Trends in Pregnancy-Associated Homicide, United States, 2020.

Abstract

<b>Objectives.</b> To estimate the national pregnancy-associated homicide rate in 2020 and to characterize patterns of victimization. <b>Methods.</b> Using a retrospective analysis of the 2020 US national mortality file, I identified all homicides of women who were pregnant or within 1 year of the end of pregnancy. Descriptive statistics characterized these victims, and I calculated annual pregnancy-associated homicide rates (deaths per 100 000 live births) for comparisons with 2018 and 2019. I estimated the added risk conferred by pregnancy in 2020 by comparing the pregnancy-associated homicide rate to homicide in the nonpregnant, nonpostpartum population of females aged 10 to 44 years. <b>Results.</b> There were 5.23 pregnancy-associated homicides per 100 000 live births in 2020, a notable increase from previous years. Rates were highest among adolescents and non-Hispanic Black women. Eighty percent of incidents involved firearms. The risk of homicide was 35% greater for pregnant and postpartum women than for their nonpregnant, nonpostpartum counterparts, who did not experience as large an increase from previous years. <b>Conclusions.</b> Pregnancy-associated homicide substantially increased in 2020. <b>Public Health Implications.</b> Policies to address domestic and community violence against women are urgently needed. (<i>Am J Public Health</i>. 2022;112(9):1333-1336. https://doi.org/10.2105/AJPH.2022.306937).