According to new data from the ongoing Turnaway study, abortion bans don’t just harm women’s health and derail their lives. They may endanger their lives.
Republican anti-choice beliefs have never been about life. The overwhelming evidence shows that abortion restrictions harm children, women, and families. The data evidences a clear connection between maternal mortality and restrictive abortion law. And gruesome statistics show us that every year, tens of thousands of women across the globe die from unsafe abortions in nations where abortion is banned. There’s even research suggesting that banning abortion might increase the abortion rate.
We now have significant research finding that being denied an abortion may kill women, and almost certainly contributes to higher poverty, domestic violence, and other terrible outcomes. It’s time for pro-choice activists to claim the moral high ground that is rightfully ours. Anti-choice laws do not preserve life. They kill women and destroy families. Abortion clinics save pregnant people’s lives every day. Anti-choice leaders know this. They don’t care, because banning abortion is about punishing women at all costs. Perhaps that’s why Republican legislators in some states now support the death penalty for women who seek abortions.
Here are three key ways abortion bans kill women.
Higher Maternal Mortality
The Turnaway Study followed about 1,000 women who sought abortions in states across the country. About a quarter were denied abortions because of state-level abortion restrictions. Researchers followed the women to see what happened next, and to assess how being denied an abortion affected their lives.
They found that, even 5 years later, women who had abortions had better health than those who were denied access. Tragically, they also found that being denied an abortion could be fatal. About 1% of women who could not get abortions died of pregnancy-related complications. That compares to a national maternal mortality rate of 0.02%, suggesting that abortion denial exponentially increases pregnancy-related deaths.
Other research also links abortion restrictions to maternal mortality. The states with the highest maternal death rates also tend to have some of the most restrictive abortion laws. The reason for this correlation is unclear: abortion restrictions could represent a general disregard for women’s health. Another likely explanation is that states with restrictive abortion laws tend to be dominated by Republicans. Republican leaders have historically opposed virtually every measure that could improve the health of women and children.
Self-Induced Abortions
Banning or restricting abortion does not eliminate the need to get an abortion. Women still have abusive relationships. They still live in poverty, or are too young to have children, or have babies with fatal anomalies. Some women who can’t get abortions attempt to self-induce. One recent study found that 8% of Texas women attempted to self-induce abortions following the passage of draconian abortion legislation.
Botched abortions, many of which are self-induced, kill nearly 50,000 women across the globe each year.
Increases in Domestic Violence
The Turnaway Study also followed women’s relationships after they received or were denied an abortion. Women denied abortions experienced increases in domestic violence, while those who had abortions were less likely to be abused.
This, too, increases the risk of dying. Homicide is the fifth-leading cause of death for all women, and domestic violence-related homicide is the second-leading cause of death among pregnant women. Intimate partner violence also increases the risk of negative pregnancy outcomes such as preterm labor, and more than doubles the risk of postpartum mental health issues.
Mental Health Crises
The Turnaway Study has heavily documented the mental health consequences of being denied an abortion. Women who don’t get the abortions they need are significantly more likely to develop PTSD, depression, anxiety disorders, and other serious illnesses. Some postpartum mental health issues greatly increase the risk of suicide.
Suicide is a leading cause of postpartum death.
Women with postpartum mental health issues may not get the help they need, thanks to rising healthcare costs, low quality care, and mental health stigma. Some women may even face incarceration for seeking help. And once in jail, a woman’s life and health are at enormous risk. A woman in Iowa, for example, died in jail after being arrested following a mental health crisis. Anti-choice activists have put women in an impossible position: they slash funding for mental healthcare, arrest women in need of help, and deny pregnant women abortions that could prevent their mental health crises in the first place.
Abortion: A Matter of Life and Death
Every election season, Democrats debate whether there is room for anti-choice sentiments in the party. The data showing the link between abortion restrictions and maternal mortality remind us that abortion is not just a theoretical debate. It’s not abstract ground that we can cede in the name of winning. It’s a matter of life and death.
If we really want a big tent, support for abortion rights is the most inclusive strategy. A massive survey of more than 54,000 voters found that 84% believe abortion should remain legal in at least some circumstances. Another survey found that just 23% of Americans think the Supreme Court should overturn Roe vs. Wade. Seventy-nine percent of “never Hillary” Republicans in that survey said they supported abortion rights. Americans support abortion rights, and believe women and their doctors should get to make their own healthcare decisions. Their leaders have long ignored this support, pushing for more and more extreme policies.
One in four American women has had or will have an abortion before the age of 45. That means one in four men has caused a pregnancy that ended in abortion. The data shows that men benefit from their partner’s abortion decisions for the rest of their lives. This is not just a women’s issue. It affects 25% of the population, a full quarter of the electorate. These are the people we need to be bringing in to the Democratic tent—not the radical fringe.
When women can’t get abortions, they die. The politicians who oppose this fundamental human right know this, and are fine with it. I’m interested in a big tent that welcomes women as fully human beings whose lives matter—not a big tent that leaves us out in the cold while giving a warm welcome to those who would let us die.