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Miscarriages are incredibly common. Abortion bans have made them less safe.

Since care for abortion and pregnancy loss is the same, restrictions on one have had disastrous impacts on the other.

by Aubrey Hirsch

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miscarriageHEADER
Aubrey Hirsch for Vox
Image: rows of babies. Text: Miscarriages can be deeply heartbreaking. They are the most common early pregnancy complication, occuring in as many as 20% of known pregnancies.
Image: A woman sits on a couch as her husband comforts her. Text: Many people experiencing miscarriage choose to speed up the process and make it more predictable by choosing medical intervention. This can offer a patient some semblance of control in an overwhelming situation.
Image: A torn daily calendar shows the image of a crying woman. Text: Without medical intervention, the process can be easy and quick, or it can be painful and prolonged, taking up to eight weeks. And a fifth of miscarriages occurring before week 13 require treatment to prevent harm to the pregnant person.
Image: A clump of cells in a uterus. Text: Medically, any termination of a pregnancy before the fetus is viable is called an “abortion,” whether it’s spontaneous — like miscarriage — or induced.
Image: mifepristone and misoprostol, used in miscarriages and abortions up to 10 weeks; dilation and curettage (D&C), used for miscarriages and abortions after 10 weeks. Text: Because the medical interventions used in miscarriage and abortion care are identical, the restrictions on abortions imposed since the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade have had devastating consequences for miscarriage care.
Image: A pharmacist tells a woman, “Abortion pills are illegal here.” The woman replies, “But I have a prescription!” Text: In the weeks following that 2022 decision, some women reported being denied miscarriage treatment at pharmacies. Denials have continued despite warnings from the Biden administration that refusing to fill these prescriptions could violate federal anti-discrimination laws.
Image: A woman tells her doctor, “I just want to be on the other side of this.” The doctor replies, “Come back if you have dizziness, fever, or really heavy bleeding.” Text: Doctors in states with abortion bans may be more likely to recommend waiting for pregnancy tissue to pass naturally out of fear of being accused of facilitating an abortion.
Image: 6 doctors, with one with a red mark over her face. Text: In fact, almost 1 in 6 OB-GYNs nationwide report constraints on their ability to care for pregnant patients experiencing complications or miscarriage.
Image: A chart showing OB-GYNs reporting constraints on care they can offer patients. Text: That number is significantly higher in states with abortion bans. Source: Kaiser Family Foundation
Text: Risks of delayed care for miscarriage complications can be life-threatening and include blood clots, severe blood loss, infection, and sepsis. Image shows these complications.
Image: A fetus in a uterus behind shattered glass. Text: These risks are even higher in cases of “inevitable miscarriage,” where the fetus is no longer viable but cardiac activity is still detectable.
Image: A pregnant woman holds her stomach. Text: In states with strict bans, people facing this kind of loss have been forced to carry fetuses with no chance of survival until cardiac activity ceases or until they become dangerously ill.
Image: A prescription pad constrained by chains reads “medical termination.” Text: Only then do some doctors feel confident they can justify an abortion under the laws’ very narrow exceptions to protect a pregnant person’s life.
Image: An infant with a sheet over them on a gurney. Text: These constraints on maternal care contribute to alarming trends in infant and maternal mortality rates in states with abortion bans. Babies born in states with abortion bans were 30% more likely to die in the first month of life than those born in states with more expansive reproductive freedoms.
Image: A chart of maternal deaths showing the difference in states where abortion is banned, restricted, and allowed. Text: People in states with abortion bans are more than twice as likely to die while pregnant, birthing, or newly postpartum. Source: Gender Equity Policy Institute analysis of CDC (2018-2021)
Image: A pregnant woman stands alone. Text: Abortion bans remove options for people enduring the grief of pregnancy loss, turning an already vulnerable moment into a perilous one and make the world less safe for all pregnant people.
Image: A scale with a heart on one side and a pile of papers reading “law” on the other, heavier side. Text: Doctors should be focused on providing patients with compassionate care, not on the fear of legal repercussions.
Image: A pregnant woman’s stomach. Text: Prolonging the physical and emotional suffering of miscarriage is a cruel disregard for the health and humanity of pregnant people.
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