Pro-life legislation in several states following the Supreme Court's June 2022 Dobbs decision has reportedly saved over 22,000 babies from abortion. A study published by the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) found that since June 2022, there have been 22,180 "excess births" in states with near-total protections for unborn lives or protections after six weeks of pregnancy.

Michael New, a pro-life scholar and professor at the Catholic University of America, discussed the study on "Washington Watch with Tony Perkins." He highlighted the significance of JAMA publishing this report, noting that it is a "secular … fairly liberal academic journal" unlikely to emphasize pro-life laws' impact. New explained that while it's challenging to determine if pro-life laws directly reduce abortions due to women traveling out of state or country for procedures, an increase in births provides strong statistical evidence that these laws are saving lives.

New also addressed a finding in the study regarding infant mortality rates increasing by 6% higher than expected. He argued that the data was misrepresented and pointed out that longer-term trends show a decrease in infant mortality. Since Dobbs, there has been an overall nationwide decrease in both maternal and infant mortality.

Additionally, New countered arguments suggesting abortion benefits public health. He said that pro-life laws aim to protect both mother and child and suggested that any increase in infant mortality might be due to more children being born with congenital defects rather than being caused by pro-life laws.

Mary Szoch, director of the Center for Human Dignity at Family Research Council, praised the study's findings and expressed optimism about the future impact of these saved lives on America.

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