State Divorce Laws, Reproductive Care Policies, and Pregnancy-Associated Homicide Rates, 2018-2021

Abstract

ImportanceBarriers to divorce and reproductive health care can threaten the health and safety of pregnant and recently pregnant females.ObjectiveTo examine state laws about divorce, reproductive health care (access to contraception, family planning services, and abortion), and pregnancy-associated homicide rates in US states over a 4-year period (2018-2021).Design, Setting, and ParticipantsIn this cross-sectional study, bivariate tests and regressions were used to analyze crude rates of pregnancy-associated homicide from the National Violent Death Reporting System in 181 state-years for calendar years 2018 to 2021, with analyses conducted on September 8, 2024.ExposuresAccess to divorce while pregnant and reproductive health care over a 4-year period in the US.Main Outcomes and MeasuresPrimary outcomes (pregnancy-associated homicide by intimate partners vs non–intimate partners and rates among younger Black, Hispanic, and White females) were assessed using the National Violent Death Reporting System. Negative binomial regression was used to test 2 hypotheses: access to divorce while pregnant and reproductive health care are associated with pregnancy-associated homicide rates.ResultsIndividual level data, including exact sample size, were not available in this study of state-level homicide rates. Negative binomial regression analysis showed that, where finalizing divorce during pregnancy is prohibited, intimate partner homicide rates (incidence rate ratio [IRR], 2.11; 95% CI, 1.09-4.08; P = .03) and rates among younger (age 10-24 years) White females (IRR, 2.39; 95% CI, 1.12-5.09; P = .02) were significantly higher. In state-years with greater access to reproductive health care, rates were significantly lower for non–intimate partner homicide (IRR, 0.92; 95% CI, 0.87-0.98; P = .01) and for younger Black females (IRR, 0.91; 95% CI, 0.87-0.96; P < .001) and younger Hispanic females (IRR, 0.87; 95% CI, 0.79-0.96; P = .007).Conclusions and RelevanceIn this cross-sectional study of pregnancy-associated homicide rates, barriers to divorce were associated with higher homicide rates and access to reproductive health care was associated with lower homicide rates. This study highlights the association between state legislation and pregnancy-associated homicide in the US, which is important information for policymakers.