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Texas Pregnant Women Die at Much Higher Rates After Abortion Ban

September 23, 2024

What: The number of women who died during pregnancy or soon after increased 56% in Texas from 2019 to 2022. Across the nation the mortality rate increased only 11%, suggesting that Texas’ state law essentially banning abortion, which passed in 2021 nearly a year before Roe fell, is responsible for the difference.

Why it matters: “’There’s only one explanation for this staggering difference in maternal mortality,’ said Nancy L. Cohen, president of the GEPI. ‘All the research points to Texas’ abortion ban as the primary driver of this alarming increase. Texas, I fear, is a harbinger of what’s to come in other states,’ she said.”

Source: NBC News

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