A Qualitative Study of the Impact of Police Violence on Black Birthing People

Police violence negatively impacts the health and well-being of Black people in the United States, and in addition to being a harmful form of structural racism, it is also a reproductive justice issue. This study examines the perspectives of Black birthing parents on police violence and how it affects their parenting.

The findings presented here were extracted from 12 semi-structured qualitative interviews conducted between 2020 and 2021 with participants from two Cook County hospitals. In those interviews, participants were asked about their feelings towards the police, how recent incidents of police violence impact their lives, and whether their identities as parents or parents-to-be affected their views on police violence.

Five central themes appeared in interviews with Black birthing people: (1) I am at risk of police violence because of my Blackness, and driving elevates that risk, (2) I avoid police and do everything I can to minimize risk, (3) I teach my kids to avoid police and minimize their risk, (4) The distress I feel about police violence as a parent is inescapable, I still don't feel like I can do enough to protect my kids, (5) Policing requires accountability, not abolition.

Police violence is a salient stressor for Black birthing parents, which influences their personal and parenting behaviors. Participants overwhelmingly endorsed greater accountability for policing to protect themselves and their children from police violence.