Posted on 09/13/2026 8:50:00 PM PDT by Morgana
This Wednesday, ProPublica ran an article blaming recently enacted pro-life laws for an increase in ectopic pregnancy deaths.
They claim that the ectopic pregnancy death rate has more than doubled since 2014. Additionally, the article provides data which purportedly shows a greater ectopic pregnancy death rate increase in states with strict abortion bans. This article received a large amount of online attention. It was reposted by CNN and has been covered by a number of news outlets including Medical Daily and Scripps Howard.
Not surprisingly, there is much less here than meets the eye. First the CDC does not publicly release data on ectopic pregnancy deaths. As such, we cannot verify the accuracy of the data in the ProPublica article. Secondly, data on low probability events, like ectopic pregnancy deaths, can easily be distorted by a few outliers. That might be the case here. Indeed, the data presented in the ProPublica article indicate that as of 2025, there are fewer than ten ectopic pregnancy deaths for every million live births.
Most importantly, the data presented fail to provide any evidence that pro-life laws are in any way responsible for this reported increase in ectopic pregnancy deaths. In fact, no state pro-life law prevents treatment for ectopic pregnancies.
In fact, a far more likely culprit for the ectopic pregnancy death rate is the sharp increase in telehealth abortions. That is because if a woman obtains a chemical abortion without an in-person medical exam, a potential ectopic pregnancy will go undiagnosed. Furthermore, during the testing of mifepristone in the 1980s, it was established that mifepristone does not induce abortion of ectopic pregnancies. As such, the prevalence of telehealth abortions places women with ectopic pregnancies at risk.
ProPublica dismisses this by stating, “Ectopic rates are far lower among people who seek medication abortion.” They also claim that telehealth clinics “ask questions that filter out patients at higher risk of ectopic pregnancy and follow up with those they treat to screen for symptoms.” However, a recent Charlotte Lozier Institute analysis shows that entities that provide telehealth abortions are largely unregulated and will send chemical abortion drugs to nearly anyone.
More importantly, the latest data indicate that about 28 percent of all abortions take place via telehealth. That represents over 300,000 missed opportunities to properly diagnose an ectopic pregnancy. That could easily explain the reported increase in ectopic pregnancy deaths.
Blaming pro-life laws for bad health outcomes has become a cottage industry among journalists who support legal abortion. However, they have not found much.
In fact, a prominent supporter of legal abortion recently admitted that pro-life laws were not causing maternal mortality increases and that OBGYNs were not departing pro-life states. It is sad, but not surprising, that the media amplifies research claiming pro-life laws hurt women while turning a blind eye to the real health risks caused by the sharp increase in unregulated telehealth abortions.
LifeNews.com Note: Dr. Michael New is a professor at Ave Maria University. He is a former political science professor at the University of Michigan–Dearborn and holds a Ph.D. from Stanford University. He is a fellow at Witherspoon Institute in Princeton, New Jersey.
why don’t we talk about something realistic? Ectopic pregnancies occur in about 1% to 2% of all pregnancies in the United States. Just about the same ratio as covid deaths.
wy69
How does outlawing the murder of a fetal human in the womb have anything to do with detecting and addressing an ectopic pregnancy? They might as well claim there are more cases of foot fungus due to pro-life laws.
You want realistic? Ectopic pregnancies occur more often in women who have had an abortion. This is because of the damage to the uterus caused from past abortions.
“ How does outlawing the murder of a fetal human in the womb have anything to do with detecting and addressing an ectopic pregnancy?”
It doesn’t. They’re just desperate to bring back constitutional protections for abortion
Abortion is part of any birth control plan/lifestyle. It’s plan B. Without plan B they can’t use the plan A part of birth control. They lose their boyfriends, fiancés who want to keep pretending they have nothing to do with birth control (which abortion is part of)
It all falls apart
You’ll see insane reasoning like this
Heavens to Betsy!
Regards,
Pro-Life Laws Increasing Incidence of jock itch !
Yuh see, my joke was funny because when you kill fewer babies in the womb, you get more babies - and hence more diaper rash.
But jock itch?!
One could also opine that a decrease in abortions results in more young couples suffering from sleep deprivation.
Regards,
What causes more deaths, abortion or ectopic pregnancy?
Do homosexual males get Ectopic pregnancies?
“You want realistic?”
I believe the reality is that only a maximum of 3% of pregnancies end in this problem. The leading cause of death in infants in the United States is congenital malformations, deformations, and chromosomal abnormalities (birth defects). Around 30% of accidents on the highways are caused by inebriation. (Alcohol and drug related)
Here’s an article on abortions increasing the problem:
There is no evidence that abortions directly cause ectopic pregnancy. In countries where pregnancy termination is legal and accessible, abortions are generally very safe.
https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/can-abortion-cause-ectopic-pregnancy
There are a lot of death and decapitating problems in our world. This is not to be overlooked but it is not a high on the intense list like others.
wy69
It takes a sharp Paramedic to catch this condition in the field, I had a slightly nutty Paramedic on my crew that diagnosed the condition on a patient encountered on a Medical Run many years ago. Medics on an ambulance crew didn’t want to transport because they didn’t see the same problem. I told the ambulance crew that I would get them fired as soon as they went in service and to take the patient on to the hospital. We later called the hospital, my crew member was right again. The guy was the king of patient assessment. This condition is dangerous and the symptoms easy to miss.
“But jock itch?!”
According to the left men can get pregnant too. So yes jock itch.
“This condition is dangerous and the symptoms easy to miss.”
I can understand that part. But trying to blame something on an increase with a condition for up to 3% that already existed does not promote a sense of urgency. You start to get into this thing happened due to something in a situation like this is truly stretching a point. Did it, possibly. But having it happen to someone in a coicidental situation is also a possibility. Not a real epidemic. And the appearance of trying to use it as an anti-abortion medical condition with a small possibility is not gaining any points. I don’t agree with abortion in most cases but justifying shutting down the action with this is not near enough.
wy69
Bkmk
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