit care at various points during the first 18 weeks of pregnancy. Over the past two years, stories of pregnant people who have been denied emergency care or even died due to state restrictions have mounted.

Though some experts warned of such consequences back in 2022, Gallo said that "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 healthcare it can cause a broader impact on public health than can be foreseen."

"Will this continue past this time period? That's an open question," the epidemiology professor added. "It could be that, yes, it will because access is shut down in some states. But it also could be that eventually more state policymakers are seeing that this isn't what people in the state want and more will pass constitutional amendments to protect access."

Both the researchers behind this paper and the lead author of the Texas study, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health demographer and perinatal epidemiologist Alison Gemmill, pointed out that the infant mortality rates might have been even higher if the latest analysis focused on states where policies changed versus national trends.

"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 Los Angeles Times. If patients in these positions are forced continue their pregnancies, she added, "those babies would die shortly after birth."

The Democratic nominee, Vice President Kamala Harris, and her allies warn that a Trump victory in November could result in a federal ban on abortion as well as restrictions on birth control and fertility treatments.

Although the Republican has tried to deflect criticism by claiming he supports leaving such decisions to states, that approach threatens the lives and rights of people living in GOP-controlled states. Given that Trump is also a well-documented liar, critics say his public promises to leave it up to the states doesn't mean he wouldn't sign a federal abortion ban if a Republican-held Congress put one on his desk.

Trump recently said he will vote against a Florida ballot measure that would strike down the state's six-week ban and prevent similar pre-viability prohibitions.

"Because of Donald Trump, millions of women across our nation are living under Trump abortion bans and lack access to critical reproductive healthcare," Harris said last week.

"Because of Donald Trump, doctors, and nurses face potential jail time for taking care of their patients," she continued. "And because of Donald Trump, women are facing horrific consequences to their health and lives—even death. Donald Trump is the architect of this healthcare crisis. He is 'proud' of overturning Roe v. Wade and if given the chance, he will make the crisis even worse in all 50 states. We will not let that happen."

In addition to choosing the next president, U.S. voters—some of whom are already casting ballots—will pick which party controls each chamber of Congress. Last month, Harris, a former senator, endorsed eliminating the Senate filibuster to codify Roe.