State-level factors and maternal and child health outcomes

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PROJECT SUMMARY This project uses cutting-edge legal epidemiology techniques to examine population-level maternal and child health (MCH) impacts of pregnancy termination policies in the U.S., including identifying which groups experience adverse consequences and the conditions that buffer consequences. Pregnancy termination in the U.S. is common, with about one out of five pregnancies ending in a termination. Historically, most research about public health impacts of pregnancy termination policies focused on the relationship between legal status of pregnancy termination and maternal morbidity and mortality related to illegal versus legal pregnancy termination. In the U.S. today, however, most pregnancy termination policies do not make all pregnancy terminations illegal; rather, they create barriers to people being able to terminate their pregnancy. Most states have at least one such policy and some states have had some pregnancy termination policies for more than 40 years. Recently, though, the number, strength, types, and co-occurrence of such policies have dramatically changed; some of these policies and policy combinations have contributed to a decrease in the number of pregnancy terminations. The next few years could bring even more drastic changes in these policies. Such policy changes could have public health impacts on people who continue their pregnancies and give birth – particularly on MCH outcomes such as maternal morbidity and mortality, infant mortality, and adverse birth outcomes. Methodologically rigorous research about impacts of being unable to obtain a pregnancy termination on subsequent MCH has been conducted at the individual-level. Yet, only very limited research, much of it with notable methodological limitations, has been conducted at the population-level. This limits our understanding of population-level impacts of pregnancy termination policies. In this project, we assess whether state-level pregnancy termination policies from 2005-present affect MCH outcomes. We also examine whether effects differ by race/ethnicity and socioeconomic status as well as by other state-level characteristics such as economic, gender equality, and structural racism. This study involves state-of-the art coding of our exposure - state-level pregnancy termination policies from 2005-present, including policy adoption and effective dates. Outcomes include births and changes in composition of births, as well as MCH outcomes (maternal morbidity and mortality, preterm birth, low birthweight, and infant mortality). Outcome data will come from insurance claims data, vital statistics data, and the Pregnancy Risk Assessment Monitoring System. We will use both epidemiologic and econometric data analysis approaches to allow for causal interpretation of findings. Findings will provide key evidence to prepare public health and health care systems to care for groups of people most affected by pregnancy termination policies, as well as identify other state-level policies and characteristics that might help buffer any adverse MCH impacts of pregnancy termination policies.