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.

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.

Abortion bans may be disproportionately impacting already disadvantaged populations who are at higher risk of infant mortality and delays in receiving timely medical care, the res

But the effects — sampled from more than a dozen states that had abortion bans — aren’t felt evenly, according to studies published in JAMA Thursday. Start the day smarter.