U.S. Infant Mortality Rates Increased AfterRoe v. WadeWas Overturned, Study Finds

Mar. 15, 2025

Photo:Getty

Getty

Since theoverturnRoe v. Wade, infant mortality rates in the United States have risen significantly due to the abortion bans that have gone into effect, according to a new study.

Dobbs v. Jacksonis the June 2022 landmark Supreme Court decision that overturnedRoe v. Wade, which granted women the right to an abortion in every state.

gorodenkoff / Getty Images

The PEOPLE Puzzler crossword is here! How quickly can you solve it? Play now!

Alison Gemmill — perinatal epidemiologist at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, who wasn’t involved in the study — told theLos Angeles Timesthat these findings show that the Dobbs decision prevented women from terminating their pregnancies that would’ve otherwise ended in abortion, similar to her own research.

She recently led a more focused study in Texas that showed a rise in infant mortality rates following the state’s ban on abortion.

“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 outlet. However, if women in these situations had no choice but to continue their pregnancies, “those babies would die shortly after birth.”

getty

Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE’s free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer​​, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.

Dr. Parvati Singh, an assistant professor of epidemiology and lead author of the new study, explained that the nationwide findings mirror those concluded from research at the state level, calling it a “national ripple effect.”

“This research provides preliminary evidence of the harmful consequences of federal abortion restrictions in terms of infant mortality outcomes,” Singh toldMedPage Today.

“I’m not sure that people expected infant mortality rates to increase followingDobbs. It’s not necessarily what people were thinking about. But when you restrict access to health care it can cause a broader impact on public health than can be foreseen,”saidDr. Maria Gallo, a professor of epidemiology and study co-author.

source: people.com