The increase in maternal and neonatal mortality, the birth of more children with health problems or the lack of health personnel dedicated to obstetrics are some of the consequences in the medium and long term that the restrictions on abortion imposed during the last year in the United States.
One year after the end of the protection of abortion at the federal level, after the June 24, 2022 Supreme Court of the country struck down the sentence “Roe Vs. Wade”, there is still no official data, but experts and different studies alert what is being seen and what is to come.
“Without a doubt there will be more high-risk pregnancies because many people terminate their pregnancy, because there is some type of complication for the fetus and since we cannot abort, it is likely that we will see deliveries of babies with special needs,” the American spokeswoman told EFE. College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, Kristyn Brandi.
DOCTORS LAUNCH ALERT
It is still too early to have data that shows a clear X-ray, but many doctors are already warning about what is happening in places like Texas, where the bans came long before the Dobbs ruling, which ended with Roe v. Wade, left in hands of the states the reproductive health of women.
In 2021, Republican Governor Greg Abbott signed a law that prohibits any type of abortion (except when there is a risk to the life of the mother) after the fetal heartbeat is detected, something that usually occurs at six weeks, when many women They don’t know they are pregnant.
A study published by the American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology carried out in two hospitals in Texas, the William P. Clements Jr. University Hospital and the Parkland Hospital of Texas, warns of a very probable consequence: increased maternal morbidity and health problems that result from being pregnant and giving birth.
A team of doctors analyzed the cases of 28 patients who suffered complications before the 22nd week of pregnancy, the majority due to premature rupture of the membranes.
Before the restrictions on abortion, women suffering from this condition – which always leads to the loss of the fetus – were offered an abortion, but now, if there is a heartbeat in the fetus, they cannot do so in some states until their life is over. at risk.
The study shows that 57% of the patients had serious complications, while the figure was 33% in similar clinical circumstances reported in states without restrictive legislation.
In a report prepared with testimonials from doctors, the organization Advancing New Standards in Reproductive Health documents the damage that women are suffering and points out that in Texas, after the 2021 ban, the morbidity rate in women who suffered a premature break doubled of membranes.
The situation of women who suffer ectopic pregnancies (outside the uterus) is also worrisome, whose recommendation is always urgent abortion due to serious complications and the risk of maternal death.
Given the situation in some restrictive states, many women see their procedure delayed, which exponentially increases the risks to their health.
The organization also states that there will be “longer-term effects” of delay and denial of care such as loss of fertility and chronic pelvic pain due to infection or surgery, as well as mental health effects. .
THE OTHER CONSEQUENCES
Aware of the health problems for women that these regulations will cause, the Gender Equity Policy Institute presented a report in January in which it analyzes, with figures prior to the end of the Supreme Court ruling, aspects such as adolescent pregnancies, maternal mortality and neonatal mortality.
The study divides the country between states that support abortion and those that have restrictions or bans. In the latter, a total of 29, live 59% of the country’s women and girls.
Already before Dobbs there were strong differences. Thus, mothers who are in a state that has prohibited or restricted abortion are three times more likely to die during pregnancy, childbirth and postpartum.
Regarding infant mortality, babies born in restrictive states are 30% more likely to die in their first month of life, while adolescent births are double in restrictive states.
The supreme court may take the case or decide not to intervene
These differences, the study points out, could increase considerably after the new regulations.
In the opinion of Dr. Amna Dermish, an obstetrician-gynecologist at Planned Parenthood, the largest provider of reproductive services in the country, another concern in the medium term is “being able to attract quality doctors and health care providers to states with abortion restrictions.” .
“Students don’t want to come here for OB/GYN training,” he explains, and “I think we’re going to see some kind of brain drain in Texas and other states.”
An opinion shared by Dr. Brandi, who believes that in the next “five or ten years” the shortage of doctors will be very noticeable.
“We are already in a maternal health crisis in our country and we are only making it worse by adding more bans on abortion,” she says.
