Roe v. Wade Overturned: Social Workers for Reproductive Justice

This column was written on April 29, 2022 for the May/June/July 2022 NASW-NC Newsletter.

My father was in medical school in 1969-1973, pre-Roe v. Wade, and spent his emergency medicine clinical rotation in Chicago, Illinois. I remember him recalling attending to at least five women in the emergency room due to an unsafe, at-home abortion. One that led to a full hysterectomy. One woman barely survived.

A half century later, this horror is again a reality.

This year, the Supreme Court will reverse Roe v. Wade, the landmark abortion decision establishing a constitutional right to end a pregnancy. Abortion activists across the country are certain of this.

Twelve states have passed so-called trigger bans that will outlaw all or most abortions when Roe and Planned Parenthood v. Casey are overturned. At the same time, 16 states and the District of Columbia have policies guaranteeing abortion rights no matter what the Supreme Court decides.

Where do social workers fall in this conversation? Right in the middle.

The NASW Social Work Speaks (2020) Reproductive Justice issue statement says:

1. NASW opposes government restrictions designed to limit access to reproductive health services, including abortion services.
2. NASW opposes the repeal of Roe v. Wade.
3. It is vital that the social work profession keep abreast of the constantly changing policy landscape of reproductive issues and take an ethical and evidence-based position on behalf of our clients and communities.
   

According to NASW Social Work Speaks (2020), Reproductive Justice is “the complete physical, mental, spiritual, political, social, and economic well-being of women and girls (people), based on the full achievement and protection of women’s human rights”. The lens is consistent with NASW’s focus on social and economic justice for all.

The NASW (2015) Code of Ethics states that “social workers respect and promote the right of clients to self-determination and assist clients in their efforts to identify and clarify their goals” (p. 5). Self-determination related to reproductive health means that without government interference or reproductive coercion by an intimate partner, friend, family member, or professional, people should make their own decisions about sexual activity and reproduction.

Access to abortion is also a huge racial justice issue. Wealthy, white individuals will always have access to abortions. Black and Latina people have higher rates of abortion, often because of lower incomes and limited access to preventive health care, including birth control. Individuals of color have also been targets of coercive government policies that attempt to regulate their child-bearing through a range of policies including sterilization (hello social workers in North Carolina!), family caps on public assistance, prosecution for using drugs while pregnant, and the criminalization of pregnant individuals.

Criminalizing Ethical Social Work Practice
States and municipalities are quickly passing laws that will criminalize ethical social work practice. Let me repeat that. It is a CRIME in some states for social workers to provide emotional support or information on how to access a legal abortion in another state. It is against the law to promote clients’ right to self-determination, a part of our NASW Code of Ethics. I guarantee you these laws WILL pass in North Carolina if we do not get out the vote in the midterm election on November 8, 2022 and every election moving forward. We are one governor away from being a Florida or Texas.

These laws are literally coming in to change our ethical profession. Is the profession prepared to side with our code of ethics and break unjust laws? Please reach out to me to discuss what the social work profession should be doing to prepare for the continued fight for reproductive justice (varendt.naswnc@socialworkers.org).

Valerie Arendt, MSW, MPP
NASW-NC Executive Director

What can you do now? Take the following actions:

1) Donate to Pro-Choice North Carolina: https://prochoicenc.org/support/

2) Get a ticket to Pro-Choice North Carolina's upcoming Spring Into Action Gala on May 24th: https://prochoicenc.org/event/2022-spring-into-action-gala

3) Donate to the Carolina Abortion Fund: https://fund.nnaf.org/campaign/carolina-abortion-fund-p2p-22/c394715

4) Go vote today in the NC primaries and vote for pro-abortion candidates. One-stop Early Voting runs through May 14^th and the primary is May 17th. You can also update your registration and/or register and vote all on the same day during One-stop Early Voting. During One-stop Early Voting, you can vote at any Early Voting site in the country in which you are registered to vote.