The findings showed the highest mortality occurred among infants who were Black, lived in Southern states or had fetal birth defects.

Abortion bans in the United States are exacerbating existing health disparities as births increase in high-risk populations and infant mortality rises disproportionately, new research suggests.

Evidence indicates many wealthier people have been able to travel to terminate pregnancies, contributing to increases in abortions despite bans. However, people who are poor, nonwhite and live in Southern states also now bear higher infant deaths and increased births because they lack access to abortion services.

Overall, infant mortality was about four times higher among births linked to abortion bans than it was in the general population, said Dr. Suzanne O. Bell, lead author of the fertility study and researcher at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.

Increases in infant mortality have been found in U.S. states that enacted abortion bans or severe restrictions after the Supreme Court overturned the landmark ruling that guaranteed a right to the procedure,