This is Molly Hemingway, encouraging you to listen to my favorite podcast, issues, etc.

Every day you get in-depth interviews with host Todd Wilkin asking expert guests, substantive, thought-provoking questions on all of the important news and issues of our day.

The expert guests are in culture, law, ethics, philosophy, theology,

and apologetics. Expert guests? Expansive topics. Always extolling Christ. Issues, etc. We are constantly hearing the media narrative that the turn toward pro-life laws in some of our states, the overturning of Roe v. Wade has brought about a social upheaval that women are in danger.

People are leaving pro-life states

and that pro-life laws are backfiring and leading to higher infant mortality and mother mortality.

Is any of that actually true if you look at the numbers? Welcome back to issues et cetera.

I'm Todd Wilkin, joining us to discuss the impact of pro-life laws, Dr. Michael Neu. He's visiting assistant professor

of social research and political science at the Catholic University of America, Senior Associate

Scholar at the Charlotte Lozier Institute, Page Comstock Cunningham fellow with Americans

United for Life, and a columnist for National Review online. Dr. New, welcome back.

Thanks for having me. Much appreciated.

Why is birth data the best way to determine the impact of pro-life laws?

Sure. Birth data is the best way because we can be very confident that if the number of births go up about seven months after a pro-life law takes effect that the pro-life loss have an impact.

The women are choosing life rather than obtaining abortions.

Why is counting abortions difficult?

It's always been difficult.

Partly, we've never had great abortion reporting requirements here in the U.S.

California has not reported any day to the CDC since 1997. In states like

Maryland and New Hampshire often don't report data, that's a problem. Also, in a post-Dob's world,

you know, pro-life laws are doing some good, but pro-life laws can be circumvented. Women can obtain

abortions in other states where the laws are more permissive. In some cases,

...