Pregnancy Coercion. Threats or acts of violence if the partner does not comply with the perpetrator’s wishes to continue or terminate a pregnancy. Intimate partner violence and coercion have long been linked to negative health outcomes. In 2011, the National Academy of Medicine formerly named the Institute of Medicine, recommended screening patients for current and past domestic and sexual violence as part of basic preventative care. The Bureau of Women’s and Children’s Health (BWCH) recognizes the negative impact of domestic and sexual abuse on reproductive health, and funded a program to assist communities in addressing it through Futures Without Violence (formerly the Family Violence Prevention Fund): xxxxx://xxx.xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx.xxx/. Future Without Violence, along with ACOG created a comprehensive document with guidelines on how to handle intimate partner violence. In a nationally competitive application process, Arizona was selected to receive funding to implement a statewide public health initiative. Since the spring of 2010, Project Connect Arizona has trained over 300 health care providers on the links between abuse and reproductive health and has worked diligently to make positive changes in policies and procedures related to screening and response to abuse. Please see more on Project Connect Arizona here: xxxxx://xxxx.xxx/what-we- do/fight-for-families/project-connect. Health care providers are in a unique position to assist victims of domestic and sexual violence by providing validation, education, and resources. This simple process can be easily integrated into reproductive health appointments. Domestic violence and reproductive coercion screening should include, at a minimum, three questions from the following sample screening questions:
