The Reality of Stupak-Pitts Amendment on a Woman in a Violent Relationship
The Family Violence Prevention Fund (FVPF) is concerned about the impact of the Stupak- Pitts Amendment on a woman who is in an abusive relationship. This amendment would effectively prohibit a woman from purchasing private health insurance that would coverage abortion care. A growing body of evidence points to a much more complicated picture of unintended pregnancy and abortion than our politicians would like to admit. For many years we have known that domestic and sexual violence are widespread in this country. Nearly one-third of American women (31 percent) report being physically or sexually abused by a husband or boyfriend at some point in their lives.[i] We also know that domestic and sexual violence increase the risk of unintended pregnancy and abortion as well as STDs/HIV. For instance:
- Women seeking an abortion are 3 times more likely to be the victim of intimate partner violence compared to women who were continuing their pregnancies.[ii]
- 1 in 5 women seeking a repeat abortion disclosed a history of physical IPV.[iii]
- Among women seeking a protection order, 20% had experienced a rape related pregnancy.[iv]
But recent research shows that abusive partners go beyond physical and sexual violence alone to more subtle behaviors that we have termed “sexual and reproductive coercion.” These behaviors include: interfering with the couple’s birth control; attempting to impregnate a partner against her will; threatening or acting violent if a partner does not comply with the other partner’s wishes regarding sexual activity, contraception or the decision whether to terminate or continue a pregnancy; and intentionally exposing a partner to STIs. We are learning that these behaviors are extremely common, rarely addressed and can have devastating consequences.
A pilot study conducted in a family planning clinic by the FVFP, UC Davis School of Medicine, and Harvard School of Public Health found:
- The lifetime prevalence of sexual and reproductive coercion by a partner was 25%.
- 1 in 5 women seeking family planning experience interference with their birth control;
- 1 in 6 experience pregnancy coercion[v]
So what do these facts mean in a real woman’s life? Consider these stories of contraceptive coercion that lead to pregnancy:
“I was on the birth control, and he ended up getting mad and flushing it down the toilet, so I ended up getting pregnant.” [vi]
“…[O]r like when I had the pill, he used to act out and ask me why I am using them, [...] I am hiding to use it and stuff like that. Then, there was another time I started using the ring and he pulled it out of me. [...] I was like, “I thought I could actually hide this one, not knowing you will come up inside of me and pull it out of me.”[vii]
Or listen to why some men refuse to wear condoms:
“…if she’s saying no, she could leave… while you’re putting the condom on. So…you don’t have time…”[viii]
“…if she doesn’t want to [have sex], then she’ll leave if you’re trying to put a condom on and, you know, she doesn’t want to do it so you don’t want her to get away.” [ix]
Or this story of a boyfriend who intentionally got his 19 year old girlfriend pregnant - not because he wanted to be a father — but because he did not want her to leave him:
“I should just get you pregnant and have a baby with you so that I know you will be in my life forever.”[x]
For every statistic, there is a real woman with a real story. Healthcare reform - something the FVPF strongly supports - should be about how we can support a woman’s health and safety.
The essence of health insurance is to plan for the unexpected. No woman expects to have an unplanned pregnancy or to have an abortion. No woman plans to be in an abusive relationship. But if she is in such a situation, we can agree that she should have all of her options.
We need health policies that reflect the realities of a woman’s life, not someone’s political agenda. At the FVPF, we know that domestic and sexual violence lead to unintended pregnancy and abortions. When a woman is struggling to control her life the last thing she needs is to be denied all of her options.
[i] The Commonwealth Fund. Health Concerns Across a Woman’s Lifespan: The Commonwealth Fund 1998 Survey of Women’s Health. May 1998.
[ii] Bourassa D, Berube J. The Prevalence of Intimate Partner Violence Among Women and Teenagers Seeking Abortion Compared with Those Continuing Pregnancy. Journal of Obstetrics & Gynaecology Canada. 2007;29(5):415-423.
[iii] Fisher WA, Sukhbir S, Singh SS, Shuper PA, Carey M, Otchet F, MacLean-Brine D, Dal Bello D, Gunter J. Characteristics of Women Undergoing Repeat Induced Abortion. CMAJ. 2005;172(5):637-641.
[iv] McFarlane J, Malecha A, Watson K, Gist J, Batten E, Hall I, Smith S. Intimate Partner Sexual Assault Against Women: Frequency, Health Consequences, and Treatment Outcomes. Obstetrics & Gynecology. 2005;105:99-108.
[v] Miller, E, personal communication, 2009
[vi] Miller, E et al. Male partner pregnancy promoting behaviors in adolescent partner violence: findings from a qualitative study with adolescent females. Ambulatory Pediatrics 2007: 360-66
[vii] Moore, A, Frohwirth, L, Miller, E, Personal communication, 2009
[viii] Silverman, J G et al. Social norms and beliefs regarding sexual risk and pregnancy involvement among adolescent males being treated for dating violence perpetration. Journal of Urban Health , 2006;83: 723-35
[ix] Silverman, J G et al Social norms and beliefs regarding sexual risk and pregnancy involvement among adolescent males being treated for dating violence perpetration. Journal of Urban Health , 2006;83: 723-35
[x] Moore, A, Frohwirth, L, Miller, E, Personal communication, 2009
When I was having sex the last time and the condom popped, he didn’t let me know… Then, like, the whole time we was having sex, he was like, ‘Yeah, you going to have my baby and I want you to have my baby. I’m going to make sure of that…’ So, yeah, he wanted me to get pregnant."
December 10th, 2009 at 4:43 pm
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