A new scientific study published by the Journal of American Physicians and Surgeons indicates that Ireland provides better maternal and neonatal healthcare to pregnant women and their babies. The study reviewed more than 40 years of national health data, including rates of maternal mortality, stillbirth, and preterm birth.
In Great Britain, where abortion has been legal since 1968, rates of maternal mortality have remained obstinately high. The article reports maternal mortality of 6 per 100,000 in England and Wales. Meanwhile, abortion-free Ireland boasts one of the world’s lowest rates of maternal mortality, with only 3 deaths per 100,000 women.
Although Irish women can travel to Great Britain to obtain an abortion, the rate of abortions performed on Irish women remain low. The authors calculated that fewer than one-tenth of Irish women will experience an induced abortion, compared to one-third of English women. A prior medical history of induced abortion was correlated with preterm birth and low birth weight, which are in turn associated with with a higher rate of cerebral palsy. The study’s authors discovered that these indicators of neonatal health are also more favorable in the Irish jurisdictions.
“Over the 40 years of legalized abortion in the UK there has been a consistent pattern in which higher abortion rates have run parallel to higher incidence of stillbirths, premature births, low birth-weight neonates, cerebral palsy, and maternal deaths,” the authors conclude. “In contrast, both Irish jurisdictions consistently display lower rates of all morbidities and mortality associated with legalized abortion.”
The study comes on the heels of proposed legislation which would put Ireland on a path toward British-style abortion law.
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