ST. LOUIS — Missouri’s abortion ban appears to have had a chilling effect on the number of abortions provided in hospitals when there are health complications with a pregnant patient or her fetus, state health department data shows. For nearly a decade, the number of hospital abortions in the state — abortions typically performed when a mother’s life is at risk or in cases of severe fetal anomalies — exceeded 80 a year and appeared to be steadily rising.
That trend quickly reversed halfway through 2022 when the U.S. Supreme Court struck down Roe v.
Wade, triggering Missouri’s strict abortion ban. The following year, the number of hospital abortions dropped to 29, a nearly 72% decrease from 2021, when 102 took place. Though Missouri’s ban makes exceptions for medical emergencies, some providers say the state’s data suggests pregnant women may not be receiving adequate care when dealing with life-threatening medical conditions.
“Hospital-based abortions occur when patients are faced with their worst fears about their own health or the health of their babies,” said Dr. Jennifer Smith, a Washington University obstetrician with a private practice in Town and Country . “The fact that there is such a significant decrease in hospital-based abortion is because doctors and hospitals cannot care for these patients in the way in which we were trained and the way in which patients deserve.
” Every week across the state, Smith said, women experiencing miscarriages ar.
