Infant mortality increases in Mississippi, Texas, and nationally align with maternal substance use rather than post‑Dobbs or provider‑access narratives. Evidence links prenatal drug exposure to prematurity, low birth weight, and a sevenfold higher SIDS risk, while congenital syphilis (tied to drug use) has risen tenfold in a decade. Public statements that omit the drug connection risk misdirecting interventions.
— Reframing infant mortality around maternal addiction shifts policy toward addiction screening, treatment, and perinatal safeguards instead of culture‑war explanations.
2025.10.06
85% relevant
The Mississippi/Texas infant‑mortality spikes are tied to maternal drug use and a tenfold rise in congenital syphilis, aligning with the idea that addiction, not post‑Dobbs or provider access narratives, is a key driver of recent infant mortality trends.
Emily Putnam-Hornstein, Naomi Schaefer Riley
2025.10.03
100% relevant
Mississippi’s infant mortality jump (8.9 → 9.7 per 1,000) and a cited meta‑analysis showing sevenfold higher SIDS rates after in‑utero drug exposure, alongside a tenfold rise in congenital syphilis.
← Back to All Ideas