US Abortion Bans and Infant Mortality

The impact of recent abortion bans on infant mortality is not fully understood. There is also limited evidence on how these bans may interact with long-standing racial and ethnic disparities in infant health.

To examine the association of abortion bans with changes in infant mortality and to compare this association in racial and ethnic groups based on analyses within and across states. Design, Setting, and Participants: This population-based, serial, cross-sectional study used a bayesian panel model to examine infant mortality rates in 14 states that implemented complete or 6-week abortion bans and compared them with predictions of infant mortality rates based on pre-ban mortality rates and states without bans. Data included all live births and infant deaths from all 50 US states and the District of Columbia for 2012 through 2023. Models accounted for temporal trends and state-specific factors, with analyses stratified by race and ethnicity, timing of death, and cause of death. Exposure: Complete or 6-week abortion bans. Main Outcome and Measures: Infant mortality rate, analyzed overall and by subgroups.