Health

The Women Most Affected by Abortion Bans

Published

12 months ago

March 17, 2025

The Women Most Affected by Abortion Bans

Abortion bans successfully prevented some women from getting abortions in the immediate aftermath of the Supreme Court’s overturning of Roe v. Wade, according to a detailed new study of birth data from 2023. The effects were most pronounced among women in certain groups — Black and Hispanic women, women without a college degree, and women living farthest from a clinic.

Abortion has continued to rise since the period the data covers, especially through pills shipped into states with bans. But the study identifies the groups of women who are most likely to be affected by bans.

For the average woman in states that banned abortion, the distance to a clinic increased to 300 miles from 50 miles, resulting in a 2.8 percent increase in births relative to what would have been expected without a ban.

For Hispanic women living 300 miles from a clinic, births increased 3.8 percent. For Black women, it was 3.2 percent, and for white women 2 percent.

“It really tracks, both that women who are poorer and younger and have less education are more likely to have an unintended pregnancy, and more likely to be unable to overcome the barriers to abortion care,” said Dr. Alison Norris, an epidemiology professor at Ohio State who helps lead a nationwide abortion counting effort and was not involved in the new study.

The working paper, released Monday by the National Bureau of Economic Research, is the first to analyze detailed local patterns in births soon after the Dobbs decision in 2022, a period when abortion was declining or about flat nationwide.

Unexpectedly, abortions have increased nationwide since then. Researchers say this is evidence of unmet demand for abortions before Dobbs. Since then, telehealth and a surge in financial assistance have made it easier for women to get abortions, in both states with bans and where it remained legal.

But the new findings suggest that the assistance didn’t reach everyone. State bans appear to have prevented some women from having abortions they would have sought if they were legal.

The national increase in abortion masks that some people were “trapped by bans,” said Caitlin Myers, a professor of economics at Middlebury College and an author of the paper with Daniel Dench and Mayra Pineda-Torres at Georgia Tech. “What’s happened is an increase in inequality of access: Access is increasing for some people and not for others.”

The rise in births was small, suggesting that most women who wanted abortions had still gotten them, said Diana Greene Foster, the director of research at Advancing New Standards in Reproductive Health at the University of California at San Francisco. Still, she said, the new study was persuasive in showing the effects of bans: “I now feel more convinced that some people really did have to carry pregnancies to term.”

John Seago, the president of Texas Right to Life, said that a federal abortion ban would work better than a patchwork of state policies, and that states like Texas needed to do more to reduce out-of-state travel and mail-order abortion pills. But he did think Texas’ law was making a difference.

“We obviously are seeing the evidence that the bans are actually preventing abortions,” he said. “They’re actually saving lives.”

Previous studies have measured changes in the abortion rate, but Professor Myers said looking at the number of babies born is the most definitive way to know whether abortion bans actually work. Research from the years before Roe was overturned showed that longer distances from clinics affected abortions and births.

“This is the paper I’ve been waiting to write for years,” she said. “These are the data I was waiting for.”

The data she wanted was detailed birth certificates filed in 2023. Mothers include information about their age, race, marital status, level of education and home address in nearly every state, making demographic comparisons possible. The researchers used a statistical method that compared places with similar birthrates before Dobbs to estimate how much a ban changed the expected birthrate.

They also used county-level data to look at changes in births within states. In counties in states with bans where the distance to the nearest clinic in another state didn’t change, births increased 1 percent. In counties where the distance increased by more than 200 miles, births increased 5 percent.

In Texas, the largest state with an abortion ban, births increased more in Houston, where the nearest clinic is 600 miles away in Kansas, than they did in El Paso, where the nearest clinic is 20 miles away in New Mexico. Similarly, births increased more in the South, where states are surrounded by other states with bans, but very little in eastern Missouri, where there are abortion clinics across the border in Illinois.

The researchers also looked at appointment availability at nearby clinics, because some clinics have been overrun with people traveling from other states. They found that if women were unable to get an appointment within two weeks, births increased even more.

Still, even in places with bans that had no change in distance to the nearest clinic or appointment availability there, relative births increased slightly, which Professor Myers attributed to “a chilling effect” of bans.

The findings are in line with other research. A previous analysis, using state-level data through 2023 and a different statistical method, found that births increased 1.7 percent, and more among women who were Black or Hispanic, unmarried, without college degrees, or on Medicaid.

“Using different methods, using slightly different data, we’re coming to the same conclusion about the disparate impacts of these policies on populations,” said Suzanne Bell, a demographer at Johns Hopkins and an author of that paper. “I think that’s adding further evidence to the notion that these are real impacts that we’re capturing.”

Since the study’s county-level data ends after 2023, it’s possible that births in states with bans have decreased since then. Abortions nationwide have continued to increase, including for women in states with bans.

Doctors in states that passed so-called shield laws, which protect them from legal liability if they send pills into states with bans, began doing so in earnest during the summer of 2023. Abortions done this way would not affect birth data until 2024.

But using provisional state-level birth data from 2024, the new paper found almost no change in births from 2023. This data is less reliable, but researchers said that even with shield laws, some women are still unlikely to get an abortion — especially those with fewer resources, who may not know about telehealth abortion sites or are wary of ordering pills online.

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Health

Scientists make startling discovery when examining prostate cancer tissue

Published

10 hours ago

March 1, 2026

Press Room

Scientists make startling discovery when examining prostate cancer tissue

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Small fragments of plastic were found in the tumors of most prostate cancer patients, according to a new study from NYU Langone Health.

In past studies, microplastics have been found in almost every human organ and in bodily fluids, but their impact on human health still isn’t fully understood.

The researchers analyzed tissue samples from 10 patients with prostate cancer who underwent surgery to remove the entire organ.

Using visuals of both benign samples and tumor samples, as well as specialized equipment, the scientists identified plastic particles in 90% of the tumor samples and 70% of benign tissue samples, according to the study press release.

In past studies, microplastics were found in almost every single human organ along with bodily fluids, even the placenta. (iStock)

The cancerous tissue contained on average more than double the amount of plastic as healthy prostate tissue samples, the study found. This equates to about 40 micrograms of plastic per gram of tissue compared to 16 micrograms.

Researchers avoided contaminating the samples with other plastics by substituting standard tools with those made of aluminum, cotton and other non-plastic material, the release noted.

NIGHTLY BATHROOM HABIT WAS MISSED SIGN OF COMMON MEN’S CANCER: ‘I DIDN’T KNOW’

The scientists say this is the first direct evidence linking microplastics to prostate cancer.

“By uncovering yet another potential health concern posed by plastic, our findings highlight the need for stricter regulatory measures to limit the public’s exposure to these substances, which are everywhere in the environment,” said senior study author Vittorio Albergamo, assistant professor in the department of pediatrics at NYU Grossman School of Medicine, in the release.

The study findings were presented during the American Society of Clinical Oncology’s Genitourinary Cancers Symposium in San Francisco on Feb. 26.

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“What is most striking is not that microplastics were detected, but that they were found embedded within tumor tissue itself,” Dr. David Sidransky, oncologist and medical advisor at SpotitEarly, a startup that offers an at-home breath-based test to detect early-stage cancer, told Fox News Digital.

“While complete avoidance is unrealistic, people can take practical steps to reduce exposure.”

“We already know microplastics are present in water, air, blood and even placental tissue. Their detection in prostate tumors suggests systemic distribution and long-term bioaccumulation,” added Maryland-based Sidransky, who was not involved in the study.

Study limitations

Albergamo cautioned that a larger sample is needed to confirm the findings. Additionally, Sidransky noted that the presence of microplastics alone does not prove they cause cancer.

“Tumors can act as ‘biologic sinks,’ meaning they may accumulate circulating particles simply because of altered vasculature and permeability,” he said.

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A key unanswered question, according to the doctor, is whether microplastics are biologically active in ways that “promote DNA damage, immune modulation or chronic inflammation within the prostate.”

About one in eight men in the U.S. will be diagnosed with prostate cancer at some point in their lifetime, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The most actionable step men can take is appropriate screening and early detection, according to doctors. (iStock)

For those concerned about microplastics, Sidransky offered some insights.

“I believe the appropriate response is curiosity, not panic, and a commitment to understand more,” he said.

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“While complete avoidance is unrealistic, people can take practical steps to reduce exposure, such as minimizing heating food in plastic containers, reducing bottled water consumption when possible, and favoring glass or stainless steel alternatives.”

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The most actionable step men can take, however, is getting appropriate screenings to help ensure early detection, according to the doctor. Screening discussions should be individualized based on age, family history and other risk factors.

Khloe Quill is a lifestyle production assistant with Fox News Digital. She and the lifestyle team cover a range of story topics including food and drink, travel, and health.

Health

How a Vegan Diet Can Help You Lose Weight 8X Faster

Published

21 hours ago

February 28, 2026

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How a Vegan Diet Can Help You Lose Weight 8X Faster

How a Vegan Diet Helps You Lose Weight 8X Faster | Woman’s World

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Health

Cancer-linked herbicide in the spotlight after controversial order: ‘Toxic by design’

Published

22 hours ago

February 28, 2026

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Cancer-linked herbicide in the spotlight after controversial order: ‘Toxic by design’

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There has been a shake-up in the Make America Healthy Again movement regarding glyphosate, a widely used herbicide that has been the subject of significant controversy.

The debate follows an executive order signed by President Donald Trump that ensures an adequate supply of elemental phosphorus and glyphosate-based herbicides related to national defense.

MAHA supporters have previously pushed a pesticide-free agenda, warning of potential health harms caused by glyphosate.

Dr. Marc Siegel, Fox News senior medical analyst, said he believes there is sufficient evidence linking glyphosate to neurodegenerative diseases, including ALS, Parkinson’s and multiple sclerosis, to warrant limiting exposure.

President Donald Trump signed an executive order that ensures an adequate supply of elemental phosphorus and glyphosate-based herbicides related to national defense. (AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall)

“With Parkinson’s, this association appears to be due to the gut, vagus nerve and brain axis, where the exposure affects the microbiome in the gut, which then ascends slowly up to the brain, causing the neurodegenerative disease years later,” Siegel told Fox News Digital.

“There is also a growing association being found between high-dose glyphosate or occupational exposure and metabolic disorders, liver disease and some cancers, specifically lymphoma.”

He added, “Growing research backs this. I favor limiting it.”

“When we apply them across millions of acres and allow them into our food system, we put Americans at risk.”

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Studies have shown that glyphosate, which is used in products such as Roundup, owned by Monsanto, could raise cancer risk.

In one University of Washington study published in the journal Mutation Research, researchers found that exposure to it increased the risk of non-Hodgkin lymphoma by 41%.

The nonprofit Investigate Midwest, which analyzed data from both the U.S. Geological Survey and the National Cancer Institute, also recently found that pesticides may contribute to cancer rates.

RFK JR BACKS BEEF, DECLARING ‘WAR ON PROTEIN IS OVER’ AS HE THANKS AMERICA’S CATTLE RANCHERS

Among the top 500 counties for per-square-mile pesticide use, more than 60% had cancer rates above the national average of 460 cases per 100,000 people, according to the report.

Investigate Midwest, which is based in Illinois, interviewed more than 100 farmers, environmentalists, lawmakers and scientists as part of a partnership with the Pulitzer Center’s StoryReach U.S. Fellowship.

Among the top 500 counties for per-square-mile pesticide use, more than 60% had cancer rates above the national average of 460 cases per 100,000 people, according to one study. (iStock)

Iowa, which used 53 million pounds of pesticides last year, holds the nation’s title for second-highest cancer rate.

Bill Billings, a resident of Red Oak, Iowa, was diagnosed with cancer in 2014.

“The cancer specialist said, very directly, (my) cancer is a result of being exposed to chemicals,” Billings said in the report.

Kelly Ryerson, founder of Glyphosate Facts and owner of the Instagram account @glyphosategirl, told Fox News Digital her journey researching the herbicide began with her own health struggles.

Ryerson, who is based in California, previously struggled with chronic illness and autoimmune issues, which she said improved when she stopped eating gluten.

Iowa, which used 53 million pounds of pesticides last year, holds the nation’s title for second-highest cancer rate. (iStock)

After attending a medical conference at Columbia University’s Celiac Disease Center, Ryerson began to question modern farming practices rather than the gluten itself.

“A lot of times, farmers are spraying Roundup on our grains right before harvest to facilitate an easier harvest,” she said. “After that easier harvest, because everything’s dry at the same time, those crops go directly to the mill and may end up in our food supply, at alarmingly high levels.”

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In 2015, the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), part of the World Health Organization framework, classified glyphosate as “probably carcinogenic to humans.”

The classification was based on limited evidence of cancer in humans (notably non-Hodgkin lymphoma in some studies) and sufficient evidence in experimental animals.

“President Trump’s executive order reinforces the critical need for U.S. farmers to have access to essential, domestically produced crop protection tools, such as glyphosate,” a Monsanto spokesperson said. (Wolf von Dewitz/picture alliance via Getty Images)

A spokesperson for Monsanto told Fox News Digital it will comply with Trump’s order to produce glyphosate and elemental phosphorus.

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HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has long been a vocal critic of Roundup, working with his legal team in 2018 to award $289 million to a man who alleged the weed killer caused his non-Hodgkin lymphoma, according to reports.

Following backlash to Trump’s executive order, Kennedy said he supports the order but acknowledged that “pesticides and herbicides are toxic by design, engineered to kill living organisms.”

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“When we apply them across millions of acres and allow them into our food system, we put Americans at risk,” he posted on X. “Chemical manufacturers have paid tens of billions of dollars to settle cancer claims linked to their products, and many agricultural communities report elevated cancer rates and chronic disease.”

Fox News Digital reached out to the White House for comment.

Ashley J. DiMella is a lifestyle reporter with Fox News Digital.