WASHINGTON, January 26, 2005 (LifeSiteNews.com) – The US Centers for Disease Control (CDC) released figures Monday revealing that the US infant mortality rate rose in 2002 for the first time in 44 years, due to an increased number of very low birth weight babies.
Very low birth weights occur in babies who are born prematurely – a phenomenon which can often be directly tied to a mother’s previous history of abortion.
The increase in infant mortality, from 6.8 infant deaths per 1,000 live births in 2001 to 7.0 in 2002, was the first increase in the infant mortality rate since 1958 as reported by the CDC.
Researcher Brent Rooney, with the Reduce Preterm Risk Coalition, compiled a list of twenty-seven studies published in major medical journals showing a significantly elevated risk of premature birth from prior induced abortions.
Medical research indicates that pre-term birth increases the risk of respiratory distress and asthma, Cerebral Palsy and death. The Journal of the American Medical Association, British Medical Journal, The New England Journal of Medicine, American Journal of Public Health and others all published studies showing the link.
Rooney told LifeSiteNews.com in September that a French study examining 10 European countries, including France, reported that prior abortions boosted the risk of very preterm (i.e. before 32 weeks’ gestation) birth. One abortion elevated every preterm risk by 1/3 and two prior abortions boosted the risk by 47%.
“Birthweight is one of the most important predictors of an infant’s survival chances,” according to CDC epidemiologist Marian F. MacDorman. “The infant mortality rate for very low birth weight infants [less than 1 lb, 10.5 oz] was 105 times higher than the rate for infants born weighing [5 lb, 8 oz] or more.”
Multiple births may also contribute to the increase in low birth weight infants, according to the CDC. Multiple births usually occur in women using in vitro fertilization treatments to achieve pregnancy.
Read related LifeSiteNews.com coverage:
French Medical Giant links Abortion to Preemie Births
Major Study Finds Mother’s Abortion History Is a Factor In Health Of Newborns
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