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Texas pregnancy deaths up 56% since abortion ban
Two years after the overturning of Roe v. Wade, and three years since the implementation of Texas' SB 8 "bounty" bill in 2021, the facts on the ground are showing exactly what activists expected: a massive increase in deaths of both mothers and infants. #abortionrights #texas #women
www.liberationnews.org
Two years after the overturning of Roe v. Wade, and three years since the implementation of Texas’s SB 8 “bounty” bill in 2021, the facts on the ground are showing exactly what activists expected: a massive increase in deaths of both mothers and infants.
The Gender Equity Policy Institute reports a 56% increase in pregnancy-related deaths (defined as the loss of life due to complications related to pregnancy or aggravated by pregnancy-related conditions) in Texas between 2019 and 2022, while the national statistic increased by 11% during the same timeframe. This represents a significant spike in the already troubling trend of rising pregnancy-related mortality in the state.
Texas is also seeing troubling trends in infant health. Recent analysis found that infant mortality rates in Texas increased by 13% following the passage of SB 8. In 2022 alone, the state had 2,240 infant deaths, up from 1,985 the previous year.
Much of this increase can be attributed to a rise in deaths caused by congenital anomalies — fatal conditions that could have been addressed if abortion services were available. Between 2021 and 2022, Texas saw a significant rise in infant deaths due to congenital anomalies, increasing by 22.9%. This stands in stark contrast to the rest of the U.S., where there was a 3.1% decrease in such deaths over the same period.
In short, SB 8 has exacerbated the crisis already present in the Texas healthcare system, where people are now being forced to continue high-risk pregnancies to term, often with limited access to prenatal healthcare – especially in rural areas – and while facing a rise in chronic conditions like hypertension and diabetes, which contribute to pregnancy complications.
In many cases, people are being forced to carry pregnancies for several months, despite knowing that these pregnancies are unlikely to result in the birth of a healthy baby. “For each of these pregnancies, that’s a pregnant person who had to stay pregnant for an additional 20 weeks,” explained Dr. Erika Werner, chair of obstetrics and gynecology at Tufts Medical Center, in an interview with NBC News. This prolonged period not only risks the mother’s health but also adds emotional trauma to an already devastating situation.
While Republicans spearheaded SB 8, passing it under the pretext of protecting life, the outcomes reveal the policy’s destructive anti-life nature. People in Texas are being denied access to life-saving medical care, and the rising rates of pregnancy-related deaths show just how deadly these so-called “pro-life” policies have been. Republican lawmakers continue to pursue their ideological agenda, showing little regard for the human cost of their decisions.