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New research says the Texas abortion ban has increased the number of unwanted or unsafe pregnancies in the state, and has increased the numbers of both live births and infant deaths.

The study is from the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. It looked at birth and death statistics after lawmakers passed Senate Bill 8 in 2021 that enacted the state's six-week abortion ban.

Study co-author Dr. Suzanne Bell, Hopkins associate professor and demographer, said before the bans, pregnant people had the option to terminate a pregnancy if a fetal anomaly was detected.

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"Infant deaths increased, in part, through continuation of pregnancies with congenital malformations," said Bell, "the leading cause of infant mortality in the U.S. These bans may also increase infant mortality by limiting access to high-risk pregnancy care, which can in turn exacerbate maternal complications."

Bell said overall, the study shows abortion bans may be stopping or even reversing medical breakthroughs. Texas has a complete abortion ban with exceptions for some medical emergencies.

Bell said the study shows after SB 8 was enacted, there were an additional 10,000 births in the state. Infant deaths increased by about 13 percent.

She added that since many clinics have shut down across Texas, it’s harder for some people to access reproductive care.

"Impacts were largest among racially minoritized individuals," said Bell, "those without a college degree, Medicaid beneficiaries, unmarried individuals and younger individuals, as well as those in Southern states."

The research was conducted before the Supreme Court overturned Roe vs Wade in 2022, a decision that gave individual states the authority to pass their own abortion bans.