Bloomberg / Bloomberg via Getty Images
Abortion rights protesters demonstrate in Austin, Texas, Saturday, October 8, 2022.
ABORTION – Worrying figures. In Texas, infant mortality has increased since the adoption in 2021 of a law drastically reducing access to abortion, reveals a study unveiled this Monday, June 24. The results published in JAMA Pediatrics also highlight an increase in birth defects in the state of Texas compared to the rest of the country.
The study, led by researchers from the Universities of Maryland and Michigan, comes almost three years after the ban on abortions as soon as a heartbeat is heard, which can happen as early as the fifth week. Or a virtual ban on abortion. The study data is based on 94,720 infant deaths recorded in Texas and 28 comparison states, from January 1, 2018 to December 31, 2022.
While the results do not confirm a direct causality between the 2021 law and the increase in infant mortality, the figures do suggest that it has had ” negative health consequences for infants ».
A 12.9% increase in infant mortality in Texas
A total of 2,243 babies under the age of one died in 2022, up from 1,985 deaths in 2021. This represents a 12.9% increase in infant mortality in Texas between those years. two years.
The figure is even more stark when compared to the rest of the country, where the total increase over the same period is considerably lower, 1.8% in total.
According to the study, congenital malformations are the main reason behind these results. Texas law makes almost no exceptions to the ban on abortion before six weeks, allowing it only in cases of medical emergency. Rape or incest, as well as congenital malformations, do not constitute valid reasons in law for terminating a pregnancy.
For researchers, this explains the 22.9% increase in infant deaths due to malformations. On the contrary, this figure fell by 2.9% in the other states of the country, highlighting the unique case of Texas.
« This is an atypical trend, specific to Texas », declared for ABC News Dr. Suzanne Bell, assistant professor at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and co-lead of the study.
A law that causes “trauma”
The situation is “ grave » for Dr. Richard Ivey, obstetrician-gynecologist in Houston, who believes that this type of study, on the health consequences of restrictions on abortion, is necessary to raise general awareness among Americans.
« Women don’t talk about their miscarriages. Women don’t talk about their children’s chromosomal abnormalities. Women don’t talk about birth defects », continues Richard Ivey for ABC News.
The study’s researchers nevertheless admit a need for more in-depth analyzes to clarify the mechanisms underlying these conclusions. But the results of this research already suggest that “ Restrictive abortion policies can have significant unintended consequences in terms of family trauma and medical costs due to increased infant mortality ».
The alarming figures in this study come two years after the revocation of the Roe v. Wade ruling, which is likely to be discussed this Wednesday during the first US presidential debate between Donald Trump and Joe Biden.
Also read on Le HuffPost :
Reading this content may result in cookies being placed by the third-party operator who hosts it. Taking into account the choices you have expressed regarding the deposit of cookies, we have blocked the display of this content. If you wish to access it, you must accept the “Third Party Content” category of cookies by clicking on the button below.
Play Video
