Femicides of pregnant women: why do men kill their pregnant partners?

Abstract

The femicide of pregnant women, although it breaks with the popular imagination that associates pregnancy with a sacred period, is a severe public health problem of great magnitude. This study sought to understand the motivations behind the crimes of femicide of pregnant women. To this end, news items available in newspapers and online portals, published between 2022 and August 2024, were examined, culminating in the analysis of 45 cases of femicide of pregnant women in Brazil. Most of the cases were motivated by the aggressors’ lack of desire to maintain a bond with the women and children. The study also pointed out that, although the media recognizes the cases as related to broader contexts of violence against women, it does not acknowledge the femicide of pregnant women as a structural problem and does not contribute to a better understanding of the issue.