Public Statement
July 1, 2022
Rose Brooks Center is survivor-centered and is committed to help those we serve access safety, life-saving resources, and the care needed to be free of domestic violence.
Rose Brooks Center knows firsthand the life-threatening consequences the Supreme Court’s overturning of Roe v Wade will have for survivors and families who are the victims of domestic violence, rape, and incest. With the court’s ruling, Missouri activated a 2019 trigger law that makes abortion illegal in the state except for medical emergencies. It makes no exceptions for domestic violence, rape, or incest.
We have listened closely to survivors to understand the dangers and complex barriers they experience in violent relationships including the use of rape and reproductive coercion by their abusive partner to maintain power and control. By sabotaging birth control, coercing someone into pregnancy, and by forcing rapid repeat pregnancy, the barriers to leaving an abusive relationship increase exponentially.
Our partners at the National Coalition Against Domestic Violence share that “homicide is the leading cause of death of pregnant women, and forcing a person to carry a pregnancy to term can cause physical, mental, and economic harm, as well as creating a legal bond between the victim and the perpetrator. This ruling will have a multitude of far-reaching, catastrophic impacts, but will fall hardest on survivors in historically marginalized communities who already face heightened risks of both intimate partner violence and poor health outcomes with pregnancy, including survivors of color, LGBTQ survivors and survivors of color, as well as low-income survivors, who can least afford to carry an unwanted pregnancy to term or support a child.”-National Coalition Against Domestic Violence.
Our mission to end the cycle of domestic violence is guided by survivor-centered advocacy. This means upholding every survivor’s right to self-determination, choice, privacy,
and safety because survivors are the safest when they have autonomy and privacy to make self-determined choices. Rose Brooks Center wants survivors to know we will hold firm to our commitment to help them plan for safety, connect them with resources, protect their privacy, and respect them as experts in their own life and choices. As such, we will continue to help survivors’ access safe, equitable, and comprehensive reproductive healthcare options including emergency contraception and abortion care.
We will do everything in our power to help those who need us to stay safe, well, and autonomous.
Rose Brooks is and will remain here.