The public has been sold the lie that abortion keeps women safe and, by extension, reduces maternal mortality rates. We’ve been told lack of access to so-called reproductive care will kill women. During the 2024 election season, the Harris-Walz campaign pointed to President Donald Trump as a threat to women based on abortion. The data tell a different story.

Abortion lies, not abortion bans, have caused harm to women, and the maternal mortality rate is actually decreasing. Data published this month by the National Center for Health Statistics show the 2023 maternal mortality rate in the United States was “18.6 deaths per 100,000 live births.” This is a total of 669 deaths. In 2022, the rate was 22.3, which resulted in a total of 817 deaths.