A report by Raimundo Rojas of the National Right to Life Committee shows that maternal deaths in the United States fell 17 percent from 2022 to 2023, and 43 percent from the pandemic peak in 2021.
The decline coincides with protective pro-life laws enacted after the Dobbs decision, contradicting warnings that such measures would endanger mothers.
Experts note that the leading causes of maternal death remain cardiovascular conditions, hypertension, hemorrhage, infection, and mental health crises—most of which are preventable with quality prenatal and postpartum care. States that invested in maternal health systems, perinatal initiatives, and extended postpartum coverage saw the steepest declines, showing that safeguarding women’s health does not require abortion access.
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