Another reason to help your friends escape a dating partner who isn’t treating them well is that the consequences could be lifelong. New research found that some teens and young women get pregnant without meaning to because their male partners are physically and sexually violent with them and messing with their birth control as another way to keep them under control. The study, in the January issue of the journal Contraception, discovered that these young women have twice the risk of unintended pregnancy. About 1,300 women aged 16 to 29 at five health clinics in Northern California were surveyed, and 15% said their partner messed with their birth control. More than half said their partners were physically or sexually violent, and more than one third of those who said their partners were violent said that their partners tried to persuade them into getting pregnant or sabotaged their birth control, according to the researchers. Do you think this is a common problem? Do you know anyone this has happened to? What would you say to a friend who was in trouble like this?

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Dealing with challenges, You Can Help! by Christina