"Twice the Risk of Murder"… Pregnant Women in the US Shaken by Fear [Reading Science]

-US Study Finds Number of Homicides Twice That of Major Diseases
-Higher Risk for Younger and Black Women

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Bong-su] A shocking study in the United States revealed that pregnant women are much more likely to be killed by their husbands or others than by pregnancy-related illnesses.

According to the international academic journal Nature on the 19th, a research team led by Professor Vijay Singh of the University of Michigan Medical School in the U.S. conducted the first-ever detailed analysis of causes of death among pregnant women nationwide, resulting in these findings.

The research team identified 273 women who were killed during pregnancy or within one year postpartum between 2018 and 2019. This number is more than twice the number of deaths caused by diseases classified as major causes of maternal mortality, such as hemorrhage and placental disorders. The study also found that the risk of being killed increases during pregnancy. Among women aged 10 to 44 who were pregnant or within one year postpartum, the proportion of deaths due to homicide was 16% higher than that of women who were not pregnant or postpartum.

The research team analyzed death statistics from all 50 states held by the National Center for Health Statistics under the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) between 2018 and 2019 to obtain these results. Since 2003, the U.S. government has mandated that death certificates for individuals who died during pregnancy or within 42 days or one year postpartum specify the cause of death. Since 2018, all 50 states in the U.S. have implemented this system. Accordingly, the research team analyzed data collected during 2018-2019 and reached these conclusions. The number of women killed during pregnancy or within one year after childbirth is increasing nationwide, especially in affluent states.

Experts had already anticipated that women exposed to domestic violence and other abuse would face an increased risk of homicide if they became pregnant. In fact, the research team found that two-thirds of the pregnant women who were killed died at home, which generally indicates they were killed by their husbands or boyfriends.

The research team also confirmed that Black women face a higher risk of being killed during pregnancy. Statistics show that pregnant Black women are three times more likely to be killed than those who are not pregnant. Moreover, Black women were much more exposed to the risk of death from obstetric-related diseases. The number of Black women who died from obstetric diseases during pregnancy or within one year postpartum was 2.5 times higher than that of non-Hispanic White women.

By age, younger women aged 10 to 24 had a higher likelihood of being killed during pregnancy compared to older women.

Professor Singh said, "These research results should be used by policymakers and hospitals to improve the safety of women who are pregnant or have recently given birth," adding, "Socially, pregnancy is considered a happy time, but for many women, that is not true, and many pregnant women are not safe at home."