In Utah, one in 40 pregnant women faces intimate partner violence

Friends Against Family Violence in the Uinta Basin sometimes has what it calls “shelter babies.” Executive Director Adam Gaus has seen a number of them.

“We’ve definitely had a few people come into our shelter, give birth, go into the hospital, and they’re welcome right back into the shelter as soon they’re done with their hospital stay,” he said.

It’s a problem not limited to Utah.

New data from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention show one in 20 women surveyed experienced intimate partner violence during pregnancy. The study looked at women in nine jurisdictions across the country.

The CDC calls this kind of abuse a serious public health concern.

In Utah, it happens less frequently. The Department of Health and Human Services said from 2016–2022, the state’s rate of intimate partner violence during pregnancy was one in 40.

But advocates like Gause say any amount of abuse is too much, and it can make leaving an already abusive relationship even more difficult. That’s because of the stress of having a baby, financial concerns and the cultural expectation that a family will stay united, even if the father of the child is abusive.

“If you’re having a child with somebody, you desperately want to keep your family together in a lot of cases, and want to have that person in the child’s life,” he said.

There’s also the fundamental issue of child care logistics. Taking care of a baby is an around-the-clock job, and Gaus said that sometimes staying together comes down to having someone else who can share the load.

Leah Moses is a certified nurse midwife with Intermountain Health and an advocate against domestic violence. Her son, Om Moses Gandhi, was the victim of a murder-suicide when he was killed by his father over Mother’s Day weekend in 2023.

“Intimate partner violence is extremely dangerous during pregnancy for so many different factors,” Moses said. “There’s the stress and emotional turmoil over pregnancy, especially if it’s an unexpected one, [it] can definitely exacerbate an already abusive relationship, especially when a partner may have perpetrated before.”

That’s on top of the physical vulnerability that comes with pregnancy, she said.

“There’s so much change that happens to a woman’s body during pregnancy, and when there’s that power control dynamic, then that just adds even more turmoil.”

The effects of this kind of trauma can last beyond pregnancy, too. According to the CDC, people who experience intimate partner violence during pregnancy are more likely to delay getting prenatal care — or not get any at all. They are more likely to be depressed during pregnancy, smoke and use alcohol, marijuana or other drugs. And their babies are more likely to have a low birth weight.

People who need help can contact the National Domestic Violence Hotline at (800) 799-SAFE or by texting “Start” to 88788.