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Research published in February 2025 found that Texas experienced a 50 percent jump in the sepsis rate among women who lost their pregnancies in the second trimester following the state's abortion ban. The study documented that maternal mortality rose 56 percent in Texas in the first full year of the state's abortion ban, with an increase of up to 95 percent among White women.
The research showed that after Texas banned abortion, dozens more pregnant and postpartum women died in Texas hospitals than had in pre-pandemic years. As the maternal mortality rate dropped nationally, it rose substantially in Texas. Women's risk of maternal death in Texas was 155 percent higher than in California.
Mothers living in states that banned abortion were nearly two times as likely to die during pregnancy, childbirth, or soon after giving birth compared to mothers in states where abortion remained legal and accessible. Black mothers in banned states were more than three times as likely to die as White mothers in those states—a disparity that grew from 2.2 times in 2019 to 3.3 times by the end of 2023.
In the wake of Roe's overturn, states with abortion bans saw 478 excess infant deaths and 59 excess deaths during or after pregnancy. Infant deaths were 5.6 percent higher than they would have been in the 14 states with abortion bans had the bans not been enacted, resulting in an estimated 478 additional deaths, with 384 in Texas alone.
Legal gray areas around medical exceptions and treatment for miscarriages created a patchwork of inconsistent care. When miscarriage is imminent but clinicians can still detect a heartbeat, providers may deny necessary care until no heartbeat can be detected for fear of breaking anti-abortion laws, directly contributing to sepsis cases and preventable deaths.
Using state-specific maternal mortality rates, researchers predicted 42.0 additional maternal deaths over four years in 14 states with abortion bans. Among 10 states analyzed separately, researchers predicted 29.6 more maternal deaths, with Black women representing 63 percent. The study documented that racial inequities in maternal deaths were pronounced in states with abortion restrictions.
The research provided empirical validation that abortion bans directly cause increased maternal mortality and morbidity, transforming pregnancy from a manageable medical condition into a significantly more dangerous health risk for women in states with restrictive laws.