New data shows that banning abortions would lead to more maternal deaths than previously thought, a critical finding less than a week after the Supreme Court ruled 5-4 to overturn Rowe against Wade.
According to a new study by CU Boulder, based on the new data available from 2020, such a ban would increase maternal mortality by 24%, an increase of 14% over previous 2017 data.
In this study, researchers focused only on how maternal mortality is affected by abortion, simply because the data show that staying pregnant carries a higher risk of death than abortion. The Centers for Disease Control reports 0.41 deaths per 100,000 legal abortions between 2013-18 and that the maternal mortality rate is 23.8 deaths per 100,000 live births in 2020.
Other factors, such as how society will facilitate access to abortion for those living in countries where it is illegal, or how criminalization will affect the demand for health care, have not been taken into account.
“Previous estimates relied on abortion rates, births and maternal mortality five years ago. Since then, abortions have increased, births have decreased and maternal mortality has worsened, “said Amanda Stevenson, a sociology assistant at CU Boulder and lead author of the article.
Stevenson and co-authors Leslie Ruth and Jane Menken – all researchers at the Institute for Behavioral Science – estimate that in the first year after the national abortion ban, the number of maternal deaths will increase from a baseline of 861 to 969 (up 13%). . In the coming years, maternal mortality will increase by 210 from baseline, an increase of 24%.
For blacks, the numbers are even more alarming: the expected increase in maternal deaths if abortions are banned in each state jumped 18% to 39%.
“There is a solid network of research led by blacks that demonstrates how we can better support black pregnant women who are 2-3 times more likely to die because they are pregnant than other groups,” he said. Stevenson.
When looking specifically at the 26 states that have already banned or plan to ban abortions since Roe’s repeal against Wade, researchers have found many variations. In countries with already high maternal mortality and moderate to high abortion rates – such as Florida and Georgia – researchers estimate that maternal mortality increases by 29%.
In contrast, states such as Nebraska, Missouri and West Virginia, which have already made abortion difficult, are expected to see little or no change just because of the increased risk of pregnancy.
Researchers estimate that if abortions were not allowed in these 26 states in 2020, there would be another 64 deaths related to mortality. The new findings have not yet been verified by partners.
To combat this worrying trend, researchers say helping people in countries where abortion is illegal gain legal access to reproductive care, investing in the maternal health crisis and tackling the shocking inequalities that generate astronomically high levels. of maternal mortality are all ways to better support pregnant women. people in the United States
“Our estimates show how we can prevent post-Dobbs abortion bans from increasing the already tragically high number of pregnancies in the United States,” Stevenson said. “Pregnancy shouldn’t kill people – in fact, it’s very rare in other rich countries.”
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