ECTOPIC PREGNANCY DEATHS HAVE NEARLY DOUBLED & THE RISE IS STEEPER IN STATES WITH ABORTION BANS

September 2026 · Maternal Health

A ProPublica analysis of CDC data found that almost 200 women died after an ectopic pregnancy from 2020 to 2025, compared with about 100 in the previous six years. Deaths rose nationwide, but much faster in states that banned abortion after Roe v. Wade was overturned in 2022, and Louisiana is one of those states. Most state bans, including Louisiana’s, make exceptions for ectopic pregnancies. However, lawsuits and federal complaints allege that some doctors in these states hesitate or refuse to treat patients without a definitive diagnosis, which can take days or weeks while the risk of rupture grows. Experts caution that abortion bans alone can’t explain the national increase, and they say more research is needed to find out what’s driving it.