The findings showed the highest mortality occurred among infants who were Black, lived in Southern states or had fetal birth defects.

Abortion bans in the United States are exacerbating existing health disparities as births increase in high-risk populations and infant mortality rises disproportionately, new research suggests.

Infant mortality rates have increased in US states which have enacted abortion bans, a study has found. Researchers estimate there were 478 infant deaths across 14 states which have outright bans or heavy restrictions - which they say would not have occurred had the laws not been in place.

While Republican state-led efforts aim to increase restrictions to abortion care and access to mifepristone and misoprostol in 2025, JAMA authors join the conversation with their published research and commentary.

USA abortion bans have led to more births but also a rise in infant mortality, with Southern states facing the greatest impact.

Two studies found that infant mortality and births increased in most states with abortion bans after the Dobbs ruling.

In 14 states that adopted abortion bans after Roe v. Wade was overturned, birth rates and infant mortality increased, a pair of studies published in JAMA showed. In one study, there were an estimated 1.

Infant mortality rates have increased in states that adopted abortion bans after the 2022 overturning of Roe v. Wade, according to a new study. Researchers from the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School

Researchers estimate that recent abortion bans have driven a rise in infant death rates in affected states, especially among Black children and kids with congenital anomalies.