Subject: Deceptive Study: Abortion is over 44 times Safer than Childbirth

The Elliot Institute News

Deceptive Study: Abortion is Over 44 Times Safer than Childbirth

Pensacola, FL (Feb. 23, 2026) – Abortion bans will expose women giving birth to "44 to 70 times higher than the mortality risk from abortion," according to a new study from the University of Maryland and Brown University.


The lead author, Maria Steenland, an assistant professor at the University of Maryland’s School of Public Health, claims, “Our new analysis shows that it is far more dangerous to be pregnant than to have an abortion, and this gap in mortality risk is even larger than previously recognized.”


But what is the new evidence their analysis is based on?


Two numbers. First, the number of maternal deaths associated with childbirth which are required to be reported and systematically investigated in all 50 states.  Second, the number of deaths reported as due to abortion . . . which are not systematically reported, much less routinely investigated, in any of the 50 states.


So, remember the fact that any number divided by zero is infinitely high.


That means that the better the job abortion proponents do in ignoring, hiding or disguising abortion related deaths the ratio of maternal childbirth deaths to abortion deaths will continue to rise, even unto infinity.  So a ratio of 44 to 70 childbirth to abortion deaths is just a good start.  But no matter what number they choose to report, it is false.

Better Studies Prove Abortion Is Linked to Higher Rate of Death

The above problem and a summary of better studies proving that childbirth is safer than abortion are addressed in a brief critique by the Elliot Institute's David C. Reardon that was published by the medical journal as a comment on the study:

Steenland et al argue that abortion bans will increase mortality rates of women [1]. The fundamental problem with this analysis is that it ignores the fact that there is no systematic process for identification and collection of abortion related deaths [2, 3].  Steenland is comparing a well research statistic, maternal deaths, with a unreliably reported abortion deaths.

Studies show that only 1% of deaths following abortion will be identified without linkage of death certificates to abortion registries [4], which simply don’t exist in the USA.

Moreover, “abortion related deaths” are defined by the CDC as any “death from a direct complication of an [induced] abortion (legal or illegal), an indirect complication caused by a chain of events initiated by an abortion, or an aggravation of a preexisting condition by the physiologic or psychologic effects of abortion” [5]. Therefore, any comparison of abortion related deaths should include deaths from suicide, which are known to increase after abortion [3, 6–8].

Steenland’s decision to include only deaths related to abortion deaths in the short-term also ignores strong evidence that abortion contributes to an increased risk of death from cardiovascular diseases and other causes [3, 7, 9, 10].

For example, a population study in Quebec revealed that  a 50% increased risk of premature death (HR 1.50, 95% CI 1.39, 1.62) which persisted for approximately fifteen years—including elevated rates of death from suicide, sepsis | shock or organ failure, cardiovascular disease and renal diseases—even after controlling for age, material deprivation, rural residence, and pre-existing comorbidities including pre-existing mental illness, defined as any psychiatric disorder, substance use disorder, or suicide attempt occurring before or during the index pregnancy.  [emphasis added]

In short, the best available evidence shows that abortion is an independent risk factor for a 50% higher rate of death than for women who carry to term.   


Therefore, Steenland et al's assertion that abortion bans will increase maternal mortality is not supported by good evidence. It is instead an example of why abortion proponents routinely oppose the laws and regulations necessary to provide for adequate surveillance of abortion related injuries. Junk data makes it easier to pretend that abortion is safe.


Read more about the elevated risk of maternal deaths following abortion here.

 

References

[1]       Steenland MW, Mercon K, Brown BP, et al. Pregnancy- and Abortion-Related Mortality in the US, 2018-2021. JAMA Netw Open 2026; 9.

[2]       Reardon D, Strahan T, Thorp J. Deaths Associated with Abortion Compared to Childbirth-A Review of New and Old Data and the Medical and Legal Implications. J. Contemp. Health L. & Pol’y, 2003.

[3]       Reardon DC, Thorp JM. Pregnancy associated death in record linkage studies relative to delivery, termination of pregnancy, and natural losses: A systematic review with a narrative synthesis and meta-analysis. SAGE Open Med; 5. Epub ahead of print 13 December 2017. DOI: 10.1177/2050312117740490.

[4]       Gissler M, Berg C, Bouvier-Colle M-H, et al. Methods for identifying pregnancy-associated deaths: Population-based data from Finland 1987-2000. Paediatr Perinat Epidemiol 2004; 18: 448–455.

[5]       Pazol K, Creanga AA, Burley KD, et al. Abortion surveillance - United States, 2010. MMWR Surveill Summ 2013; 62: 1–44.

[6]       Auger N, Healy-Profitós J, Ayoub A, et al. Induced abortion and implications for long-term mental health: a cohort study of 1.2 million pregnancies. J Psychiatr Res 2025; 187: 304–310.

[7]       Auger N, Ghadirian M, Low N, et al. Premature mortality after pregnancy loss: Trends at 1, 5, 10 years, and beyond. EUROPEAN JOURNAL OF OBSTETRICS & GYNECOLOGY AND REPRODUCTIVE BIOLOGY 2021; 267: 155–160.

[8]       Reardon DC. Suicide risks associated with pregnancy outcomes: a national cross-sectional survey of American females 41–45 years of age. Journal of Psychosomatic Obstetrics and Gynecology 2025; 46: 2455086.

[9]       Tsulukidze M, Reardon DC, Craver C. Effects of prior reproductive losses on risk of cardiovascular diseases within six months of a first live birth. International Journal of Cardiology Cardiovascular Risk and Prevention 2024; 200260.

[10]      Tsulukidze M, Reardon D, Craver C. Elevated cardiovascular disease risk in low-income women with a history of pregnancy loss. Open Heart 2022; 9: e002035.


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