U.S. babies died at a higher rate in the months following the Supreme Court’s 2022 Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health decision, and infant mortality was highest among those born with chromosomal or genetic abnormalities, new research has found.

The findings mirror previous research analyzing the experience in Texas after a ban on abortions in early pregnancy and illuminate the consequences of restricting access to abortion care, said Maria Gallo and Parvati Singh, researchers from The Ohio State University who conducted the national analysis appearing online today (Oct. 21) in JAMA Pediatrics.

“In the seven to 14 months after Roe v. Wade was overturned, we saw a 7% increase in infant mortality, and a 10% increase in those babies born with congenital anomalies,” said Singh, an assistant professor of epidemiology.

From 2018 through 2023, monthly infant mortality averaged 5.6 deaths per 1,000 live births and mortality with congenital anomalies averaged 1.3 deaths per 1,000 live births. When […]