Dr. McGirr: Like other forms of intimate partner violence, reproductive coercion is a tactic used to maintain power and control in a relationship.

Dr. Pooley: We’re talking with Sara McGirr about her recent research study that surveyed more than 700 domestic violence advocates from across the United States about how they respond to reproductive coercion in their work. This study was published in the Journal of Interpersonal Violence in 2020, and we’re excited to hear more about the findings and what they mean for advocates and their agencies.

Dr. McGirr: The intersection of IPV and reproductive and sexual health is a relatively new topic for many advocates working in victim service programs because studies and trainings in the US have begun only recently and have not yet reached much of the field. So advocates are really open to engaging with survivors on topics related to reproductive coercion but just might need some more training and support to do so.

In our survey, we found that advocates indicated that they needed more training and more support from their supervisors to feel more comfortable talking about reproductive coercion topics.

Leaders in the field recommend that advocates incorporate universal education about RC into the intake process with new clients or discuss this topic early on in service provision conversations with every client.

It’s important because some clients may not know about reproductive coercion and may not even have the language to express that they’re experiencing it, but if an advocate describes some of the behaviors that perpetrators of reproductive coercion use, a survivor might realize that they have in fact experienced that and can then begin to receive support specifically for this.

Experts recommend that advocates incorporate targeted responses such as offering emergency contraception or pregnancy tests onsite, providing supported referrals to community reproductive health resources, as well as aiding survivors in developing safety plans that incorporate strategies to support their reproductive health choices.

If you’re interested in learning more definitely check out the Futures Without Violence website. They have a lot of resources there and they’re great at supporting victim advocates to do this work. They also have resources that you can share with your partners in healthcare who might also be new to reproductive coercion. Another organization that is doing great work in this area is the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, the national organization for OBGYNs. They have excellent resources on their website that you can share with healthcare partners as well.