Poetry & Politics

This is a comprehensive, data-driven breakdown of what has happened to maternal and infant health in Texas following the abortion restrictions, beginning with SB 8 in September 2021 and accelerating after Roe’s overturn in June 2022.

Overall Death Rate
Restricting access to abortions has correlated with a **56% increase in maternal deaths** in Texas compared to a national average of 11% over the same period (2019–2022). [Progresstexas](https://progresstexas.org/blog/everythings-bigger-including-texas-maternal-morbidity-rates-post-roe)

By 2023, overall maternal mortality was up **33% post-ban** in Texas. Mothers in Texas were **1.7 times as likely** to suffer maternal mortality as mothers in states that support abortion access. [Thegepi](https://thegepi.org/maternal-mortality-abortion-bans/)

### By Race/Ethnicity (deaths per 100,000 live births)
Within a year of the ban, maternal mortality rose in all racial groups studied:
– **Hispanic women**: 14.5 → 18.9 per 100,000
– **White women**: 20 → 39.1 per 100,000 (nearly doubled)
– **Black women**: 31.6 → 43.6 per 100,000 [NBC News](https://www.nbcnews.com/health/womens-health/texas-abortion-ban-deaths-pregnant-women-sb8-analysis-rcna171631) [National Partnership for Women & Families](https://nationalpartnership.org/rhw-a-dramatic-rise-is-pregnant-women-in-texas-dying-after-abortion-ban/)

By 2023, Black women in Texas were **2.5 times as likely as white women** to suffer maternal death, and Latina and white mothers in Texas each faced **double the risk** compared to their counterparts in states where abortion remains legal. [Thegepi](https://thegepi.org/maternal-mortality-abortion-bans/)

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## 👶 Infant Mortality in Texas

### Overall Numbers
Between 2021 and 2022, infant deaths in Texas rose from **1,985 to 2,240** — a jump of 255 deaths, representing a **12.9% increase**. The rest of the U.S. experienced only a **1.8% increase** over the same period. [PubMed](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/38913344/)

The infant mortality rate in Texas rose **8% to 5.75 per 1,000 births** in 2022, compared to a 2% increase for the rest of the country.

[CBS News](https://www.cbsnews.com/news/infant-mortality-rate-texas-abortion-ban/)

### Causes of Infant Deaths
The sharpest increase was in **congenital anomalies** (birth defects), which rose **22.9% in Texas** between 2021 and 2022, while they *decreased* 2.9% in the rest of the U.S. This is directly tied to the ban’s lack of exemptions for fetal abnormalities — diagnoses which often come after 6 weeks, when the Texas ban takes effect. [Statnews](https://www.statnews.com/2024/06/24/texas-abortion-law-jama-pediatrics-study-increased-infant-deaths/)

Infant deaths from maternal complications of pregnancy rose **18.2% in Texas** versus 7.8% elsewhere. Deaths from unintentional injuries (associated with unwanted pregnancies) rose **20.7% in Texas** versus just 1.1% elsewhere. [Statnews]

(https://www.statnews.com/2024/06/24/texas-abortion-law-jama-pediatrics-study-increased-infant-deaths/)

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🏥 Healthcare System Collapse: The Physician Exodus

A 2024 report by Manatt Health found that **21% of Texas OB-GYNs are considering or planning to leave the state**; 2% have already left, while **76% believe they cannot practice medicine according to best clinical standards** due to abortion restrictions.

By 2030, Texas is projected to have **15% fewer OB-GYNs than needed** to meet demand. **More than 45% of Texas counties are already considered maternity care deserts** — meaning there is no doctor available for pregnancy care or delivery.[TheTexasTribune](https://www.texastribune.org/2024/10/08/Texas-obstetrics-gynecology-abortion-survey/)

In the 2023 national residency match, OB-GYN applications to programs in states with complete abortion bans dropped **10.5%**, suggesting the physician shortage will deepen in coming years. [nih](https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11638721/)

Texas currently ranks **50th among all states and D.C.** for women’s health, according to The Commonwealth Fund, measuring healthcare quality, outcomes, coverage, access, and affordability. [The Texas Tribune](https://www.texastribune.org/2024/10/08/Texas-obstetrics-gynecology-abortion-survey/)

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## ⚠️ A Notable Transparency Concern

In late 2024, Texas’s own Maternal Mortality and Morbidity Review Committee (MMMRC) **decided not to review pregnancy-related deaths from 2022 to 2023** — the very period after the strict abortion ban took effect — raising serious concerns among federal lawmakers and public health researchers about accountability and data transparency. [Representative Crockett](https://crockett.house.gov/media/press-releases/oversight-democrats-demand-briefing-after-texas-maternal-mortality-committee)

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**Important context:** Some researchers note that COVID-19 inflated baseline mortality numbers nationally during this period, making precise causal attribution complex. However, the divergence between Texas and the rest of the U.S. — which faced the same pandemic — is what has led researchers across multiple peer-reviewed institutions (Johns Hopkins, JAMA, the Gender Equity Policy Institute) to point to the abortion ban as the primary driver of Texas’s outsized worsening outcomes.