Those experiencing domestic violence are facing a reality where an inability to receive reproductive care is also further endangering their lives, new data shows.

October 18, 2023 READ

Reports of abuse involving reproductive coercion — actions that prevent someone from making crucial decisions about their body and reproductive health — nearly doubled in the yearlong period after Roe v. Wade was overturned, according to new data from the National Domestic Violence Hotline (NDVH).

“If you cannot make these decisions, it could mean unfortunately that you have to stay in an abusive situation longer than you want to,” Marium Durrani, the vice president of public policy at the NDVH, told The 19th. “It could impact your escape, it could mean that potentially you’re forced to have a child with someone you don’t want to have a child with.” 

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The hotline reported that in the year before the Dobbs decision — from late June 2021 to the end of May 2022 — 1,230 of the people who contacted the hotline said they experienced reproductive coercion or mentioned abuse. The number of people saying so nearly doubled — to 2,442 — for the same period a year later.

With increased limitations on access to reproductive health care – and especially abortion care — in the 18 months since the Dobbs ruling, those experiencing domestic violence are facing a reality where an inability to receive this care is also further endangering their lives and safety.