Reproductive Coercion, Intimate Partner Violence & Unintended Pregnancy - Study

 A groundbreaking study sheds light on a form of abuse in which men use coercion and birth control sabotage to cause their partners to become pregnant against their wills. The study, published in the January 2010 issue of Contraception, finds this kind of reproductive control to be especially common in relationships in which women experience physical or sexual partner violence.

“Pregnancy Coercion, Intimate Partner Violence and Unintended Pregnancy” is the first quantitative examination of the relationship between intimate partner violence, reproductive coercion and unintended pregnancy. It finds that young women and teenage girls often face efforts by male partners to sabotage their birth control or coerce or pressure them to become pregnant – including by damaging condoms and destroying contraceptives. These behaviors, defined as “reproductive coercion,” are often associated with physical or sexual violence.