Strict laws on divorce and abortion during pregnancy increase the chances of pregnant women being killed
There are several states in the United States that prohibit abortion. As of
State Divorce Laws, Reproductive Care Policies, and Pregnancy-Associated Homicide Rates, 2018-2021 | Public Health | JAMA Network Open | JAMA Network
https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamanetworkopen/fullarticle/2825998
Barriers to divorce linked to pregnancy-associated homicide
https://www.psypost.org/study-links-barriers-to-divorce-and-reproductive-healthcare-to-higher-pregnancy-associated-homicide-rates/
Homicide is one of the leading causes of death among pregnant women in the United States, outnumbering medical complications associated with pregnancy and childbirth such as preeclampsia and blood loss. Most perpetrators are the pregnant woman's most intimate partner, and younger women and black women are particularly vulnerable to murder.
When Caitlin Boyle , an associate professor of criminology at the University of South Carolina, learned that Missouri has a rule that if the wife is pregnant, the judge will not finalize the divorce until the wife gives birth, she became interested in the impact that such strict divorce and abortion laws might have on the homicide rate of pregnant women.
'I've studied violence against women for years and knew that homicide is the leading cause of death among pregnant women,' Boyle said. 'I was curious about patterns in laws that restrict access to reproductive health care and legal barriers to divorce, and I began to wonder whether women are more likely to be killed while pregnant regardless of the law, or whether they are more likely to be killed by their partners in states with more restrictive laws.'
Boyle and his team used the National Violent Death Reporting System database, which compiles information on violent deaths, including homicide, to analyze pregnancy-related homicide rates in 49 states and Washington, DC, from 2018 to 2021. The data included pregnant women who died during pregnancy or within one year of giving birth, and calculated homicide rates for all women of reproductive age (15-49 years old) and for each group of younger women (10-24 years old).
The research team also looked at state policies regarding reproductive health and divorce. Each state was given a score based on legal barriers to reproductive health, such as public funding restrictions that hinder access to abortion and parental consent requirements. States such as Arkansas, Missouri, and Texas also have rules and laws prohibiting divorce during pregnancy.
The analysis found that states that make it difficult to divorce during pregnancy have significantly higher rates of maternal homicide, and states with legal barriers to abortion access are also associated with higher rates of maternal homicide by intimate partners and non-partners.
'The study found that states with better access to abortion care had lower murder rates for black and Hispanic women, highlighting the protective effect of these policies,' Boyle told psychology media outlet PsyPost.
The findings of this study suggest that when it is difficult to divorce during pregnancy or access to abortion care is hindered, pregnant women who are being treated abusively by their partners are less likely to escape dangerous situations.
'People think of pregnancy and the postpartum period as a vulnerable time when women need more protection than ever before, so when we tell people that pregnancy can be a consequence of violence, and that pregnancy can lead to increased violence, they tend to be surprised. Unfortunately, I wasn't surprised by my findings,' Boyle said.
Pregnant women are less likely to escape abusive partners if they are financially dependent on them, pregnant, or have small children. Legal barriers to divorce or abortion make it even harder to escape violence, as abusers try to prevent victims from fleeing by isolating them and cutting them off from important social, economic, and emotional support systems.
'People in abusive marriages need to know they can start divorce proceedings or get an order of protection from an abusive partner, even in states that have barriers to divorce during pregnancy. As a society, we need to support access to health care and domestic violence services and help those who need help in their lives,' Boyle said.
In addition, the data used in this study was from 2018 to 2021, but in June 2022, the US Supreme Court ruled that Roe v. Wade was unconstitutional, ruling that laws restricting women's abortions were unconstitutional. In response to this, many states that already restricted access to abortions implemented a complete ban on abortions, which may have further increased the risk to pregnant women at the time of writing.
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