A restrictive abortion law in Texas has been linked to in a sharp uptick in infant mortality that other states did not experience, a new study has found. Pediatric heath researchers from John Hopkins University report the number of newborn babies dying in Texas has increased by approximately 13% since the state's near-total abortion ban went into effect, according to a recent investigation in JAMA Pediatrics.
The rest of the United States saw only a 2% infant mortality increase in the same period. Deadly congenital abnormalities were the leading cause of death, increasing 22.9% in the state compared to 2.9% nationwide. Researchers said this suggests a rise in cases where women are forced to carry a pregnancy to term, despite knowing the fetus had little or no chance of survival.
