The Texas Abortion Ban and Maternal Mental Health

Was the implementation of Texas Senate Bill 8 (SB8), which banned abortions after embryonic cardiac activity with no exemptions for congenital anomalies, associated with differences in the prevalence of fair or poor maternal mental health outcomes?In this cross-sectional study of 4323 mothers in Texas and 152 537 mothers in states without abortion bans, mothers residing in Texas had a statistically significant higher likelihood of reporting fair or poor mental health after SB8 went into effect compared with mothers in states without abortion restrictions. The association was more pronounced among Texas mothers with public health insurance.These findings suggest that abortion bans may be correlated with worsening maternal mental health outcomes.

Corresponding Author: Alyssa L. Burnett, MPH, Harvard Pilgrim Health Care Institute, 401 Park Dr, Boston, MA 02128 (alyssa_burnett@hphci.harvard.edu).

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