Knowledge Infant mortality in USA rises after abortion repeal

Following the repeal of the nationwide right to abortion by the US Supreme Court, there has been a sharp rise in infant mortality. This is the result of a study published in the US journal "Jama Pediatrics".

The results of the study illustrate the consequences of restricting access to abortion in large parts of the country, the authors write. The protection of the right to abortion was abolished in June 2022 in a historic ruling by the Supreme Court, which is dominated by conservative judges. The issue is one of the most controversial in the current US presidential election campaign.

The study by Maria Gallo and Parvati Singh from Ohio State University has now examined data from the 18 months following the ruling and compared it with earlier figures. In the months following the ruling, "infant mortality in the United States was higher" than expected, Gallo told the AFP news agency. In three months examined - October 2022 and March and April 2023 - it was around seven percent higher than usual, according to the study. This meant an average of 247 additional infant deaths in each of these months.

The majority of deaths were attributed to congenital malformations, such as heart defects. Before the repeal of the right to abortion, those affected in such cases "could have had an abortion instead of continuing the pregnancy and having to go through the experience of an infant dying," Gallo said. "We need to consider the suffering of people, including the mental health consequences of being denied an abortion or being forced to carry a fetus with a fatal genetic malformation to term," co-author Singh added.

SDA