This is Indiana’s nationwide ranking in terms of reproductive health

Indianapolis, Indiana – Indiana’s bad newborn mortality rate is highlighted by a new analysis that puts the state’s reproductive health care system 29th in the country.

Scorecards for each state’s reproductive health outcomes and service quality were made public on July 18 by the Commonwealth Fund, a private charity that promotes health fairness. Prenatal and postpartum care, mental health, access to abortion, rates of health insurance coverage, and newborn and mother mortality were among the factors examined in the study.

The results generally followed political lines: more progressive states like Massachusetts and Rhode Island topped the list, while Republican states like Texas and Mississippi scored lowest.

While being second-to-last in the Great Lakes region, behind Ohio, Indiana was in the center of the country. In comparison to the national average, the Hoosier state had a lower rate of syphilis and a higher percentage of women who reported having had regular checkups and breast cancer screenings within the previous two years. However, Hoosier moms continue to face poor mental health outcomes and one of the highest infant mortality rates in the nation. Indiana was ranked worse as well due to restricted access to abortion following an almost complete prohibition in 2022.

“It is disheartening to see the rising disparities in women’s health across the nation,” co-author Dr. Laurie C. Zephyrin wrote in the report. “Our country’s fractured landscape of reproductive health access will make it even more difficult to close these widening gaps, especially for women with low incomes and women of color.”