Do More
The Family Violence Prevention Fund is working to share stories and facts, and help lawmakers recognize the reproductive health consequences of violence and sexual coercion. Help us do more by sending an Alert to your representatives in Congress today. Check back often for new information.
Action Alert
Help Abused Women who are Pregnant & Help Prevent Unintended Pregnancies
In January 2006, President Bush signed the reauthorization of the Violence Against Women Act. Included in this legislation is a new program to fund public education and awareness campaigns around violence against women during pregnancy, and other programs to train health care providers to recognize and help patients who are experiencing violence. But Congress has not funded these programs. This is a critical mistake.
Violence often escalates during pregnancy. Murder is a leading cause of traumatic death for women who are pregnant or just had a baby. Women in abusive relationships often have trouble negotiating birth control, putting them at risk for HIV, other sexually transmitted infections and unintended pregnancy. In some cases, an abusive partner will intentionally try to get his partner pregnant, either through forced sex or refusal to use birth control, as a way to force her to stay with him. In some cases, an abuser will even go so far as to sabotage his partner’s birth control by destroying or tampering with it.
It is vital that Congress fund these new programs to increase awareness about violence before and during pregnancy, and train health care providers to identify patients who need help.
Every time I would confront him about his lies and unfaithfulness, he would force himself on me sexually. He always refused to wear a condom and would act offended when I suggested he use one."
