States With the Strictest Abortion Laws Also Have the Weakest Maternal Support

What’s the story?

• With nearly half of all U.S. states moving to restrict abortion or put in place near-total bans, more people will be forced to be pregnant and give birth. But data shows that states with more restrictive abortion laws tend to have less access to quality maternal care and social services, and rank the worst in several categories of health and wellbeing.

The data

• States with abortion bans tend to have more people living in maternity care deserts, meaning counties where access to things like hospitals with obstetric care, birth centers and certified nurse midwives, health care providers, and health insurance coverage is limited or nonexistent.
• The numbers reflect these gaps. A 2020 study found that reducing the proportion of Planned Parenthood clinics by 20% increased the maternal mortality rate by 8%, and states that enacted legislation to ban abortions based on gestational age saw a 38% increase in maternal mortality rates.
• And overall, women living in states with more restrictive abortion laws are found to be more likely to die while pregnant or shortly after giving birth. According to a CNN analysis of 2018 CDC data, states likely to ban abortion have maternal mortality rates 47% higher than the national rate, on average.

Maternal mortality rates in the U.S.

• The U.S. stands out as having the highest maternal mortality rates compared to other wealthy countries. In 2020, the U.S. maternal mortality rate was 23.8 deaths per 100,000 live births, an increase from 17 deaths per 100,000 live births in 2018. The overall rate in 2020 almost doubles when looking at non-Hispanic Black women, with 55.3 deaths per 100,000 live births.
• Comparatively, per capita — Canada has 8.6 maternal deaths, the U.K. has 6.5 deaths, Germany and the Netherlands have roughly three deaths, and Norway has 1.8 deaths.
• For the risks when getting an abortion, there are roughly 0.4 to 0.6 maternal deaths per 100,000 abortions in the U.S.

The big picture

• While maternal mortality rates can be attributed to a number of factors, studies continuously find that comprehensive reproductive and sexual education, contraceptives, and abortion access are essential to reducing unwanted pregnancy, abortion rates, and pregnancy-related deaths. 
• Read more about facts and figures to know about abortion in America here.

What do you think?

Do you support abortion access in America? Let your representative know through Causes.

-Casey Dawson