Study: Domestic Violence Increases Abortion Rate For Abused Women

A shocking new report has found that one out of seven women seeking abortions at clinics have been the victim of domestic violence at some point during the last year. The study, “Prevalence of Intimate Partner Violence Among an Abortion Clinic Population,” was published in the American Journal of Public Health and followed almost 1,000 patients over the course of a year.

Ten percent of women seeking abortions reported physical violence in the last year, while 2.5 percent reported sexual violence. Over eight percent reported battering from their intimate partner. These rates are significantly higher than the rates of the general population. Knowing this information, experts say, can be used both to help women who are being physically or sexually abused by their partner and to ultimately prevent unwanted pregnancies. For example, women’s health clinics could engage in targeted screening for domestic violence in order to better help abused women.