Restrictive abortion laws have led to a small but significant increase in deadly violence against women, new research published Monday shows. The study found that so-called TRAP laws were linked to increased murder rates among young girls and women by their intimate partners. The continued rise of TRAP laws, fueled by the repeal of Roe v. Wade in 2022 will likely contribute to more of these deaths, the study authors argue.
The research was led by scientists at Tulane University in Louisiana. Her previous work had found that pregnant women or women who have recently given birth are more likely to be murdered than women of childbearing age, while at the same time confirming murder as the leading cause of death among mothers in the United States (although the study only focused on the most recent data at the time). , the trend has probably come true for decades).
Homicides are most often committed by people in the victim’s life, and murders committed during pregnancy are often related Especially domestic violence. For example, partners (usually men) faced with an unwanted pregnancy may become violent or increase their violence toward the pregnant woman, while pregnant women may find it even more difficult to attempt to leave an abusive relationship.
Given the rapid increase in restrictions aimed at regulating abortion providers, also known as TRAP (targeted abortion provider regulation) laws, seen in recent years, researchers wanted to get a better sense of how these laws can work have influenced the likelihood of these murders.
To do this, they analyzed nationwide death data collected by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention as well as data on TRAP laws compiled by the Guttmacher Institute between 2014 and 2020. A total of 23 states had TRAP laws in effect at the time. Specifically, researchers focused on states that passed up to five common TRAP laws during this period and compared the number of murders of girls and women ages 10 to 44 before and after these laws took effect. They also tried to control for other factors such as differences in violent crime rates or gun ownership percentages between states.
In these years, at least 8,319 homicides of girls and women in this age group were recorded. 41% of these were suspected to be intimate partner violence. Researchers found a modest but discernible connection between TRAP laws and more of these murders. They estimated that for each additional TRAP law enacted in a state, intimate partner violence-related homicides increased by 3.4%. And overall, in every state during those years, the team estimated that TRAP laws were linked to an additional two dozen murders of young girls and women related to intimate partner violence.
The study authors also found that homicide rates among women ages 10 to 44 generally coincide with tightening TRAP laws, suggesting that these laws have worsened violence against women in other ways. One possibility they raise is that underage pregnant girls in these states who still live at home are now also more likely to be killed by their families and their partners.
“In this analysis, we found that policies that restrict women’s ability to seek abortion care are associated with violent outcomes for this population,” the researchers wrote in their paper: published Monday in Health Affairs magazine.
The team’s results are estimates. Therefore, it is possible that other researchers using different variables or assumptions may arrive at different numbers. But this is far from the only research to suggest that restrictive abortion laws are harmful to the women most affected by them. Studies have linked the passage of these laws to this higher suicide rates for example among young women or the deterioration of health care provided by obstetricians-gynecologists.
Given that many states have since passed additional TRAP laws in the wake of the U.S. Supreme Court Tip over Roe v. Wade In 2022, researchers believe that without aggressive action to protect women’s reproductive rights, the situation has worsened and will continue to get worse.
“Protecting this right requires the participation and accountability of policymakers responsible for repealing laws that limit women’s levels of physical autonomy. This is particularly important if it can prevent their violent death,” they wrote.