Impact of Abortion-limiting Legislation on Preterm and Early Term Birth in Atlanta, Georgia, 2020-2023.

IF 4.4 2区医学 Q1 PUBLIC, ENVIRONMENTAL & OCCUPATIONAL HEALTH

Epidemiology Pub Date : 2026-11-01 Epub Date: 2026-07-27 DOI:10.1097/EDE.0000000000002029

Stephanie M Eick, Xiaping Zheng, Howard H Chang, Suchitra Chandrasekaran, Anne L Dunlop, Dana E Goin

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引用次数: 0

Abstract

Background and objectives: Abortion restrictions, including the United States Supreme Court decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization , have led to higher rates of adverse pregnancy outcomes and stress among pregnant women. It remains unknown whether the Dobbs decision or subsequent state-level legislation influenced early births. We assessed changes in the weekly number of conceptions and rates of preterm birth (PTB) (<37 weeks) and early term birth (ETB) (37-38 weeks) following the Dobbs decision (leak of draft and official ruling) and Georgia House Bill (HB) 481.

Methods: We analyzed deliveries from hospitals affiliated with Emory University between 2020 and 2023. We calculated the weekly number of live-birth weekly pregnancy counts by the first day of gestation, the percentage of preterm and ETBs over time, and estimated hazard ratios (HR) for preterm and ETB in association with three events: leak of the Dobbs draft opinion, the Dobbs official ruling, and HB481 implementation.

Results: Following the leak of the Dobbs decision, the number of pregnancy counts declined. Among pregnancies conceived following HB481 implementation, there was an increase in the risk of PTB (HR = 1.16, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.03, 1.29) and ETB (HR = 1.05, 95% CI = 0.99, 1.12). Similar patterns were observed following the leak of the Dobbs decision and the official ruling.

Conclusions: Among pregnancies conceived post-HB481 implementation, there was an increase in the risk of PTB. These findings suggest that abortion-related legal changes may influence fertility patterns and perinatal outcomes.

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限制堕胎立法对2020-2023年佐治亚州亚特兰大市早产儿和早产的影响

背景和目的：堕胎限制，包括美国最高法院在多布斯诉杰克逊妇女健康组织一案中的判决，导致孕妇不良妊娠结局和压力的比例更高。目前尚不清楚多布斯案的判决或随后的州级立法是否影响了早产。我们评估了每周怀孕次数和早产率的变化(方法：我们分析了2020-2023年间埃默里大学附属医院的分娩情况。我们计算了按妊娠第一天计算的每周活产数、随时间推移的早产和早产的百分比，并估计了早产和早产的风险比（HR），这些风险比与三个事件有关：Dobbs草案意见的泄露、Dobbs官方裁决和HB481的实施。结果：多布斯决定泄露后，妊娠计数下降。在实施HB481后怀孕的孕妇中，早产（HR=1.16, 95% CI=1.03, 1.29）和早产（HR=1.05, 95% CI=0.99, 1.12）的风险增加。在多布斯案的判决和官方裁决泄露之后，也观察到了类似的模式。结论：在hb481实施后怀孕的孕妇中，早产风险增加。这些发现表明，与堕胎相关的法律变化可能会影响生育模式和围产期结局。

本文章由计算机程序翻译，如有差异，请以英文原文为准。

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来源期刊

Epidemiology 医学-公共卫生、环境卫生与职业卫生

CiteScore

6.70

自引率

3.70%

发文量

177

审稿时长

6-12 weeks

期刊介绍： Epidemiology publishes original research from all fields of epidemiology. The journal also welcomes review articles and meta-analyses, novel hypotheses, descriptions and applications of new methods, and discussions of research theory or public health policy. We give special consideration to papers from developing countries.