Fewer restrictions on reproductive rights = smaller birth weight risk

In 10 seconds? A state-by-state study addressing a hotly debated topic – women’s reproductive rights - has found that in less restrictive jurisdictions women give birth to fewer babies with low birth weight.

What are the exact findings? The researchers have found that, in general, women living in the least restrictive states, such as New York and California, had a 7% smaller risk of giving birth to babies with low birth weight. When the scientists specifically looked at associations between women of color and the Reproductive Rights Index, their data showed an even higher impact: Black women living in states with the least restrictive reproductive rights policies have an 8% lower low-birth-weight risk compared with their counterparts living in the most restrictive states (for example South Dakota or Missouri).