The baseless narrative that the U.S.’s poor maternal health is attributable to abortion regulations only serves to harm women.
Several weeks ago, we responded to these claims by abortion advocates on social media, refuting them and calling attention to the factors that actually contribute to the maternal mortality crisis in this country. Yet this narrative attempting to connect the 2021 surge in maternal deaths to the Dobbs decision persists. In fact, the CDC’s provisional maternal mortality numbers for the post-Dobbs years show a decline in deaths. Research from diverse countries around the world has repeatedly shown that abortion laws do not worsen maternal mortality. Malta and Poland, two countries with robust pro-life laws, have some of the lowest maternal mortality rates in the world.
An honest discussion on improving health outcomes for American mothers is sorely needed and will include topics such as access to actual maternal healthcare (and not induced abortion), socioeconomic inequality, extended coverage of health insurance to one year postpartum and quality institutional protocols for management of common pregnancy complications. Promoting the intentional killing of embryonic or fetal human beings will do nothing to help their mothers thrive. The false narrative that it does harms the women they purport to care about. It serves a political agenda – not women and girls. Our patients deserve better.