While a new Texas law prohibits most abortions after six weeks of pregnancy in the United States, researchers have assessed the consequences of such a measure on the health of mothers.
- Monday, November 1, a majority of the justices of the Supreme Court of the United States seemed rather inclined to block the Texas anti-abortion law.
- The decision should be published fairly soon.
According to a new study published in the journal Demography, banning abortion again in one state would increase the deaths of pregnant women by 21%.
Specifically, the study estimated that in the years following an abortion ban, an additional 140 women would die each year from pregnancy-related causes, bringing the death toll to 815. Among black women , pregnancy-related deaths would increase by a third (+33%).
It is 33 times more risky to carry a pregnancy to term than to have an abortion
In this research, the scientists only assessed the increase in deaths due to complications of pregnancy and childbirth, and not to recourse to illegal abortion. “It is more dangerous for a woman to continue her pregnancy than to have an abortion”, said study author and sociology professor Amanda Stevenson. According to the Centers for Disease Control, carrying a pregnancy to term is 33 times more risky than having an abortion, with 0.6 maternal deaths per 100,000 abortions versus 20.1 maternal deaths per 100,000 births.
US research also shows that those most likely to have abortions, including women of color, poor women, and those with chronic or acute health conditions are also more likely to experience serious complications during pregnancy. .
