CNN report implying Texas abortion ban behind spike in infant deaths is 'misleading': researcher

By Samantha Kamman, Christian Post Reporter Saturday, July 22, 2023

A pro-life researcher is pushing back on the suggestion of a recent CNN report that Texas' abortion ban may be behind a spike in infant deaths, alleging the report failed to address several crucial factors. 

In 2021, Texas enacted a law that prohibited abortions after the unborn child's heartbeat becomes detectable, which is usually around the sixth week of pregnancy. Following the U.S. Supreme Court's reversal of Roe v. Wade in June 2022, restoring regulatory authority over abortion to the states, Texas outlawed nearly all abortions. 

A Thursday CNN report cited data from the Texas Department of State Health Services, showing that around 2,200 infants died in the state in 2022, an 11.5% increase from the previous year. The article implies that the increase could be a result of the Texas Heartbeat Act. However, the reporter did acknowledge a recent report that found Texas experienced more than 10,000 more births than expected as a potential factor. 

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The report cites Dr. Erika Werner, an OB-GYN who argued in favor of the theory that strict abortion laws lead to a higher number of infant deaths. 

"We all knew the infant mortality rate would go up because many of these terminations were for pregnancies that don't turn into healthy, normal kids," the doctor and chair of obstetrics and gynecology at Tufts Medical Center said. "It's exactly what we all were concerned about." 

Michael New, an associate scholar at the pro-life Charlotte Lozier Institute and an assisting professor of social research at the Catholic University of America, proposed that factors such as illegal immigration and the COVID-19 pandemic's disruptions to prenatal care are other potential reasons for the increase. 

"Additionally, the reporter engages in some statistical sleight of hand. While infant deaths increased in Texas in 2022, so did births," New wrote in a Thursday National Review article. "Both my Charlotte Lozier Institute study from November 2002 and a recent article in the Journal of the American Medical Association have found that the Texas Heartbeat Act resulted in an increase in the birth rate in Texas in 2022."

The pro-life researcher asserted that it would be more appropriate to analyze the infant-mortality rate instead, which, according to his calculations, rose by 6.6% in 2022. New acknowledged that while this is still concerning, it's not the "dramatic increase" that CNN makes it appear to be. 

"Furthermore, it should also be noted that the infant mortality rate in Texas in 2022 was well within recent historical norms," the scholar noted. "In fact, the Texas infant-mortality rate was actually lower in 2022 than in any year from 2007 to 2017. That, of course, receives no mention in the CNN article." 

New also addressed another potential factor behind the increase, highlighting the leading cause of infant mortality in Texas: congenital conditions.

According to Texas Health and Human Services, birth defects accounted for approximately 26% of all infant deaths before one year of age from 2010 to 2017. 

"The Texas Heartbeat Act is not causing an increase in congenital conditions but rather preventing unborn children from being aborted due to their medical condition," New wrote. "Many such children were tragically dying before the Texas Heartbeat Act. However, since they were aborted, they were not counted as infant deaths."

"During the past 15 years, Texas has been a leader in enacting strong pro-life policies," he continued. "It is no surprise that mainstream media have worked overtime to try to find evidence of a public-health crisis in the Lone Star State."

Earlier this year, data released by the Texas Health and Human Services Commission (HHS) showed that only three abortions took place in the state in August 2022, compared with 2,596 in June. The report found that all were deemed "medically necessary" abortions and that no elective abortions were performed last August.