AUSTIN (KXAN) — Senate Bill 8, the Texas law called one of the most restrictive abortion laws in the country at the time of its passing, resulted in almost 9,800 more births in the state, according to a new analysis.
The study, from Johns Hopkins University, estimates 9,799 births in Texas between April and December 2022 were because of the state law.
SB 8, signed by Gov. Abbott in May 2021, prohibits abortions after a fetal heartbeat can be detected. While the bill doesn’t specify a timeframe, heartbeats can be detected as early as six weeks into a pregnancy, before many women even know they are pregnant.
A previous study, led by researchers at the University of Texas at Austin, found a 39.7% decrease in facility-based abortions in the month after SB 8 went into effect. Out-of-state abortions that same month increased by 500%.
“There has been a lot of speculation about how restrictive abortion policies will affect the number of babies being born. This research adds valuable information to that discussion,” said Alison Gemmill, one of the study’s lead authors. “Although our study doesn’t detail why these extra births occurred, our findings strongly suggest that a considerable number of pregnant individuals in Texas were unable to overcome barriers to abortion access.”
Researchers used statistical modeling to create a “synthetic” Texas, based on nationwide birth data. The study showed there would have been 287,289 births in the state between April and December 2022 had SB 8 not been implemented. The actual number of births during that time was 297,088, a difference of 9,799.
“The study’s findings highlight how abortion bans have real implications for birthing people, thousands of whom may have had no choice but to continue an unwanted or unsafe pregnancy to term,” said Suzanne Bell, another of the study’s lead authors.
Bell said the majority of people who seek abortions live close to or below the poverty line, meaning many women who gave birth were likely struggling financially even beforehand.
Data from the Texas Health and Human Services Commission shows the number of abortions performed in the state dropped from 5,706 in August 2021 to 2,251 in September, the month SB 8 took effect, a 61% decrease.
The number of abortions then dropped by 99.5% in the wake of the Supreme Court’s overruling of Roe v. Wade in June 2022. In the first half of the year, a total of 17,126 abortions were performed in the state, according to HHSC data. That figure dropped to just 85 between July and December.
Data released by the Kansas Department of Health and Environment shows 2,978 abortions were performed on Texas residents in 2022, including 50 under the age of 18. The total number is a 1,178% increase from 2021, when just 233 abortions were performed in Kansas on Texas residents.
In 2021, 1,712 Texas women received an abortion in a different state, up from 1,226 in 2020, according to the Texas Health and Human Services Commission. Data for 2022 is expected to be released in September.
The state receives reports from other states through the State and Territorial Exchange of Vital Events, a public health reporting system maintained by the National Association for Public Health Statistics and Information Systems.
Reporting abortion data to the system is voluntary, and not all states participate, according to the HHSC spokesperson. The commission does not maintain data on people who travel internationally to receive an abortion.
AUSTIN (KXAN) — Senate Bill 8, the Texas law called one of the most restrictive abortion laws in the country at the time of its passing, resulted in almost 9,800 more births in the state, according to a new analysis.
The study, from Johns Hopkins University, estimates 9,799 births in Texas between April and December 2022 were because of the state law.
SB 8, signed by Gov. Abbott in May 2021, prohibits abortions after a fetal heartbeat can be detected. While the bill doesn’t specify a timeframe, heartbeats can be detected as early as six weeks into a pregnancy, before many women even know they are pregnant.
A previous study, led by researchers at the University of Texas at Austin, found a 39.7% decrease in facility-based abortions in the month after SB 8 went into effect. Out-of-state abortions that same month increased by 500%.
“There has been a lot of speculation about how restrictive abortion policies will affect the number of babies being born. This research adds valuable information to that discussion,” said Alison Gemmill, one of the study’s lead authors. “Although our study doesn’t detail why these extra births occurred, our findings strongly suggest that a considerable number of pregnant individuals in Texas were unable to overcome barriers to abortion access.”
Researchers used statistical modeling to create a “synthetic” Texas, based on nationwide birth data. The study showed there would have been 287,289 births in the state between April and December 2022 had SB 8 not been implemented. The actual number of births during that time was 297,088, a difference of 9,799.
“The study’s findings highlight how abortion bans have real implications for birthing people, thousands of whom may have had no choice but to continue an unwanted or unsafe pregnancy to term,” said Suzanne Bell, another of the study’s lead authors.
Bell said the majority of people who seek abortions live close to or below the poverty line, meaning many women who gave birth were likely struggling financially even beforehand.
Data from the Texas Health and Human Services Commission shows the number of abortions performed in the state dropped from 5,706 in August 2021 to 2,251 in September, the month SB 8 took effect, a 61% decrease.
The number of abortions then dropped by 99.5% in the wake of the Supreme Court’s overruling of Roe v. Wade in June 2022. In the first half of the year, a total of 17,126 abortions were performed in the state, according to HHSC data. That figure dropped to just 85 between July and December.
Data released by the Kansas Department of Health and Environment shows 2,978 abortions were performed on Texas residents in 2022, including 50 under the age of 18. The total number is a 1,178% increase from 2021, when just 233 abortions were performed in Kansas on Texas residents.
In 2021, 1,712 Texas women received an abortion in a different state, up from 1,226 in 2020, according to the Texas Health and Human Services Commission. Data for 2022 is expected to be released in September.
The state receives reports from other states through the State and Territorial Exchange of Vital Events, a public health reporting system maintained by the National Association for Public Health Statistics and Information Systems.
Reporting abortion data to the system is voluntary, and not all states participate, according to the HHSC spokesperson. The commission does not maintain data on people who travel internationally to receive an abortion.