Texas has some of the harshest abortion laws in the nation, which may be contributing to a serious rise in infant mortality by forcing women to carry unsuccessful pregnancies to birth.
As per preliminary infant mortality information CNN acquired via a public records demand, 2,200 newborns died in Texas in 2022, a rise of 227 deaths, or 11.5%, from the year before. Significant genetic and birth-related defects now account for 21.6% more infant deaths. An almost ten-year decrease was stopped by that increase. Infant fatalities decreased by around 15% between 2014 and 2021.
Texas restricted abortions after 6 weeks of pregnancy in 2021. A trigger law in the state outlawed all abortions apart from those meant to safeguard the mother’s life when the Supreme Court canceled federal abortion rights the next summer.
The reality that more children are getting born in Texas may help to explain some of the rise in deaths.
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