Post-Dobbs: observed maternal and infant health outcomes

This research investigates how the variance in abortion legislation and access across the United States has impacted infant and maternal health. This builds upon previous research identifying a relationship between abortion policy and quantity of births, (Myers et al., 2025; Bell et al., 2025) abortion policy and infant and maternal health pre-Dobbs (Gardner, 2024), and an emerging body examining the health outcomes post-Dobbs for mothers and infants (Gemmill et al., 2025; Gressler & Lewis, 2025). Scholars indicate that primary contributors to increases in infant mortality may be the continuation of pregnancies with congenital abnormalities and compounded barriers of access to healthcare (Gemmill et al., 2025). Additionally, complications related to delayed or denied health care for medically complex pregnancies have been documented due to stringent abortion regulations (Whitney et al., 2023; Baker et al., 2023). This project links restricted CDC Vital Statistics Natality data, including variables on maternal and infant health and key demographic variables with the Myers Abortion Facility Database, which identifies an average county-by-month panel of travel distances to the nearest U.S. abortion provider. The data, aggregated to the county-by-quarter-year level, is controlled by county and quarter-year fixed effects. The relationship between key maternal and infant health indicators and indicators of abortion access and abortion policy following state-level policy shocks is then examined over a four-year period (2021-2024) using a difference-in-difference analysis. Abortion bans and distance to abortion clinics were not found to be statistically significant indicators of health outcomes for mothers and infants post-Dobbs. Other demographic indicators, including race, age, marital status, poverty status, and education level do appear to play a significant role in health outcomes during this period, most strongly for infant health outcomes. Additional research on health outcomes, stratified by population subgroups, is suggested as abortion bans continue to impact decision-making at the individual level.