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School of Social Work

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Browsing School of Social Work by Subject "abortion care"

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    Social Workers’ Abortion Attitudes and Implications for Practice and Education: A Reproductive Justice–Informed Scoping Review
    (2026-03) Gonzalez, Vanessa
    Introduction/Background: Since the overturning of Roe v. Wade in the United States, several states have enacted abortion restrictions, impacting marginalized communities. Social workers are likely to encounter clients navigating abortions and have ethical duties to promote client self-determination. Using a reproductive justice lens, this scoping review aimed to explore what is known about social workers’ attitudes toward abortion, the factors influencing these attitudes, and the implications these attitudes have on ethical, client-centered practice. Methods: Articles were selected based off the following inclusion criteria: (1) peer-reviewed or non-peer- reviewed published between 1970-2025, (2) available in English, (3) empirical literature regarding abortion attitudes from social workers, including professional social workers or social work students and (4) collected data from the United States. Following a title/abstract screening and full text review, 15 studies were selected. Results: Findings indicated most social workers have supportive attitudes toward abortion and demonstrated a commitment to promoting client self-determination. Religiosity, political affiliation, and lack of knowledge emerged as factors most associated with antiabortion attitudes. Some social workers endorsed unwillingness to provide abortion referrals and a perceived inability to work with clients considering an abortion. Discussion: These findings underscore the importance of integrating RJ and abortion topics into social work practice and education, especially in the current post-Roe context. Social workers must be ready to encounter and assist clients navigating today’s increasingly restrictive abortion landscape, by managing value conflicts and providing accurate abortion information.