Reproductive coercion is any behavior(s) intended to maintain power and control over an individual’s reproductive decisions and health, such as monitoring menstrual cycles or destroying someone’s contraceptives. It often occurs in an intimate partner context, making it a devastating and often unrecognized form of domestic abuse that until 2013 was not officially recognized by the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists.
This webinar will cover the three main forms of reproductive coercion: birth control sabotage, pregnancy pressure/coercion, and sexual coercion, with detailed case studies to represent each form, in addition to information about assessment and safety planning, harm reduction strategies, legal remedies, and legislation. The focus of the presentation is to provide basic introductory information about an understudied form of domestic abuse, and will be particularly useful for victim/witness advocates, social service providers, and law enforcement.
About the Presenter:
Meggie Royer is the Education and Outreach Coordinator at Women’s Advocates in St. Paul, the nation’s first domestic violence shelter. She provides trainings to social service providers, healthcare providers, students, criminal justice professionals, and more, covering topics such as revenge pornography, domestic violence, healthy relationships, strangulation, and the pregnancy-homicide link. She most recently presented on reproductive coercion at the Office of Justice Programs’ Annual Conference in May.