Man arrested for threatening to drag woman 'by her hair' to abortion business

A man in Ireland is behind bars after allegedly assaulting his pregnant partner and threatening to drag her to an abortion facility.

Key Takeaways:

• A man in Ireland was denied bail after assaulting and threatening his pregnant partner.

• The woman told the court she is in fear for herself and her unborn child.

• Studies have shown that many women feel coerced to choose abortion.

• Homicide is also a leading cause of death for pregnant women; in many of these cases, the woman is murdered after refusing to abort.

The Details:

According to the Irish Independent, the man, who cannot be named for legal reasons, was denied bail after he allegedly threatened to drag the woman "by the hair of her head to the abortion clinic." Additionally, the woman said "the accused had jumped on her car, thrown runners around her home, smashed a wardrobe and chandeliers and refused to return her house keys."

Garda Brendan Byrne denied bail on the basis that the woman is now living in "genuine fear for herself and her unborn child." Judge John O’Leary noted the defendant's "coercive" behavior, and said there was a "high likelihood" he would interfere with the woman if released on bail.

The man has pleaded not guilty to charges of criminal damage and theft.

Why It Matters:

Though this woman was, seemingly, able to escape from her abuser, studies have shown that many pregnant women feel at least some pressure to abort their preborn children; in many cases, that pressure comes from the child's father, though pressure also comes from parents, friends, and even employers.

At the same time, homicide is a leading cause of death in pregnant women. Many of these homicides are domestic violence incidents in which a woman is killed after refusing to abort her preborn baby.

“Many people are surprised when they hear that violence is the leading cause of death in pregnancy,” explained Hooman Azad, MD, MPH, lead author of a study that found homicide is the number one cause of maternal death in the United States.

“Right now, the definition of maternal mortality does not include death by homicide. I’m not sure this is correct — being pregnant or postpartum significantly increases the risk of death by homicide, and more pregnant women die of violence than any individual medical cause. Part of the reason violence is not recognized as the leading cause of death during pregnancy is because we don’t include homicide and suicide in the definition of maternal mortality.”