Missouri abortion ban causes more trauma for intimate partner violence survivors, advocates say
In the United States, it’s estimated that one in four women and one in ten men will experience sexual or physical violence or stalking from an intimate partner — meaning a current or former spouse or dating partner — in their lifetime.
What’s unknown is how many of those instances include reproductive coercion or control, a form of intimate partner violence where someone controls their partner’s access to birth control, forces them to get pregnant or controls the outcome of a pregnancy.
When Missouri banned abortions on June 24, it raised concerns for survivors of IPV and the advocates who work with them.
More: Missouri bans abortion with 'trigger law' after U.S. Supreme Court overturns Roe v. Wade
“Reproductive coercion and reproductive abuse is an all-too-common form of intimate partner sexual assault,” said Matthew Huffman, chief public affairs officer for the Missouri Coalition Against Domestic and Sexual Violence. “People are really, really concerned about the full weight of what this will mean for sexual assault and incest survivors.”
It can add another layer of trauma for some survivors of rape and abuse.
“Limiting or removing survivors’ privacy and autonomy further traumatizes survivors of rape and abuse by removing their ability to make choices for themselves,” MOCADSV said in a press release shortly after the ban took effect.
Kai Sutton is a survivor of an abusive relationship. At a community rally on June 24, she shared that in the past she had been forced to have an abortion.
For her, the ban felt like a violation of not just her own autonomy, but the autonomy of others, too.
“You should have the choice to do what you want, and you shouldn’t ever be forced. And the fact that there are people out here in abusive relationships who are feeling forced to terminate a pregnancy because of their abuser’s manipulation and power control, it is just toxic at the highest level,” Sutton said. “However, with the new laws where (abortion) is not an option for people, it's taking away a personal choice, and no one should ever have their right to choose anything for themselves to be controlled by another person.”
More: Springfield has a domestic violence problem. So why are police seeing fewer reports?
If you or someone you know needs help in a domestic violence situation, they can call Springfield's Harmony House hotline at 417-864-7233, or the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233.
Susan Szuch is the health and public policy reporter for the Springfield News-Leader. Follow her on Twitter @szuchsm. Story idea? Email her at sszuch@gannett.com.
This article originally appeared on Springfield News-Leader: How will Missouri's abortion ban affect abuse survivors?
