State Abortion Bans are Likely to Deepen Inequities in Access to Abortion and Exacerbate Racial Disparities in Maternal Heath
While there have been large inequities in access to abortion for decades, the 2022 Supreme Court ruling that struck down the Constitutional right to abortion will likely widen those differences and exacerbate racial disparities in maternal health.
A KFF analysis examines how state abortion bans and restrictions have a disproportionate impact on some racial and ethnic groups and the implications of state restrictions for racial health disparities. Key findings include:
Black and American Indian and Alaska Native (AIAN) women are more likely than other groups to live in states with abortion bans and restrictions. About six in ten of Black (60%) and AIAN (59%) women ages 18-49 live in such states, compared to just over half (53%) of White, less than half of Hispanic (45%), and about three in ten Asian (28%) and Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander (NHPI) (29%) women in that age group.
Uninsured rates are higher in states with abortion bans or restrictions than in those that provide broader abortion access and are higher among many groups of women of color compared to their White counterparts. The analysis finds that uninsured rates for women ages 18-49 are at least twice as high in states that banned abortion compared to those in states with broader access for White (10% vs. 5%), Hispanic (33% vs. 15%), Black (14% vs. 7%), and Asian (10% vs. 5%) women, and nearly three times higher for NHPI women (29% vs. 10%).
Women of color have more limited financial resources and transportation options than White women, making it more challenging for them to travel out-of-state for an abortion.
Before Dobbsv. Jackson Women’s Health Organization there were already significant racial disparities in pregnancy-related mortality, which may widen due to state abortion restrictions. Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islanders , Black and AIAN people are more likely to die while pregnant or within a year of the end of pregnancy compared to White people. Abortion restrictions also may limit the availability of maternity care in certain areas and exacerbate racial disparities in certain adverse birth outcomes, such as births that are preterm or low birth weight.
For the full analysis and other data and analyses about racial disparities and women’s health, visit kff.org.
