A study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) in 2022 examined the data of 80,107 abortions performed between September 2020 and February 2022. The study revealed a decline in both in-state and out-of-state abortions in September 2021 when compared to the previous month.
This comprehensive study, which continued beyond 2021, included information on live births from all states and the District of Columbia. Researchers from the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health employed statistical modeling techniques to estimate that, from April to December 2022, approximately 287,289 live births would have occurred in Texas if Senate Bill 8 had not been enforced.
However, the actual number of live births turned out to be 297,088, indicating that there may have been potential savings of 9,799 lives. This figure translates to over 1,000 infants per month. The Texas Tribune reported that live births in Texas experienced a 5% increase in December 2022 due to the implementation of Republican legislation. John Seago, the president of Texas Right to Life, expressed appreciation for every life that was saved by preventing elective abortions.
Alison Gemmill, one of the lead authors of the study, emphasized the importance of this research in understanding the impact of restrictive abortion policies on birth rates. Gemmill pointed out that the survival of 9,799 individuals in Texas could be attributed to the challenges faced in accessing abortion services. Given the presence of similar abortion restrictions in 14 other states, it is possible that the number of live births could further rise.
