The Association Between State-Level Prenatal Substance Use Policies and Rates of Maternal Mortality in the United States: A Legal Epidemiology Study.

ABSTRACT

Little research has explored relationships between prenatal substance use policies and rates of maternal mortality across all 50 states, despite evidence that prenatal substance use elevates risk of maternal death. This study, utilizing publicly available data, revealed that state-level mandated testing laws predicted maternal mortality after controlling for population characteristics.