Intimate partner violence climbed after the Supreme Court’s 2022 ruling that essentially erased federal protections for abortion, a new study reports. Published by the National Bureau of Economic Research, the study finds in states that instituted near-total abortion bans after the Supreme Court’s decision, intimate partner violence jumped between 7% and 10%. That amounts to between 9,271 and 13,998 additional incidents of intimate partner violence, which occurs between people in a romantic relationship. The Supreme Court’s ruling on Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization has led to 14 states implementing near-total abortion bans. Seven others have also adopted various kinds of restrictions, such as gestational age limits and mandatory waiting limits.
Bilge Erten, an associate professor of economics and international relations at Northeastern University and an author of the study, says there are a number of explanations for why these policies could increase intimate partner violence.
