NPR's Jon Hamilton reports on a study in the Journal of the American Medical Association that suggests pregnant women may be particularly vulnerable to some kinds of violence. Researchers found pregnant women in Maryland were twice as likely to be victims of homicide, and that murder was the leading cause of death for expecting mothers. The study did not say why pregnant women are so often the targets of violent attacks, but some experts are now calling on doctors to be more diligent in identifying and reporting signs of domestic violence, especially when it involves a pregnant woman.
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