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A form of abuse
Reproductive coercion is a form of abuse in which one person controls another person's reproductive choices. It includes forcing pregnancy, forcing abortion, sabotaging contraception, controlling access to reproductive health care, or using pregnancy and children as tools of control. It is a violation of bodily autonomy and a recognised form of intimate partner violence.
Why this matters
Reproductive coercion is often hidden inside ordinary relationship decisions. A partner who says they will use condoms but secretly removes them. A partner who hides birth control pills, pokes holes in condoms, or refuses to contribute to contraception. A partner who demands pregnancy, threatens abandonment if the pregnancy ends, or threatens to take the children if the pregnancy continues. These are not disagreements; they are control.
This abuse is common but rarely named. People experiencing it may feel they are being dramatic, or that they should have been more careful. The responsibility lies entirely with the person trying to control their body.
Reproductive coercion has serious health consequences, including unintended pregnancy, sexually transmitted infections, unsafe abortion, and pregnancy complications. It also affects mental health, education, employment, and safety.
The definition
Removing a condom during sex without consent, hiding or destroying birth control pills, refusing to use agreed contraception, or preventing a partner from getting contraception or emergency contraception.
Futures Without ViolencePressuring, threatening, or forcing a person to become pregnant or to continue a pregnancy. This includes controlling fertility decisions, monitoring menstrual cycles, or threatening abandonment.
Futures Without ViolenceForcing or pressuring a person to end a pregnancy against their will. This includes threats, violence, or removal of choice around a medical decision.
National Resource Center on Domestic ViolencePreventing a partner from seeing a doctor, controlling appointments, refusing to pay for care, or making medical decisions without the person's consent.
Futures Without ViolenceHow it works
Removing a condom during sex without the partner's knowledge or consent. This is a form of sexual violation and can expose the person to pregnancy and infection.
RAINN (Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network)If you loved me, you would have my baby. If you leave me, you will never see the children. Threats and rewards are used to override reproductive choice.
Futures Without ViolenceThe abuser refuses to allow clinic visits, answers for the person at appointments, or hides insurance information. Medical care becomes another area of control.
National Resource Center on Domestic ViolenceA pregnancy is used to trap someone in the relationship, to force marriage, to control movement, or to prevent education or employment.
Futures Without ViolenceHow to identify it
One of these on its own may mean nothing. Several of them together, repeated over time, is a pattern, and a pattern is what abuse looks like from the inside.
Who it happens to
Abuse does not respect age, gender, income, faith, or country. These are the people most often affected by this particular form.
Women and people with uteruses are the primary targets, but men can also be subjected to reproductive coercion, such as threats around paternity or pressure not to use contraception.
People in relationships where other forms of abuse are present. Reproductive coercion rarely occurs alone.
Adolescents and young adults, who may have less experience asserting boundaries and less access to independent health care.
People whose cultural, religious, or family expectations make reproductive decisions highly contested.
What it costs
Sabotaging contraception or coercing pregnancy leads to unintended pregnancies, which can disrupt education, employment, housing, and safety plans.
Futures Without ViolenceExposure to sexually transmitted infections, unsafe abortion, pregnancy complications, and delayed prenatal care can follow reproductive coercion.
World Health Organization, Violence against womenDepression, anxiety, post-traumatic stress, and a sense of violation of bodily autonomy. The harm is both physical and deeply psychological.
UN Women, Facts and figuresPregnancy and children can be used to create long-term dependency, custody disputes, and barriers to leaving the relationship.
National Resource Center on Domestic ViolenceHow to deal with it
If you can, speak to a health care provider privately. Doctors, nurses, and clinic staff can help you explore confidential contraception options and safety planning.
Consider long-acting reversible contraception that does not require a partner's knowledge or cooperation, such as an IUD or implant, if that is safe and right for you.
Keep evidence if you can do so safely: messages, appointments, receipts, and any documentation of sabotage or threats.
Contact the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233 to talk through safety planning specific to reproductive coercion.
If you are pregnant and do not want to be, or are being pressured to end a pregnancy, you have legal rights to confidential medical care. A health care provider can explain your options without your partner present.
Ask patients about reproductive coercion in private, away from partners. Do you ever feel pressured about contraception or pregnancy? can open the door.
Offer confidential resources and safety planning. Reproductive coercion often overlaps with physical and sexual violence.
Do not assume the person has access to contraception or decision-making power. Provide options and support their choice, whatever it is.
If you are a friend, believe the person. Do not minimise it as a relationship issue. Help them access medical care and a domestic violence advocate.
Where to get help
If you are in immediate danger, call your local emergency number first. Everything below is confidential and none of it requires you to make a decision today.
futureswithoutviolence.org · reproductive health resources
Resources for health care providers and survivors on reproductive coercion, including safety cards and training materials.
1-800-799-7233 · text START to 88788
Confidential, 24-hour support for domestic violence, including reproductive coercion.
1-800-230-7526 · plannedparenthood.org
Confidential reproductive health care, including contraception, pregnancy options, and safety planning.
1-800-656-4673 · rainn.org
Confidential support for sexual violence, including coercion and reproductive abuse.
Questions
Yes. Removing a condom during sex without a partner's knowledge or consent is a form of sexual violation and reproductive coercion. It can expose the person to pregnancy and sexually transmitted infections.
Yes. Men can be pressured into fatherhood, lied to about contraception, or threatened with loss of access to children. Coercion can target anyone's reproductive choices.
Talk to a health care provider or domestic violence advocate confidentially. They can help you find contraception your partner cannot access, create a safety plan, and explore your options.
Laws vary by jurisdiction. Some forms, such as sexual assault or forced abortion, are clearly crimes. Others may be addressed through domestic violence protective orders or family law. A local advocate or attorney can advise you.
Your body is yours. Reproductive coercion is a direct attack on that truth, and it is never a private disagreement. There is confidential medical and legal help available, and you do not have to navigate it alone.
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