Study: Maternal mortality would increase 24 percent under federal abortion ban

[milestogo]

New research published Thursday by experts at the University of Colorado Boulder estimates that a nationwide abortion ban of the kind Republican lawmakers are intent on pursuing would increase maternal mortality in the United States by 24%.

Released just days after the U.S. Supreme Court ended the constitutional right to abortion—triggering total bans in a number of GOP-led states—the analysis uses newly available data from 2020 to show that the "increased exposure to the risks of pregnancy" caused by a federal abortion ban "would cause an increase of 210 maternal deaths per year (24% increase), from 861 to 1071."

The researchers stress that their estimate, which has not been peer-reviewed, is conservative—it only takes into account the higher mortality risk of continuing pregnancy to term. "We find that increases in some states would be as great as 29%, while in others, because of already extremely low abortion rates and numbers, less than one additional death would be expected," they note. "Banning abortion will likely change maternal mortality in ways beyond exposing more people to the existing risks of maternal death; any increase in maternal mortality due to these changes would be in addition to our estimates."

The U.S. already has the highest maternal mortality rate among rich nations. A recent study by the Commonwealth Fund found that "although most are preventable, maternal deaths have been increasing in the United States since 2000." "In 2018, there were 17 maternal deaths for every 100,000 live births in the U.S.—a ratio more than double that of most other high-income countries," the study noted. "In contrast, the maternal mortality ratio was three per 100,000 or fewer in the Netherlands, Norway, and New Zealand."

https://www.alternet.org/2022/07/federal-abortion-ban-maternal-mortality/

[Diamond_Dog]

1. It's obvious

The so-called “pro life” zealots don’t really care about life!

[Baitball Blogger]

2. BUT ONLY IN RED CONTROLLED STATES.

Keep the stats between blue states and red states separate so we can follow the difference.

[teach1st]

3. Maternal mortality by state

According to this site:

https://worldpopulationreview.com/state-rankings/maternal-mortality-rate-by-state

Here are the 10 states with the highest maternal mortality:

Louisiana (58.1 per 100k)
Georgia (48.4 per 100k)
Indiana (43.6 per 100k)
New Jersey (38.1 per 100k)
Arkansas (37.5 per 100k)
Alabama (36.4 per 100k)
Missouri (34.6 per 100k)
Texas (34.5 per 100k)
South Carolina (27.9 per 100k)
Arizona (27.3 per 100k)

States with lowest maternal mortality:

California
California has the lowest maternal mortality rate of 4.0 deaths per 100,000 births. From 2006 to 2013, California’s maternal mortality rate declined by 55%, from 16.9 to 7.3 and continued to decline thereafter. California is leading the way in efforts to reduce the number of maternal mortalities thanks to the formation of the California Maternal Quality Care Collaborative in 2006. This committee found that death from two well-known complications, hemorrhage and preeclampsia, can be prevented through recognition, teamwork, and a list ofthoroughly-practiced treatments. Because of this type of preparation in hospitals, California doctors and nurses have been able to save hundreds of lives.

Massachusetts
Massachusetts’s maternal mortality rate of 8.4 per 100,000 births makes it the state with the second-lowest maternal mortality rate in the United States. Massachusetts’s maternal death review has been around for more than 20 years. The committee recommended a requirement for all hospitals to have a procedure in place for hemorrhages in 2014. Massachusetts is overall one of the healthiest states for women and children, with low rates of uninsured women and the lowest teenage birth rate in the U.S.

Nevada
Nevada is tied with Massachusetts for the second-lowest maternal mortality rate in the country of 8.4 deaths per 100,000 births. In May 2019, Governor Steve Sisolak signed legislation to create Nevada’s first statewide Maternal Mortality Review Committee. Despite Nevada’s low maternal mortality rate, the state ranks poorly for women and children’s health overall. Nevada has one of the lowest family medicine, pediatric, and obstetrician/gynecological physicians per capita, as well as a high percentage of women who are uninsured during pregnancy.

Connecticut
Connecticut has the fourth-lowest maternal mortality rate in the United States of 10.5 deaths per 100,000 births. In Connecticut, midwives may be the answer to decreasing the rate since they are often more attentive throughout pregnancy than OB-GYNs. There are 211 licensed nurse-midwives in Connecticut, who are required to have advanced nursing degrees and additional training in midwifery. Midwives are linked to higher rates of physiologic birth and fewer adverse neonatal outcomes.

Colorado
Colorado has the fifth-lowest maternal mortality rate in the United States of 11.5 per 100,000 births. Half of all deaths in Colorado among pregnant women and those within the first year after giving birth are the result of self-harm, such as suicide and overdose. Colorado doctors, midwives, and mental health experts are focusing on reviewing medical files, prescriptions, coroners’ reports, and even suicide notes to help saves lives from pregnancy-related complications, drug abuse, and suicide. Colorado physicians and policymakers believe that maternal mortality review committees are the key to saving lives.

[Midnight Writer]

4. Thank you. Good information.

[Bayard]

5. K&R

[dalton99a]

6. Kick