Homicide, especially involving an intimate partner and gun violence, is now a leading cause of death for pregnant women in the United States, a troubling new report finds. Researchers with the Harvard School of Public Health found that pregnant women are more likely to be murdered than die from pregnancy-related complications, including high blood pressure disorders, hemorrhage, or sepsis.

These tragic deaths often involve an act of intimate partner violence or gun violence, according to the study. Researchers argue that ending male violence and gun crimes could save hundreds of women and their unborn children each year throughout the U.S.

The study notes that intimate partner violence is a problem worldwide, with one in three women reporting an incident of physical, sexual, or psychological abuse by a partner during their lifetime. Women in the U.S. have a higher likelihood of dealing with intimate partner violence than women in other high-income nations, researchers add.

2 in 3 pregnant women homicides involves a gun

Between 2008 and 2019, the Harvard team found that 68 percent of the homicides […]