While the risk of gun violence death is elevated among all pregnant women compared to nonpregnant women, pregnant Black women are by far the most likely group to experience firearm mortality, according to a new study led by scientists at Boston Children’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School.
Using data from the National Violent Death Reporting System regarding 7,000 women who died by homicide between 2018 and 2021, the authors found that firearms accounted for 78.6 percent of all homicides of pregnant women, translating to a 37 percent higher risk of dying from firearms compared to women who are not pregnant. Black women were found to be significantly more likely to be victims of homicide, representing a staggering 57.6 percent of all pregnant women who died from homicide during the study period. Black women also accounted for the highest proportion (45.7 percent) of homicides among nonpregnant women.
In addition to racial disparities, the authors found that firearm homicide rates among pregnant women also varied significantly by age and location. Women aged 20 to 24 and women living in states with high levels of gun ownership had the highest risk of experiencing firearm homicide.
“These deaths are not random,” write the study authors. “They are predictable and therefore preventable. Preventing homicide during pregnancy will require urgent and coordinated actions from policymakers, public health advocates, and health care systems to address this leading cause of death in pregnant women.”
