Pregnancy has become a period of heightened danger for many women in the United States, with homicide now surpassing medical complications as a leading cause of death. New national research shows that violence during pregnancy and the year after birth is widespread, largely preventable, and sharply shaped by race, age, and where a woman lives.
The burden falls disproportionately on Black women. Pregnancy-associated firearm homicide affects young Black women at far higher rates than other groups, while firearm suicide during pregnancy is more common among older white and Native American women. Researchers found that 76 percent of pregnancy-associated homicides involved firearms, underscoring how access to guns transforms domestic violence into lethal outcomes. One social epidemiologist involved in the research said the stark differences across states show these deaths are driven by “something beyond biology,” pointing instead to policy environments and histories that determine who survives pregnancy.
Geography matters. Mississippi recorded the highest maternal death ratio involving firearms, followed by states including Missouri, Georgia, South Carolina, and Louisiana. Many of these states share permissive gun laws and restrictive reproductive policies. Researchers found that states with abortion bans and fewer firearm safeguards also experience higher rates of pregnancy-associated violence, particularly intimate partner violence that escalates during pregnancy.
Homicide risk is especially high for young and Black pregnant people, reinforcing long-standing racial disparities in maternal health. Experts emphasize that incomplete data likely undercounts the true toll, since pregnancy status is often missing from death records. Still, the message is clear: maternal mortality in the United States cannot be separated from gun policy, reproductive access, and racial inequity, and without systemic change, pregnancy will remain far more dangerous for some women than others.
See: “Maternal Homicide Is Very Common — Particularly in These States” (April 4, 2025)
