{"id":2284200,"date":"2024-06-26T18:11:02","date_gmt":"2024-06-26T22:11:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/no-texas-pro-life-law-did-not-cause-a-rise-in-infant-deaths\/"},"modified":"2024-06-26T18:16:07","modified_gmt":"2024-06-26T22:16:07","slug":"no-texas-pro-life-law-did-not-cause-a-rise-in-infant-deaths","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/no-texas-pro-life-law-did-not-cause-a-rise-in-infant-deaths\/","title":{"rendered":"No, Texas\u2019 Pro-Life Law Did Not Cause A Rise In Infant Deaths"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"float:left\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">24<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fno-texas-pro-life-law-did-not-cause-a-rise-in-infant-deaths%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2284200&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>The text discusses the controversy \u200csurrounding Texas&#8217; heartbeat \u2063law,\u2062 which, effective from \u200bSeptember 2021, restricts abortions once \u2063a fetal heartbeat is detected.\u200d Recent statistics reveal an 8.3 percent increase in infant mortality which some media and researchers attribute to the law. These researchers suggest the mortality\u200b may be due to forced continuation of pregnancies with lethal\u200d congenital abnormalities. Criticism of the study highlights potential methodological faults, such as conflating correlation\u200b with causation \u2063and ignoring other factors like the rise in births in Texas.\u200c Media outlets have been accused of\u200d using these findings to critique Texas&#8217; pro-life policies and align them with\u2062 increased infant\u200d mortalities. \u200dThe narrative raises issues about the interpretation of data and the\u2063 political ramifications of such interpretations in the ongoing abortion debate.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<div>\n<p>More Texas babies than ever in recent history are escaping pre-term murder after the state enacted a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/abortion-facility-in-ohio-tossed-preborn-babys-remains-into-dumpster-in-violation-of-state-law-report\/\" title=\"Abortion Facility In Ohio Tossed Preborn Baby\u2019s Remains Into Dumpster In Violation Of State Law: Report\">heartbeat law<\/a> in 2021, but corporate media are using a new study that blames the lifesaving protections for a jump in infant mortality to vilify pro-life policies and promote <a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2022\/09\/20\/media-activists-wont-grill-democrats-on-unpopular-abortion-extremism-because-they-agree-with-it\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Democrats\u2019 extreme abortion agenda<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>The data, published in<a href=\"https:\/\/jamanetwork.com\/journals\/jamapediatrics\/article-abstract\/2819785\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"> JAMA Pediatrics<\/a> this week, claims there was an 8.3 percent increase in infant deaths in the Lone Star State after the lifesaving law, which bars abortion beyond the presence of a fetal heartbeat except in certain cases, went into effect in September 2021.<\/p>\n<p>The study and its authors seem to suggest that infants suffering from a congenital abnormality, which the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention pins as the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cdc.gov\/maternal-infant-health\/infant-mortality\/index.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">leading cause<\/a> of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/fisher-price-recalls-rockn-play-sleepers-again-after-seat-now-linked-to-over-100-baby-deaths\/\" title=\"Fisher-Price Recalls Rock\u2019n Play Sleepers Again After Seat Now Linked To Over 100 Baby Deaths\">baby deaths<\/a> in the U.S., are better off being murdered in the womb than having a fighting chance to meet their parents face to face and survive with the help of medical intervention after birth.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cSome \u2014 but not all \u2014 of the increase we found was likely due to forced continuation of pregnancies with known lethal congenital anomalies,\u201d one of the authors, Alison Gemmill, <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/alisongemmill\/status\/1805274577310011657\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">wrote<\/a> on X.<\/p>\n<p>The study itself had several problems including the lack of a <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/ptbrennan11\/status\/1805645258673258658\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">statistically significant increase<\/a> that its internal tables prove and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonpost.com\/politics\/2024\/06\/25\/texas-abortion-ban-infant-mortality\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">an admitted<\/a> failure to account for other contributing factors such as the state\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/www.texastribune.org\/2024\/01\/26\/texas-abortion-fertility-rate-increase\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">massive increase in births<\/a> over the last three years, and conflating correlation with causation. <\/p>\n<p>Even the groundwork for the study doesn\u2019t quite add up. Johns Hopkins researchers said they investigated the exposure group starting in March 2022, when babies who were spared from in-utero murder because of Senate Bill 8 were <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/hillary-clinton-praises-teen-who-secretly-switched-valedictorian-speech-to-bash-texas-abortion-law\/\" title=\"Hillary Clinton Praises Teen Who Secretly Switched Valedictorian Speech To Bash Texas Abortion Law\">full-term<\/a>. In the article\u2019s conclusion, however, researchers claimed \u201cunexpected increases in infant and neonatal deaths\u201d in the state occurred \u201cbetween 2021 and 2022.\u201d<\/p>\n<figure><\/figure>\n<p>Despite the questionable formation and framing of the study, outlets such as the <a href=\"https:\/\/apnews.com\/article\/abortion-texas-infant-mortality-birth-defects-b055ac35cdbc9ec13f400b4c3e1056e7?utm_campaign=TrueAnthem&#038;utm_medium=AP&#038;utm_source=Twitter\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Associated Press<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonpost.com\/politics\/2024\/06\/25\/texas-abortion-ban-infant-mortality\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">The Washington Post<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2024\/06\/26\/upshot\/in-texas-infant-mortality-rose-after-abortion-ban.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">The New York Times<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/PTBwrites\/status\/1805648165606928400\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">The Bulwark<\/a>, and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.vanityfair.com\/news\/story\/texass-pro-life-abortion-law-has-literally-led-to-more-infant-deaths\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Vanity Fair<\/a> quickly latched onto the narrative that baby deaths in Texas rose dramatically <a href=\"https:\/\/www.vanityfair.com\/news\/story\/texass-pro-life-abortion-law-has-literally-led-to-more-infant-deaths\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">\u201cliterally\u201d<\/a> because of its proactive pro-life stance.<\/p>\n<p>While it\u2019s true that more babies are dying outside of the womb than inside now that Texas has effectively outlawed abortion, there is no logic behind the widespread claim that protecting children from in-utero murder, not abortion laws, is the deadlier option.<\/p>\n<p>You don\u2019t have to be a genius to understand that babies who survive murder in-utero prior are, like every other human on the planet, more eligible to die after birth. <\/p>\n<p>National infant mortality statistics do not account for infant death <em>before<\/em> birth. If they did, the data would show that <a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2023\/10\/04\/two-years-later-the-texas-heartbeat-act-has-saved-thousands-of-lives\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">thousands of little lives<\/a> in the Lone Star State are saved from murder in the womb each month because of SB8.<\/p>\n<p>To put that into perspective, post-birth baby deaths in Texas went from approximately <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cdc.gov\/nchs\/pressroom\/sosmap\/infant_mortality_rates\/infant_mortality.htm\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">165 per month to 186 per month<\/a> from 2021 to 2022. Demise in the womb, however, went from approximately 4,400 abortions per month before the state\u2019s heartbeat law went into effect to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.texastribune.org\/2024\/06\/24\/abortion-dobbs-anniversary-pregnancy-complications\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">five<\/a> per month after.<\/p>\n<p>Thanks to Texas\u2019 heartbeat law, babies whose survivals were threatened by the possibility of abortion now have a chance to live, or at least die with dignity instead of by dismemberment.  <\/p>\n<hr>\n<p>      Jordan Boyd is a staff writer at The Federalist and producer of The Federalist Radio Hour. Her work has also been featured in The Daily Wire, Fox News, and RealClearPolitics. Jordan graduated from Baylor University where she majored in political science and minored in journalism. Follow her on X @jordanboydtx.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Since Texas enacted a heartbeat law in 2021, a record number of babies have avoided pre-term death. However, a new study in JAMA, cited by corporate media, links this law to increased infant mortality, framing it as a critique of pro-life policies and supporting a Democratic pro-abortion stance<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":490,"featured_media":2284201,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/Untitled-design-1-1.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[7380,5294,32932,8347,3694],"class_list":["post-2284200","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","tag-misinformation","tag-facts","tag-infant-deaths","tag-pro-life","tag-texas"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/Untitled-design-1-1.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2284200","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/490"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2284200"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2284200\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2284201"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2284200"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2284200"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2284200"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}