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Southern state claims to be 'most pro-life' in the US but has highest rates of maternal and infant deaths
A US state claiming to be the most pro-life in America is also home to some of the highest death rates for pregnant woman and babies, statistics show.
Arkansas, which banned abortions unless the mother's life is in danger, has the third highest infant mortality rate in the US, with 7.7 infants dying per 1,000 live births, compared to the US national average of 5.6.
It also has the fourth highest maternal mortality rate - about 38 per 100,000 mothers, compared to the nationwide average of 23.
Experts attribute the high death rates to tightened abortion laws as well as an exodus of OB-GYNs, causing birthing clinics to shut down. Those that are still standing have severe staffing shortages, and there is widespread confusion among mothers about where they can receive their prenatal care.
Additionally, poor sex education and lack of accessible birth control has led to higher-than-average rates of teen pregnancy and pregnancy complications.
'If we really say to the world we’re pro-life, we need to put our money where our mouth is and make sure these women are treated and have the care they need,' state representative Aaron Pilkington, a republican, told The Washington Post.
Sa-Ryiah Lincoln, a 15-year old new mother living in a rural county in Arkansas, has dealt with the complicated landscape of giving birth in the state. Her hometown of Warren has an estimated population of 5,227.
When the teen began spending more time with a boy, her mother, Ronica Lawson, tried to find a doctor in the area who could give her birth control - specifically, a long term kind like an IUD or arm implant.
She couldn't find anyone and months later, Sa'Ryiah found out she was pregnant.
Several months into her pregnancy, when Sa'Ryiah spotted blood in her underwear, she called an ambulance. While on the way to a nearby hospital, they learned that hospital no longer had labor and delivery services.
This isn't an anomaly in the state.
Sixty-four percent of hospitals in rural areas of Arkansas don't offer labor and delivery services, according to a July 2024 report.
In the past four years, the number of hospitals providing labor and delivery in the state dropped to 35, The Post reported.
As such, Sa'Ryiah had to travel 30 minutes away to get care - but she and the baby were fine.
The remainder of her pregnancy checkups had to be done at a clinic 30 minutes from her home, called Mainline.
Mainline has seen a sharp increase in patients as more and more rural hospitals in the area shut down.
One obstetrician at the clinic had delivered more than one baby a day in February.
Obstetrician Dr Kara Worley, who has worked at multiple clinics in the state that have since closed, said the situation since the Dobbs v Jackson supreme court decision in 2022, which overturned Roe v Wade and took away federal protections to abortion, has been chaotic.
'From where I stand, [lawmakers] haven’t done anything except make it harder to care for the patient,' Dr Worley told The Post.
Because of staff shortages, red-tape from abortion laws and limited resources, she's had to forego treating patients until they were actively sick, she added.
Despite the barriers Sa-Ryiah faced, she gave birth to a healthy baby boy named Kaydence this year.
Arkansas ranked fourth in the nation for maternal mortality - with 38.3 new mothers dying per ever 100,000 births. This data is based on 2018-2022 reports from the CDC
Acknowledging the problems with maternal healthcare, state lawmakers have begun attempting to address the situation.
They plan to expand a program at the University of Arkansas that trains and certifies midwifes and have expanded Medicaid so that it covers birth control implants for new mothers.
Rep Pilkington pushed two laws that provide depression screening for mothers to be covered by Medicaid.
Pilkington told the Arkansas Advocate it could help 'Arkansas to go from one of the worst states to have children to one of the best states to have children.'
In addition, Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders just announced a new initiative to address maternal health. It includes educating women about what programs they might be eligible for before and after birth.
'The solution is not more government programs. The solution is getting women to take advantage of the programs we already have,' Gov Sanders said.
But critics say more government assistance is needed.
Gov Sanders' plan didn't include expanding postpartum Medicaid coverage from 60 days after pregnancy to a year. Every state except Arkansas has pursued this expansion, NPR reported.
The state also doesn't require sex education at public schools.
When a school opts to pursue a program, it's pressured by state to feature abstinence-first education, according to The Post. Sexual health experts at Columbia say this tactic fails to prevent unwanted pregnancies.
Teen pregnancy rates in Arkansas are two times higher than the national average.
In Arkansas, teen pregnancy rates are nearly double the national average. Preterm births also represent 11.8 percent of all births - higher than the national average of 10.4 percent
Republican Governor from Arkansas Sarah Huckabee Sanders delivered remarks during the second day of the Republican National Convention
A 2024 report from the Arkansas Advocates for Children and Families therefore concluded: 'Teenagers here aren’t any more sexually active than they are in other states.
'The difference is access to contraceptives, especially the most effective kind, and lack of information because sex education isn’t required here.'
Locals like Hajime White, a doula with a degree in early childhood education who started Precious Jewels - a non-profit group for mentoring new mothers - questioned what government resources Gov Sanders was referring to in her recent maternal healthcare initiative.
'She said there’s resources. Where are the resources?' Ms White said.
Ms White said she's had a hard time finding steady suppliers for things like diapers, car seats and food for her nonprofit organization.
She's been passed over multiple times for state grants to fund her work, which has helped new mothers like young Sa'Ryiah deliver their babies safely.
She herself has raised her six girls in Arkansas, and works two full time jobs to be able to fund her work at Precious Jewels.
And while she struggles to find funding, religion-based pregnancy counseling centers seem to have plenty of funds to operate, Ms White told the Post.
Since Arkansas' abortion ban went into affect, the state has given $2million to these faith-based centers, with another $2million approved for the upcoming fiscal year.