In August 2025, the Mississippi State Department of Health (MSDH) declared an alarming public health emergency due to rising infant mortality rates in the state. The MSDH reported that “2024 data shows the overall infant mortality rate has increased to 9.7 deaths per 1,000 live births, which is the highest in more than a decade. In Mississippi, 3,527 babies have died before the age of 1 since 2014.”
Mississippi currently holds the grim title of having the highest infant mortality rate in the United States, nearly double the average of nations in the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD). The MSDH’s declaration of a public health emergency underscores the dire need for action, enabling them to mobilize additional resources and foster collaboration across various partners. This urgent call for help highlights the plight of children not only in Mississippi but also in other states grappling with similarly high infant mortality rates, including Arkansas, Alabama, Alaska, South Carolina, Louisiana, Oklahoma, and Ohio.
However, public health advocates in Mississippi and beyond face significant obstacles due to hostile state and federal policies. One critical tool to combat infant mortality—Medicaid expansion—has been staunchly resisted by Mississippi Governor Tate Reeves, who has refused to expand Medicaid, which covers approximately 60 percent of births in the state. While the extension of postpartum care under Medicaid to a full year is a step forward, many low-income women remain uninsured between pregnancies, leaving them vulnerable and without necessary health care.
Adding to the crisis, cuts to Medicaid resulting from Donald Trump’s “Big Beautiful Bill” threaten to leave an estimated 40,000 more Mississippians without health coverage. The Trump administration has also effectively dismantled the Pregnancy Risk Assessment Monitoring System (PRAMS) by reducing staff at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Division of Reproductive Health. This system is crucial for collecting data on maternal and infant health throughout pregnancy and beyond, and its suspension has left states like Mississippi without essential data during a public health emergency.
Despite the GOP’s self-proclaimed pro-family stance, the maternal and infant mortality statistics across the United States tell a vastly different story. Policies enacted by Republican-controlled state legislatures significantly contribute to deteriorating maternal and infant health outcomes. Historically, the situation has been troubling, but the current administration’s war on public health has exacerbated the crisis at an alarming rate. Many public health professionals are reeling from RFK Jr.’s reckless attacks on vaccination, which have included discouraging COVID-19 vaccinations for pregnant individuals and infants.
The recent press conference held at the White House showcased President Trump making unfounded claims linking vaccines and acetaminophen to autism. Renowned bioethicist Arthur Caplan expressed his dismay at the president’s statements, describing them as “the saddest display of a lack of evidence, rumors, recycled old myths, lousy advice, outright lies, and dangerous recommendations.” Caplan’s words reflect a growing concern among health professionals regarding the misinformation being disseminated by those in positions of authority.
It is essential to clarify that vaccines do not cause autism, and while the relationship between acetaminophen and autism is more nuanced, extensive research—including a large Swedish study involving nearly 2.5 million children—has found no significant connection between prenatal acetaminophen use and autism when accounting for genetic and parental health factors.
Trump’s reckless comments regarding acetaminophen use during pregnancy are not just irresponsible; they are potentially dangerous. Untreated fevers in early pregnancy can increase the risk of miscarriage, birth defects, and premature birth, while alternative nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) pose well-documented risks to developing fetuses. Medical societies swiftly pointed out the importance of acetaminophen as the safest option for pregnant individuals dealing with fever and pain, yet Trump’s statements threaten to undermine this crucial guidance.
As the barriers to maternal and child health continue to mount, it becomes evident that RFK Jr. and President Trump are leading a perilous charge against the welfare of mothers and infants in the United States. Their actions—from attacking vaccination initiatives to undermining the use of a key medication during pregnancy, to dismantling programs that monitor and support maternal and child health—paint a grim picture of a government presiding over a modern-day massacre of the innocents. It is a crisis that should rightfully provoke outrage and demand action from all corners of society.
