Jill C. Morrison National Women’s Law Center 202-588-5180 ◊ jmorrison@nwlc ◊ nwlc

1. If you really care about Intimate Partner ViolenceThen you should care aboutReproductive Justice Jill C. Morrison National Women’s Law Center 202-588-5180 ◊jmorrison@nwlc.org◊ www.nwlc.org

2. If you really care about Intimate Partner ViolenceThen you should care aboutReproductive Justice Jill C. Morrison National Women’s Law Center 202-588-5180 ◊jmorrison@nwlc.org◊ www.nwlc.org

3. About this series • Developed to address intersection between Reproductive Justice and other progressive issues. • Introduces Reproductive Justice to new communities that may only know of reproductive rights advocacy that focuses on abortion and contraception. • Educates on RJ’s three components in a context with which other progressives are familiar.

4. So far includes… • Intimate Partner Violence (today) • Race Discrimination (October 13th) • Education (October 20th) • Environmental Justice (October 27th) Please let us know if there are other issues you’d like to see explored through an RJ lens!

5. What is Reproductive Justice? • What distinguishes it from the traditional reproductive rights movement? • What are its components? • How does it relate to social justice movements generally?

6. What distinguishes RJ from the traditional reproductive rights movement? • The traditional reproductive rights frame focuses on liberty, autonomy and equality, while the Reproductive Justice (RJ) movement places reproductive health and rights within a social justice framework. • RJ acknowledges that each person’s ability to effectuate their rights is uniquely shaped by social injustices including: poverty, racism, sexism and gender identity discrimination, heterosexism, language discrimination and disablism.

7. What are the components of Reproductive Justice? • The right of individuals to: • have the children they want • raise the children they have, and • plan their families through safe, legal access to abortion and contraception http://www.sistersong.net/documents/ACRJ_Reproductive_Justice_Paper.pdf

8. How does Reproductive Justice relate to social justice movements generally? • Reproductive Justice requires that all people have the resources, as well as the economic, social, and political power to make healthy decisions about their bodies, sexuality, and reproduction. • The goal is not governmental non-interference in reproductive decision-making. To the contrary, the government plays a key role in remedying social inequalities that contribute to reproductive oppression.

9. Intimate Partner Violence • Intimate Partner Violence (IPV), includes sexual, physical, emotional and economic abuse. • Seen in every demographic, but women of different racial and socioeconomic backgrounds experience different rates of violence. • Historic inequities in access to education and economic opportunity result in socioeconomic disparities. Poverty, stress, unemployment and substance use are all predictors of IPV.

10. If you care about Intimate Partner Violence, you should care about Reproductive Justice because a woman’s reproductive capacity can be used by her abuser to assert further control as a component of all possible forms of abuse—sexual, physical, emotional and economic.

11. Social inequality contributes to both IPV and Reproductive Oppression • Both are rooted in gender roles and reflects belief that women are inferior; serve limited roles in society. • Poverty, stress, unemployment and substance use are all predictors of IPV and unintended pregnancy. • Racial and socioeconomic disparities are seen in rates of IPV and indicators of reproductive oppression such as unplanned pregnancy, maternal and infant morbidity and mortality, and foster care placement/termination of parental rights. • Limited English proficiency and immigration status isolate victims and prevent access to available resources.

12. Relationship between IPV and childbearing/child rearing • One study found that a woman’s odds of experiencing IPV rose by 10% with each pregnancy. • IPV may contribute to higher rates of unintended pregnancy due to women’s lack of power in negotiating contraceptive use. • Unintended pregnancy is a risk factor for IPV.

13. Restrictions on access to contraception can further IPV • A woman experiencing IPV has greater difficulties negotiating contraceptive use with her partner. • It is especially important that women in abusive relationships have access to, and insurance coverage of, methods that are not dependent on a partner’s cooperation, and that can be used without her partner’s knowledge.

14. An abuser may seek to impregnate his victim against her will • An abuser may try to get a woman pregnant in order to keep her economically dependent and physically vulnerable. • Health professionals report seeing cases of young men who use various techniques to control women’s reproductive lives, including demanding unprotected sex, lying about “pulling out,” poking holes in condoms, removing contraceptive rings or patches, and flushing pills down the toilet. • Intimate partner rape with the specific goal of impregnating the victim.

15. Abortion restrictions can further IPV • Waiting periods may force a woman to account for her absence to her abuser, either allowing him to find out she had or plans to have an abortion. • Difficulty scheduling an abortion due to the limited availability of providers may allow an abuser time to become aware of the pregnancy. • Funding restrictions, both public and private, may require a woman to seek outside financial assistance for an abortion and require her to disclose her plan. This increases the chances of her abuser finding out her intentions. • A woman who is unable to have an abortion due to costs, other access issues or because she is prevented from getting one by her abuser may carry an unwanted pregnancy to term.

16. IPV during pregnancy • Pregnancy may result in an abuse-free “honeymoon” period which leads a woman to believe that her abuser has changed. • Pregnancy may cause additional pressure from family members and friends to “work things out.” • Abuse may escalate during pregnancy; murder by an intimate partner is a leading cause of death for pregnant women. • Pregnancy limits a woman’s ability to leave her abuser, furthers her financial dependence on him and emotional ties to him.

17. Policies that fail to support parents further IPV • Punitive measures aimed at limiting childbearing by low-income single mothers (family caps, work requirements) limit women’s ability to separate from their abusers. • Unpaid family leave may require a woman to remain in an abusive relationship for economic support until she is able to return to work. • States’ failure to enforce child support orders, unaffordable child care and lack of universal health insurance all hinder women’s ability to escape abusive relationships.

18. IPV and childrearing with an abusive co-parent • Contact with children used as a pretext to identify whereabouts of victim, find out details about her personal life and fuel further threats. • An abuser may also force a woman to stay by threatening to seek sole custody of her child. • Judges, unaware of the dynamics of abuse, may actually penalize a woman who is in an abusive relationship by removing her children from her, instead of invoking the power of the state to protect her from abuse. • Non-compliance with custody orders, resulting from fear of interacting with an abuser, may be punished by the court.

19. How You Can Combat Intimate Partner Violence and Support Reproductive Justice • Advocate for access to comprehensive reproductive health care, which should include provider screenings for Intimate Partner Violence. • Oppose restrictions on abortion access, which are especially burdensome to women who are experiencing violence. • Support expanded access to contraceptives, including emergency contraception, so women are not dependent on their partners’ cooperation in preventing unintended pregnancies. • Support laws and policies that improve economic conditions for low-income women, so women have the basic financial support to leave abusive relationships. • Oppose punitivemeasures intended to limit childbearing by low-income women, which present barriers to escaping violent relationships. • Advocate for laws and policies that provide economic support for families, including child care, health insurance, and support women’s efforts to become financially independent from their abusers.