A Call to Action: Addressing Ambivalence and Promoting Advocacy for Reproductive Rights in Social Work Education

ABSTRACT

This article highlights the current sociopolitical reality surrounding reproductive rights in the United States, and the ambivalence of social work education in integrating reproductive justice into the curriculum and professional preparation of students for practice. The authors deconstruct a multisystem equivocation that manifests through the silence of Council on Social Work Education (CSWE) guidance on the issue, and the tenuous position of social work education programs within shifting institutional climates. A call to action is made with a specific proposal for CSWE and social work programs to consider for effective professional preparation of students and the fulfillment of the profession’s aspiration to protect human rights to autonomy and self-determination.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Maha Younes

Maha Younes, PhD, is a professor at the University of Nebraska-Kearney. Erica Goldblatt Hyatt, DSW, is an associate professor at Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey. Heather Witt, PhD, is an assistant professor at Boise State University. Carly Franklin, MSW, is a clinical assistant professor at the University of Arkansas.