Abortion Ban Led to More Preterm Births in Atlanta

Restrictions on abortion access have led to worse birth outcomes in Metro Atlanta.

Since the U.S. Supreme Court allowed state-level abortion bans in the Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization decision in June 2022, many states have banned abortions. Some ban abortion entirely, and others ban it after a certain number of weeks of pregnancy. Georgia’s House Bill 481 went into effect in July 2022 and bans nearly all abortions after six weeks.

In a new study published in Epidemiology, researchers at Emory’s Rollins School of Public Health investigated how the Dobbs decision and Georgia’s abortion ban affected pregnancies in Atlanta. They studied hospital records between 2020 and 2023 to see how changes to abortion policy affected the number of pregnancies and the risk of preterm and early term births.

Key Takeaways

In Metro Atlanta, after the Dobbs decision restricted abortion access after six weeks:

• The percent of pregnancies ending in preterm birth (birth after less than 37 weeks of pregnancy) went up.
• The number of pregnancies went down by about 15%.

Why Does This Matter?

Babies born too early can have lifelong health complications, because they do not have time to finish their development. This can affect babies’ brains, lungs, and more. Living in a state that restricts abortion can affect the health of both moms and babies.

“Our findings show an unintended consequence of abortion bans: a decrease in the number of pregnancies,” says Stephanie Eick, PhD, assistant professor of environmental health and the study’s first author. “Our findings also highlight the need for improved access to comprehensive reproductive health care for women in Georgia, as preterm birth can be detrimental to the health of both mom and baby.”