Let’s tell the truth—pregnancy should never be a death sentence. But in the United States, the leading cause of death for pregnant and postpartum w
Let’s tell the truth—pregnancy should never be a death sentence.
But in the United States, the leading cause of death for pregnant and postpartum women isn’t a medical condition—it’s homicide.
That means more pregnant women die from violence than from any single health-related complication.
And the danger isn’t random. It’s often close. Intimate. Familiar.
đź’” The Real Danger is Often Inside the Home
The most common perpetrators of these homicides are current or former intimate partners.
Pregnancy can trigger possessiveness, jealousy, or control in abusers who feel threatened by a woman’s growing independence, shifting attention, or even the baby itself.
Some don’t want the baby.
Some want control over whether she keeps it.
Some want her life to orbit around them—and pregnancy is seen as a disruption.
🩸 These Are Not Isolated Incidents
A 2021 study in Obstetrics & Gynecology found that homicide was the leading cause of death during pregnancy and the first year postpartum—outpacing all obstetric causes.
Black women and girls are especially at risk.
Teen girls and young women face the highest rates.
And yet… few people talk about it.
Obituaries say “unexpected” or “tragic.”
News outlets tiptoe around the pattern.
And too often, we remember the baby and forget the woman.
🛑 This is a Public Health Crisis
Let’s be clear:
This isn’t about relationships gone bad.
This is about a system that fails to see, hear, or protect women—especially when they are most vulnerable.
It’s about:
Doctors who don’t screen for abuse.
Courts that won’t enforce protection orders.
Families and faith communities that tell women to “keep the peace” or “work it out.”
A culture that romanticizes pregnancy but ignores the violence some women face behind closed doors.
🕯️ We Say Their Names
Every woman lost to intimate partner violence during pregnancy leaves behind a story, a family, a future that should have been.
We must say their names. We must honor their lives.
And we must not allow their deaths to be swept under the rug of shame, silence, or societal discomfort.
✊🏾 What We Can Do
Believe women. Especially when they say they don’t feel safe.
Support shelters and crisis programs that serve pregnant women.
Push for screenings in prenatal care settings.
Speak out. Homicide in pregnancy should not be a hidden epidemic.
- Create Safer Spaces for Women– pregnant women and their children who express that their lives are in danger ought to have safe places to turn to.(all males except verified & monitored security excluded)
Pregnancy is not consent to danger.
Pregnancy is not permission for violence.
Women deserve to live, thrive, and be protected—especially when they are bringing new life into the world.
#ProtectPregnantWomen
#HomicideIsPreventable
#BelieveWomen
