Risk of violence from the man involved in the pregnancy after receiving or being denied an abortion

TLDR

Intimate partner violence affects 6–22 % of women seeking abortions, and concerns about such violence often motivate pregnancy termination. The study aims to determine whether the risk of violence from the pregnancy partner declines after an abortion. Using the Turnaway Study, the authors followed women who received abortions near the gestational limit, those denied abortions, and those who had first‑trimester abortions, and applied mixed‑effects logistic regression to compare subsequent partner violence over 2.5 years. Physical violence declined for women who received near‑limit abortions but not for those denied abortions who gave birth, whereas psychological violence fell across all groups without group differences, suggesting that restrictive abortion policies may keep women exposed to violent partners and heighten risk for women and children.

Abstract

Intimate partner violence is common among women having abortions, with between 6% and 22% reporting recent violence from an intimate partner. Concern about violence is a reason some pregnant women decide to terminate their pregnancies. Whether risk of violence decreases after having an abortion, remains unknown. Data are from the Turnaway Study, a prospective cohort study of women seeking abortions at 30 facilities across the U.S. Participants included women who: presented just prior to a facility’s gestational age limit and received abortions (Near Limit Abortion Group, n = 452), presented just beyond the gestational limit and were denied abortions (Turnaways, n = 231), and received first trimester abortions (First Trimester Abortion Group, n = 273). Mixed effects logistic regression was used to assess the relationship between receiving versus being denied abortion and subsequent violence from the man involved in the pregnancy over 2.5 years. Physical violence decreased for Near Limits (adjusted odds ratios (aOR), 0.93 per month; 95% Confidence Interval (CI) 0.90, 0.96), but not Turnaways who gave birth (P < .05 versus Near Limits). The decrease for First Trimesters was similar to Near Limits (P = .324). Psychological violence decreased for all groups (aOR, 0.97; CI 0.94, 1.00), with no differential change across groups. Policies restricting abortion provision may result in more women being unable to terminate unwanted pregnancies, potentially keeping them in contact with violent partners, and putting women and their children at risk.