For three years, abortion activists have been insisting that pro-life laws would trigger a dramatic spike in maternal mortality – and since the fall of Roe v. Wade, they have been pushing out a steady stream of propaganda in the mainstream press to make that case.
In some instance, they have gone so far as to claim that women who have died as a result of taking dangerous abortion pills – such as Amber Thurman of Georgia – died from being denied access to abortion. It has been difficult to keep up with the scale of the deceit.
But now, new figures from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) show that that the number of women dying in pregnancy and childbirth significantly decreased in 2023, the first full year of figures since the overturn of Roe.
In short, the first year after many pro-life laws took effect across the United States saw precisely the opposite of what abortion activists grimly predicted – a 17 percent decline in maternal mortality. Dr. Michael New, a pro-life statistician and fellow at the Charlotte Lozier Institute, explains what this means.
LSN: The mainstream press has pushed, with alarming success, the narrative that pro-life laws kill women. What is significant about the 2023 CDC data on maternal mortality?
Dr. Michael New: The recently released 2023 CDC maternal mortality data shows a 17 percent decline in the maternal mortality rate. This is significant because 2023 was the first full calendar year after the Supreme Court’s Dobbs decision. By the end of 2023, 13 states had effectively banned abortion, and two other states protected pre-born children after a fetal heartbeat could be detected. While some predicted that this would cause public health problems, the new data show that this is not the case.
LSN: What conclusions should we draw from this data, and where does it fall short?
New: This data should be interpreted with some caution. We only have one full year of maternal mortality data post-Dobbs. Furthermore, the new CDC report only provides national totals. It does not provide state level data. State data would allow us to compare maternal mortality trends in states with protective pro-life laws to maternal mortality trends in states with permissive abortion policies. In the future, the CDC should release state level data on maternal mortality.
LSN: How is the media spinning this data – when they cover it at all?
New: The media has chosen to focus on two things. First, the CDC data show that in 2023 there was a slight increase in the maternal mortality rate of African Americans. That said, it should be noted that the CDC report indicates that this increase was not statistically significant. Second, the media has also focused on the disparities in maternal mortality between African Americans and other racial and ethnic groups.
The relatively high rate of maternal mortality among African American women is certainly an important topic that merits attention from public health researchers and policymakers. However, the 17 percent decline in the overall maternal mortality rate is also a very important finding that deserved greater attention from the mainstream media.
LSN: We have seen many countries with pro-life laws –Poland, Malta, Ireland pre-2018 –have incredibly low maternal mortality rates. What do most people misunderstand about pro-life laws?
New: Most people misunderstand that pro-life laws are consistent with good public health. Poland consistently has among the lowest maternal mortality rates in Europe. Ireland prior to 2018 had lower maternal mortality rates than England, Scotland, and Wales. Chile saw maternal mortality rates continue to fall after they started enforcing strong pro-life laws in 1989. Pro-life laws protect both mother and child.
LSN: How can pro-lifers present this information to a public increasingly convinced that pro-life laws hurt maternal health?
New: This is a challenge for the pro-life movement. The mainstream media tries to present a narrative that pro-life laws hurt public health. They downplay information that shows pro-life laws improve public health outcomes. For instance, few people know that in the United States maternal mortality has fallen since 2022 and infant mortality has fallen since 2023. Pro-lifers have to effectively use conservative and Christian media outlets and social media to present accurate information. Also, linking to CDC data and other government data might help convince a skeptical public.
