Here’s how Indiana ranks nationally for reproductive health

INDIANAPOLIS (MIRROR INDY) — A new report ranks Indiana’s reproductive health care 29th in the nation, highlighting the state’s poor infant mortality rate.

The Commonwealth Fund, a private foundation that advocates for health equity, released scorecards on July 18 for each state’s reproductive health outcomes and quality of care. The study looked at factors that include infant and maternal mortality, abortion access, rates of health insurance coverage, prenatal and postpartum care and mental health.

Results were mostly along political lines: red states like Mississppi and Texas ranked last, while more progressive states like Massachusetts and Rhode Island topped the list. 

Indiana fell in the middle nationally but ranked second-to-last in the Great Lakes region, behind Ohio. The Hoosier state had a lower rate of syphilis compared to the national average, and more women who reported being up-to-date with breast cancer screenings and attending health checkups within the past two years. But Hoosier mothers are still facing one of the highest infant mortality rates in the country and poor mental health outcomes. Diminished access to abortion in the wake of a near-total ban in 2022 also lowered Indiana’s ranking.

[How to get help paying for your medical bills at Eskenazi Health] 

“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.” 

Mirror Indy reporter Mary Claire Molloy covers health. Reach her at 317-721-7648 or email maryclaire.molloy@mirrorindy.org. Follow her on X @mcmolloy7.