*Trigger warning: this blog post discusses domestic violence and mentions abusive behaviors*
Every year in the United States, about 12 million people are impacted by intimate partner violence (IPV), also known as domestic violence. According to the CDC, IPV is when a person exhibits abusive or aggressive behavior toward their romantic partner, either once or repeated episodes throughout the relationship. This behavior can include physical violence, sexual violence, stalking, and psychological (mental and emotional) violence, all to overpower their partner and, in some cases, control their reproductive choices.
In the same way that we have seen lawmakers and politicians use their power to initiate abortion bans, attack reproductive care, and try to limit access to contraceptives, people who are abusing their romantic partners can exert control by using reproductive coercion. Reproductive coercion is a form of IPV, and it’s when someone uses “threats or acts of violence against a partner’s reproductive health or reproductive decision-making”. This can mean weaponizing pregnancy to control their partner’s actions, preventing their partner from using birth control, refusing to use any form of it themselves, or lying about using it. Abusive partners can also use abortion against their partner, being that if they don’t comply with their want to terminate a pregnancy or continue with it, it could result in threats, blackmail, physical violence, or, unfortunately, death.
Studies have shown that the lack of abortion access leads to an increase in intimate partner violence, according to Amna Nawaz, co-anchor of PBS News Hour. In a July 2023 segment discussing the link between reproductive rights and domestic violence, PBS News Hour health reporter Laura Ingram states that after Roe v Wade was reversed, the National Domestic Violence Hotline received the most calls per day that the organization has seen since it was established. “…what we’re seeing in things like the National Domestic Violence Hotline is a nearly 100 percent increase in these calls about reproductive coercion alone,” Laura says. People often think about how restrictions on reproductive rights harm the collective, but it also puts individuals at more of a disadvantage when it comes to abusive relationships and gives the partner enacting harm more power.
Intimate partner violence is a barrier to achieving Reproductive Justice because it takes away a person’s autonomy. If children are present, it can especially make an environment too volatile for them to thrive and result in them and their parent being in unsafe situations, like homelessness. It’s important that we not only recognize IPV as a serious issue but also provide support and resources when we see it happening (in as safe a way as possible) so people can feel empowered and regain their autonomy.