Under the Radar: Reproductive Coercion in Teen Relationships

You hear the story or some version of it often enough: a woman tries to get pregnant to control their partner. But new studies show that, more often, it is men who seek to control their girlfriends through reproductive coercion. Men hide or flush pills, poke holes in condoms, or simply refuse to use birth control.

In a recent article in The Nation, Lynn Harris looks at recent studies revealing the prevalence of reproductive coercion. Of 1,300 women aged 16-29 who visited Northern California reproductive health clinics, 53% of those who were sexually active reported physical or sexual violence. One in five were victims of pregnancy coercion; fifteen percent endured "birth control sabotage."

"Teen dating violence" — of which reproductive coercion is a significant aspect — "is an urgent, silent epidemic." According to Break the Cycle (a nonprofit that advocates for healthy young relationships through education, legal and crisis help, and policy advocacy), though one in three teens are involved in a relationship with abuse, sadly, over two-thirds never reveal the abuse to anyone.

Harris stresses that with the right education (for both teens and doctors) and resources, reproductive coercion be significantly reduced. And while reproductive coercion includes forced abortion as well as pregnancy, birth control sabotage and coerced pregnancy is certainly a contributing factor to rising teen pregnancy rates.

Doctors should be trained to recognize signs of an abusive relationship; young people need to be taught what constitutes a healthy relationship and how to exit a bad relationship. Harris reports that new and more innovative programs are cropping up to fight relationship abuse; with $25 million in federal funds earmarked for such programs, we could see a boost in aid and awareness.

Beyond awareness, we need the legal framework to allow teens to protect themselves. Pregnancy and abuse in teen relationships are often particularly oppressive because, as minors, they don't have the freedom to help themselves that adults do. That's why policy is one of Break the Cycle's priorities: legal protections to partners who do not live together, a minor's ability to get a restraining order, and parental notification requirements make escaping abusive relationships and reproductive coercion more difficult for teens.

To protect young women and fight rising teen pregnancy rates, we need to recognize the less discussed side of reproductive coercion and the high rates of relationship violence among young people. And at the end of the day, as access to contraception and abortion are constantly challenged and questioned by activists and lawmakers, it is worth mentioning that abusive relationships are not the only place that women's right to reproductive autonomy is violated. Relationships are personal, but abuse is harder to combat when our country as a whole does not recognize women's right to control their own bodies.

Photo credit: Polina Sergeeva