Pregnant Women Risk Murder in U.S., Report Finds

[Mizmoon]

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Murder is a surprisingly common cause of death among pregnant women in the United States, U.S. government researchers reported on Wednesday.

Black women are especially vulnerable to being killed while pregnant, the team at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (news - web sites) found.

"Homicide is a leading cause of pregnancy-associated injury deaths," Jeani Chang and colleagues wrote in the latest issue of the American Journal of Public Health.

They investigated the deaths of women who died while pregnant or within a year of being pregnant between 1991 and 1999 and found 1,993 that were caused by injury, compared with 4,200 that were directly related to pregnancy complications.

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=1896&e=7&u=/nm/crime_pregnancy_dc

[displacedtexan]

1. Duh.

Just now figuring this out?

[Demit]

2. what's the obvious part? I guess I'm not getting it.

[BlueEyedSon]

3. This was all over the news almost TWO YEARS ago

Murder: The Leading Cause of Death for Pregnant Women

April 23, 2003

By Kim Curtis, Associated Press Writer
See also:
A Week of Deadly Violence by Intimate Partners (April 21-27, 2003)

SAN FRANCISCO—The death of Laci Peterson, as well as the unsolved murder of another pregnant woman whose torso washed up in San Francisco Bay, points to a disturbing phenomenon well known to police, health advocates and experts on battered women: the leading cause of death for pregnant women is homicide.

"People think that pregnancy is a joyful, happy time for families. That's not always true," said Phyllis Sharps, an associate professor at The Johns Hopkins University's school of nursing who researches violence against women.

In some cases, the woman has been abused for years, and the violence escalates to murder after she's pregnant. In others, pregnancy itself sparks emotions that can lead to murderous rages.

http://www.now.org/issues/violence/043003pregnant.html

Of course they die from a traumatic, external event. They are young & healthy. Did the researchers compare these numbers to similar group (age/health/race/economic) of non-pregnant women? Sheesh.

Look, over there a shiny object!

[AlCzervik]

4. 11 years ago in my child birth case we were told about homicide rates

in pregenant women, this isn't anything new.

[HereSince1628]

5. So what are we looking at?

What is the motivation? What is the pathology?

The first thing to mind is attempt to escape from paternal/financial responsibility.

Is that it?

[Mizmoon]

7. Here's a blog entry about it

http://www.psychosurgery.org/blog.html

[AllyCat]

8. Domestic violence increases

against pregnant women, because the typically male partner sees the pregnancy as something he cannot control. Abuse is about control...not drugs, alcohol, or anger. The woman starts paying more attention to her pregnancy and preparing for a baby and he's left out of the loop.

Almost every seminar I've attended on domestic violence puts this fact at the forefront of their discussion.

But God forbid we allow her to have an abortion and save her own life.

It's even worse when the woman tries to LEAVE her abuser. Apparently, that is the most dangerous time in a woman's life, and a big reason why the abused don't leave their abusers.

[HereSince1628]

9. Makes sense to me. I see the connection between abuse and control

So, anything on what family/social structures help prevent this?

Is the a place where mothers/fathers and mothers/fathers in law become the shield?

[AllyCat]

11. I really don't know much about that aspect

Maybe the more psychologically minded in the group can shed some light. From the nursing perspective, we only look at what the problems are for the involved persons and their safety.

[HereSince1628]

12. Somehow I think compartmentalization of this isn't a good thing

I know there are limits to everyone's defined roles. But tertiary level associations (doctors, nurses, other service providers) are clearly limited.

It just seems there is some need for attention by immediate family members and close friends. None of which I have and maybe that is why I am sensitive to the need.

[AllyCat]

13. Hmmm...not trying to compartmentalize

That's just the limit of my knowledge on the subject...what I've learned from nursing classes and seminars.

I don't know the solution to the problem. Obviously, getting people to abandon this notion of 'control' is key, but how we do that is beyond me. Somehow or another, we really can't even control ourselves all that much, let alone anyone else.

From personal experience with alcoholic family members and friends who are ALSO abusive, there is a perceived lack of personal control by the abusers. They then act to control others.

Possibly, I don't understand your question? It would be good to find answers to this so I can more effectively work with my patients on these issues as they arise.

[HereSince1628]

Sorry didn't mean to imply anything...my thoughts just led me

to ponder how things sometimes end up being handed off from one professional to another.

My musings are built around the hope that some family members of the pregnant woman would realize the potential for risk and remain engaged. Their presence might confound abusers, and might also provide a mechanism to validate an abused person's experience and also provide a refuge.

[NYC]

15. Very often, abused women are isolated

from their friends and family. This is deliberately accomplished by the abusing spouse.

[HereSince1628]

16. Yes, I would expect that...and to return to my musings...

If the primary and secondary associates of the pregnanat women understood their crucial role in _staying_ connected, maybe some of these tragic things could be avoided.

Seems like that is a potential role for the educational function of schools and churches

[HereSince1628]

14. Sorry, somehow manged to double post....

[Goldeneye]

6. While the Con men are out there protesting Abortions

They ignore the fact that that plenty of their kind (men) kill pregnant women. How often do you see them protesting that? When the Right can figure a way to get ConXtians riled about that for political ends I guess.

[Corgigal]

10. Worst 911 call I ever took

was a pregnant woman who was trying to divorce her husband. He broke right through the living room window and starting shooting her. She ran outside but he chased her and she died in front of the house. We found him dead a short time later in his car. Thankfully the 9 year old was in school that day.

I knew this information was true along time ago. If they can some how band abortions it will only get worst. A man who has a wife, kids and a mortgage but had a little fun on this side doesn't want to deal with telling his family what he did and then paying for the kid for the next 18 plus years.