After a JAMA Pediatrics research letter identified notable national increases in infant mortality following the Dobbs decision, pro-abortion media were quick to blame pro-life laws. The reaction mirrored the response to a JAMA Pediatrics article from June reporting that infant deaths rose 12.7 percent above expectation in Texas following the implementation of its Heartbeat Act.
These knee-jerk reactions were rooted in uncritical analyses that serve only to push the pro-abortion lobby’s talking points.
Infant mortality, defined as death in the first year of birth, has been unacceptably high in the U.S. for many decades. The U.S. consistently ranks near the bottom of developed countries on this metric. The data provided in these studies, however, do nothing to justify laying blame on pro-life laws.
There are two reasons for this. First, although every infant death is a tragedy, focusing on changes in infant-mortality rates, rather than changes in absolute numbers, paints a far less dire picture than the media would have us believe — especially when comparing these rates with the sharp increases in infant mortality in other, pro-abortion states.
Second, much of the increase in infant mortality can be attributed to more infants being born with life-limiting conditions who otherwise would have been killed before birth by abortion. Killing these babies before they have a chance to be born and counted in the statistics is hardly a compelling, or moral, way to address the issue of infant mortality…
The Biden Administration signs the death warrant for thousands of unborn babies every day because of its commitment to the extreme Big Abortion agenda. Help us deliver a life-saving message: TELL JOE NO and that you want a pro-life America.
Tell Joe: No!
