Reproductive Coercion Linked to Violence in Relationships

I have heard of women going to great lengths to punch holes in condoms or to conveniently forget their birth control pills in an effort to get pregnant from their partners. That ticking biological clock can get us women to do some crazy things. However, I have never heard about men who would do the same things until today. In a study from UC Davis, men who attempt to derail birth control methods (by damaging contraceptives like condoms) in order to force a pregnancy on their partner (defined here as “reproductive coercion”) are also more likely to resort to sexual and physical violence in their relationships.

The study is entitled “Pregnancy Coercion, Intimate Partner Violence and Unintended Pregnancy.” In it, the relationship amongst unplanned pregnancy, pregnancy coercion and violence between partners was examined for the first time. The findings showed that those women who had been coerced into pregnancy and who had also experienced violence from their partner had twice as much risk of having an unplanned pregnancy. The lead author of the study Elizabeth Miller from the UC Davis School of Medicine, states, “This study highlights an under-recognized phenomenon where male partners actively attempt to promote pregnancy against the will of their female partners. Not only is reproductive coercion associated with violence from male partners, but when women report experiencing both reproductive coercion and partner violence, the risk for unintended pregnancy increases significantly.”

The study was performed over the span of eight months between last August and this past March. Five Northern California health clinics that specialize in reproductive health participated. There were close to 1,300 female participants between the ages of 16 and 29 years. The women were asked to complete a survey that asked specific questions about their pregnancies and their relationships with their sexual partners. Here is a sampling of some of the questions:

“Has someone you were dating or going out with ever told you not to use any birth control” or “… said he would leave you if you would not get pregnant?”

“Has someone you were dating or going out with ever taken off the condom while you were having sex so that you would get pregnant?”

Close to 20% of the women surveyed felt they were coerced into pregnancy while 15% of the women admitted that their birth control methods had been compromised by their partners. Over 50% of the women also admitted that their partners were either sexually or physically violent. Of this group, close to 35% said they had been coerced into pregnancy or had their birth control tampered with by their partners. The senior author of the study, Jay Silverman, stated, “We have known about the association between partner violence and unintended pregnancy for many years. What this study shows is that reproductive coercion likely explains why unintended pregnancies are far more common among abused women and teens.”

The study strongly urges that women be educated about pregnancy coercion and offered counseling on domestic violence, if necessary. Miller states, “This study confirms that women experiencing partner violence are more likely to have greater need for sexual and reproductive health services. Thus, clinical settings that offer reproductive health services likely offer the greatest opportunity to identify women experiencing partner violence and to ensure that women receive the counseling and support they may need.”