Reproductive abuse is when a person tries to control your reproductive choices in order to control your life. It is also often called reproductive coercion.
Coercion is when a person tries to persuade someone to do something by using force or threats.
Coercive tactics, or coercive psychological systems, are defined as unethical mind control such as brainwashing, thought reform, destructive persuasion and coercive persuasion.
Reproductive abuse can be a single act, or it can be part of a larger pattern of abusive behaviors.
It can include sexual assault, rape, and other abusive actions concerning your sexual and reproductive health.
Below are 15 ways sexually coercive behaviors occur in intimate relationships. It is when someone:
1. Pressures or forces a sexual partner to have sex when s/he doesn’t want to have sex.
2. Threatens to end a relationship if a person doesn’t have sex.
3. Forces a sexual partner to not use birth control, including a condom, contraceptive pills, or other available options.
4. Intentionally exposes a sexual partner to a sexually transmitted infection (STI).
5. Retaliates against a sexual partner when told about a positive (STI) result.
6. This abuse can also come in the form of birth control sabotage, like when a person hides, withholds, or destroys a sexual partner’s birth control pills.
7. Replaces or tampers with a sexual partner’s birth control pills without the partner’s knowledge or consent.
8. Breaks or pokes holes in a condom on purpose.
9. Removes a condom during sex without telling his/her sexual partner.
10. Refuses to withdraw during sex, even if he previously agreed to do so.
11. Pulls out a sexual partner’s vaginal contraceptive ring or tears off a sexual partner’s contraceptive patch.
12. This abuse can also manifest as pregnancy pressure, which is when a person pressures a sexual partner to get pregnant when she doesn’t want to be pregnant.
13. Coerce a woman to continue a pregnancy when she wants an abortion.
14. End a pregnancy she wants to continue.
15. Abandon the child’s mother when they go against what the abuser wants just to punish her for not doing his bidding.
