If you want to read something that is extremely powerful and touching I suggest you read this!

Partner abuse a factor in unintended pregnancies ANI, 26 January 2010, 03:30pm IST : |                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                Topics: Women who experience reproductive coercion, efforts made by  male partners to sabotage birth control or coerce pregnancy, and  partner violence Partner abuse a factor in unintended pregnancies (Getty Images) Twitter Facebook Share are at increased risk of unintended pregnancy, says a study. Researchers also found that reproductive coercion, including damaging condoms and destroying contraceptives, was frequently associated with physical or sexual violence. Lead study author Elizabeth Miller, an assistant professor of pediatrics in the UC Davis School of Medicine and a practitioner at UC Davis Children's Hospital, said: "This study highlights an under-recognized phenomenon where male partners actively attempt to promote pregnancy against the will of their female partners. "Not only is reproductive coercion associated with violence from male partners, but when women report experiencing both reproductive coercion and partner violence, the risk for unintended pregnancy increases significantly." The team found that 15 per cent of the women surveyed said they experienced birth control sabotage, while 53 per cent said they had experienced physical or sexual violence from an intimate partner. More than a third of the women who reported partner violence, 35 per cent, also reported either pregnancy coercion or birth control sabotage. Jay Silverman, the study's senior author and an associate professor of society , human development and health in the Harvard School of Public Health said, "We have known about the association between partner violence and unintended pregnancy for many years. What this study shows is that reproductive coercion likely explains why unintended pregnancies are far more common among abused women and teens." Miller added, "This study confirms that women experiencing partner violence are more likely to have greater need for sexual and reproductive health services. Thus, clinical settings that offer reproductive health services likely offer the greatest opportunity to identify women experiencing partner violence and to ensure that women receive the counseling and support they may need." The study, "Pregnancy Coercion, Intimate Partner Violence and Unintended Pregnancy", was published in the journal Contraception .

I sit here this morning looking back on my life. Realizing I made a lot of mistakes but no matter what the mistakes were, I am still a child of God and he loves me. I am still worth my weight in Gold to him. It is those thoughts that get me through the hard times.

Right now my family struggles with major damage on our property. We heard the worse from the insurance company....we are only covered a small portion. Too long of a story to go into but we feel like we have been robbed to a degree. As sad and as angry as I was over this, I stopped and talked to God last night. I prayed for him to help me understand all this, to free my heart from hurting and worrying about any of it. I asked him to make me very aware that these are only material things and how thankful I am to have my family and friends and with him, I am going to be just fine. I woke up this morning feeling so much better. Yes, I am sad when I look at all we have lost, but through hard work, hopefully good friends, we will not have lost it all. God gave me hope today.

It is hope within us that drives and makes life worth living. If we didn't have hope, all would be dismal. I thank God that he showed me where to seek hope and to believe in him and the wonderful things he can do.

So many times in my life I ignored that he was right there beside me, I ignored the hope he was showing me. I didn't realize it had come from him. Now I see with eyes wiser and more open all that he gives me each day. I am truly blessed to have Jesus in my life, my heart, my family. I am truly blessed to now be able to see situations for what they are. They are not the end of the world if I follow his lead, I believe, and I have hope.

Why do I discuss hope today? Because I believe when I was in an abusive situation I never saw hope, I only saw the dark days of living with a violent man who I detested. I only saw day after day being trapped and having to live a life I hated. I saw only my two babies as my saving grace. But I also saw the stress that having two children in this situation caused.

It wasn't until I finally reached out to a support group and found Carol. She was my saving grace, she was my mentor, friend, and the one person who allowed me to see again. She gave me hope for a life better than what I had. One that was more deserving, one that was filled with ups and downs but it was my own again. I could be who I wanted to be. I would be free.

If you feel you do not have hope......reach out to someone who can help. Don't wait, do it today. It will be the best decision you have ever made. You can dream and you can do....take a step forward and give yourself some hope again!

Controlling behaviors are often found in abusive situations. Below is a checklist of what behaviors are considered controlling in different situations.  Please take the time to read this if you suspect someone is being controlled or if you even think that you may be in a relationship that does not flourish and promote you as an individual.


Checklist found on Google Docs