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1/3 of Abused Women Pressured Into Pregnancy

Abusive male partners use 'reproductive coercion' to maintain control

By Harry Kimball,  Newser Staff

Posted Jan 27, 2010 10:52 AM CST
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(Newser) – Around a third of women physically abused by their partners are also the victims of a subtler form of abuse, dubbed “reproductive coercion.” Abusive male partners force women to become pregnant, or sabotage their birth control efforts. “In the larger scheme of violence against women and girls, it is another way to maintain control,” one doctor who has studied the phenomenon tells Newsweek.

The doctor remembers the clinic patient who opened her eyes to reproductive coercion. She was the victim of domestic violence, and also “was coming in for a pregnancy test, not wanting to be pregnant, and not wanting to use birth control.” A new study finds that even 15% of women who have never reported violence are victims of coercion. “Just like violence, it's a power thing,” says another doctor. Professionals suggest doctors be more open to the possibility of coercion as a way to identify victims of domestic violence.

Birth control.
Birth control.   (<a href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/" target="source">©</a><a href="http://flickr.com/search/people/?m=name&q=outcast104" target="source">outcast104</a>)
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If you have a patient coming in and saying, "I don't want to be pregnant," it really behooves clinicians to offer her methods where she can control the outcome, whether her partner agrees or not.
- Elizabeth Miller, University of California, Davis

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COMMENTS
Showing 3 of 20 comments
Snarfeh
Jan 27, 2010 10:26 AM CST
Damn, son, you are making my eyes well up with tears. Pitying you is a liberal talking point? I pity you even more now, luv...if you're not careful, you're gonna make me want to hug you....
davjc09
Jan 27, 2010 10:15 AM CST
I'm not disagreeing. I think you're probably correct. It just seems counterintuitive to force a pregnancy to maintain control. When you bring a child into this world, you sacrifice some of your own autonomy to care for it. I'm guessing the monetary sacrifice is small enough in the abusers mind compared to the overall sacrifice of the mother, who will most likely be doing all the childcare responsibilities.
Snarfeh
Jan 27, 2010 9:50 AM CST
@myvoice and toon - Pleaes try to find it in your hearts to pity whattha. I did and if I can, anyone can. He is indeed pitiful.
Lifestyle • Health • US

 
pregnancy • women's health • birth control • domestic violence • domestic abuse • reproductive coercion

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