Why sabotaging condoms should be illegal

Amazingly, tampering with a partner's contraception isn't covered by any existing U.S. law

Condom
(Image credit: (Thinkstock))

Guy meets girl. Guy falls in love with girl. Guy realizes the relationship with the girl has hit the skids, so he pokes holes in a pack of condoms to get her pregnant so she'll stay with him. That's birth control sabotage, and there's no clear punishment for it in the United States.

Birth control sabotage falls under a category of domestic abuse called "reproductive coercion." Katie Ray-Jones of the National Domestic Violence Hotline (NDVH) describes it to The Daily Beast as "a pattern of acts and behaviors in which one partner exerts control over another over reproduction, birth control, pregnancy that relate to reproduction." It can include poking holes in condoms, destroying or hiding birth control pills, and ripping out IUDs.

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Emily Shire is chief researcher for The Week magazine. She has written about pop culture, religion, and women and gender issues at publications including Slate, The Forward, and Jewcy.