As Beth Hovis* lay pinned on her bed, her partner Roger?s* hands tightening around her neck, she had only one thought: He?s cutting off oxygen to the baby.
Beth, who was five months pregnant, flailed her arms and twisted her swollen body in an effort to get him off, but he was too strong, too cruel, too determined to show her he was the boss. He was pissed off that Beth had interrupted him while he was getting high with his buddy, and he was letting her know it. His face was pinched with rage, and his mouth spewed a litany of insults. As the seconds crawled by, Beth became at once weaker and more panicked. Finally, Roger released his grip and left the apartment.
It wasn?t the first time he had physically assaulted her?the violence had begun just after she got pregnant?but his rage was rapidly escalating. Now, Beth feared for her baby?s life. Expecting a baby is usually an exciting time in a couple?s relationship, but it can be terrifying for the three to nine percent of pregnant women who are abused by their partners. Intimate partner violence, which includes physical, sexual and psychological violence by a current or former partner, puts women at risk for serious physical and mental health issues?and when they?re pregnant, it puts their babies at risk of injury and developmental problems. It can even be deadly: A US study found that about half of all murders and suicides involving pregnant women are associated with intimate partner violence.
Though abuse can occur in any ...