Pro-abortion news outlet ProPublica claims Texas’ strong protections for preborn babies are tied to a reported increase in sepsis, but a statistical expert says there is more to the story.

“Texas banned abortions. Then sepsis rates soared,” a February article states. “Pregnancy became far more dangerous in Texas after the state banned abortion in 2021, ProPublica found in a first-of-its-kind data analysis.”

Let’s look at the facts. In 2021, the state began allowing civil lawsuits against anyone who helps facilitate an abortion of a baby with a detectable heartbeat. In 2022, the state mostly prohibited killing preborn babies, prescribing a punishment of up to 99 years for illegal abortions.

What is sepsis? “Sepsis is a serious condition in which the body responds improperly to an infection,” according to the Mayo Clinic. “The infection-fighting processes turn on the body, causing the organs to work poorly.”

And how did the new outlet come to this claim? ProPublica based this assertion on its data that shows “[t]he rate of sepsis shot up more than 50% for women hospitalized when they lost their pregnancies in the second trimester.”

ProPublica reached the 50% figure by taking the number of sepsis cases for women “who lost a pregnancy in the second trimester” in 2021 and comparing it to 2023. There were 67 sepsis cases in 2021 and 99 among this group of women in 2023.

Mainstream media outlets were quick to cite the study to push a narrative that laws that protect preborn babies are dangerous for women. Within several days, PBS, Axios, and a local news outlet ran with stories based on ProPublica’s research.

But the study has several key limitations and facts that are missing from the narrative, and as a result, deserves “skepticism,” according to professor Michael New, a regular commentator on abortion studies and polling.

“Taking their data at face value, since the TX Heartbeat Act took effect, the average annual increase in sepsis cases (involving pregnancy loss) was 28,” Professor New wrote on X.

While concerning, this increase deserves further context.

“Sepsis is a serious issue. But there has not been an enormous surge in sepsis cases involving pregnancy loss,” New wrote.

For context, the state had nearly 400,000 live births in 2023, according to March of Dimes.

New also criticized ProPublica for ignoring its own finding that “hospitalizations involving pregnancy loss” actually fell about 10%.

Texas should rightly be concerned about the health of its moms and babies, and any increase in a serious medical condition deserves further study. But moms deserve a true interest in their healthcare, not simply one used to support a pro-abortion agenda.