Statement on the Reversal of Roe v. Wade

The National Association of Social Workers (NASW) condemns the U.S. Supreme Court decision ruling in the Mississippi case of Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization that effectively overturns Roe v. Wade.  

This decision is not only the first time the Court has taken away a recognized individual liberty, it also decimates the nearly 50-year precedent that established abortion rights as an extension of the implied Right to Privacy found in the 14th Amendment.  

With this ruling, the Court is allowing Mississippi to enforce its 15-week ban on abortion and is inviting eager state legislatures to further restrict and ban abortion. In many states, these restrictive measures will even go so far as to criminalize providers - including social workers - who may simply be doing their jobs by supporting a pregnant person in making decisions regarding reproductive care.

This decision is an unconscionable rollback of fundamental rights for all people in the United States. Forced pregnancy is a grave violation of human rights and dignity.

We should all be able to make the personal health care decisions that impact our lives, health, and futures. But Friday the Court issued a shattering blow to access to abortion in the United States, leaving even more people struggling to obtain essential health care. The abortion ban will also disproportionately affect people of color, who already have less access to reproductive care. In fact, abortion bans like Mississippi’s are part of intertwined systems of oppression that deny many vulnerable people access to their rights.

Besides people of color, the impact of this decision will also fall heavily on people with disabilities, people who live in rural areas, young people, undocumented people, and people who are low income. With this decision, the U.S. Supreme Court has once again failed the most disadvantaged Americans.

Decades of attacks have left abortion rights hanging by a thread in the United States. Friday that thread was cut, but we are not defeated. Anti-abortion state lawmakers are already trying to prohibit people from accessing abortion across state lines, showing there’s no limit to their cruel attempts to control people’s personal health care decisions. These laws must be stopped.

NASW upholds that all individuals have a right to bodily autonomy, that abortion is health care, and that all individuals have the right to freedom of choice in accessing essential health care services, especially their reproductive health. Despite Friday’s decision, NASW will continue to advocate for reproductive rights for all on the local, state, and federal level.

Read NASW's issue and policy statements on reproductive justice>>>

NASW-Michigan supports the following abortion access messaging best practices and encourages all social workers to use the same>>>

To Michigan Health Professionals licensed under the Public Health Code and providing and/or supporting abortion services:

Access to medical care for all Michigan citizens, including women facing the difficult decision to seek abortion, is of paramount importance.  We know that treating these women and being able to use your abilities and judgment to determine the best course of care in each individual circumstance is part of your oath as medical professionals, and we understand that you wish to continue to offer these services, as the law permits.

On Friday, the U.S. Supreme Court overturned a woman’s constitutional right to abortion services. Under this decision, laws and court rulings in each state guide how health professionals provide abortions and abortion-related services.  In Michigan, there is an injunction in place, based on a court order prior to Friday’s U.S. Supreme Court decision, that protects women seeking abortion services and the health care professionals assisting them.  That order states, “Defendant [the Attorney General] and anyone acting under defendant’s control and supervision, see MCL 14.30, are hereby enjoined during the pendency of this action from enforcing MCL 750.14.”  The order also provided that the Attorney General give immediate notice of the preliminary injunction to all state and local officials acting under her supervision.  It is LARA’s position that abortion remains legal in Michigan because of the current injunction that prohibits enforcement of the 1931 law. 

We understand that you may have some concerns about how continuing to provide medical and surgical services to women seeking abortion may impact your professional license. The Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs will not take any action against any health professionals for providing legal abortion services while the current injunction remains in place.

Thank you for your commitment to providing services to women in need and to all Michigan citizens.  We will continue to update you as new information becomes available.

Bureau of Professional Licensing, Michigan Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs

NASW Code of Ethics and Reproductive Justice

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. It also means people  should make their own decisions about sexual activity and reproduction.

As social workers, we support the right of individuals to decide for themselves, without duress and according to their own personal beliefs and convictions, when they want to become parents, if they want to become parents, how many children they are willing and able to nurture and support, the opportune time for  them to have children, and with whom they choose to parent. All social work  services, ranging from abortion to adoption to contraception to parenting, should  be provided safely and competently in a nonjudgmental atmosphere based on  evidence-based practice rather than the imposition of another’s personal beliefs.  The right to parent should not be denied to individuals because of class,  disability, race, gender or sexual identity, or any other category.

The ability to control one’s own sexual and reproductive life leads to increased educational and career opportunities and the ability to care for oneself and others. All people deserve to make these decisions with dignity and autonomy and to have access to the services that support their decisions.

According to the NASW (2015) Code of Ethics, one of social workers’ ethical  responsibilities to clients is informed consent, which includes clear language to  inform the client of the purposes, risks, and limits to services. Informed consent  should be based on empirical evidence and the social work values of competence and integrity (NASW, 2015). These values require that social workers act honestly, responsibly, and “continually strive to increase their professional knowledge” (p. 4). Therefore, providing misinformation to dissuade women from having an abortion violates the social work code of ethics.

Language from Social Work Speaks, 12th Edition

NASW-Michigan Policy & Advocacy Update

June 27, 2022

While the news about the decision of the Supreme Court in Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization was not a surprise, we are outraged by their decision to not uphold the right to abortion, the right to bodily autonomy, the right to privacy. Abortion is health care, it is safe, it is needed. It is a critical human right in the value of self-determination. Abortion is a component of Reproductive Justice which SisterSong defines as the human right to maintain personal bodily autonomy, have children, not have children, and parent the children we have in safe and sustainable communities. 

Social workers: our call to action is clear. The future of abortion access in Michigan and in our country is dire– for ourselves and for our clients. As social workers, helping clients in their pregnancy and pregnancy options is a regular part of ethical, social work practice. NASW-Michigan remains resolute in its commitment to protect reproductive rights and freedoms, and we affirm all individuals have the right to bodily autonomy, that abortion is healthcare, and that all individuals have the right to freedom of choice in accessing essential health care services.

We need to continue to protect our first amendment right to provide information about abortion to clients, to support them emotionally through their decision making, and to provide logistical support in accessing their healthcare. It is likely that we face a future where more attempts are made to criminalize helping others access abortion. We need to advocate for the ability for Michigan’s abortion clinics to stay open, for funding to keep abortion financially accessible, and ultimately for us all to secure our right to bodily autonomy. 

It is important to know that even though the Supreme Court has made this decision, abortion is currently legal in Michigan. The 1931 law remains on the books that bans most abortions in the state. However, a Michigan Court of Claims Judge granted an injunction in a lawsuit brought by Planned Parenthood that temporarily blocks the law from being enforced. Governor Whitmer also filed a lawsuit and asked the Michigan Supreme Court to recognize a constitutional right to an abortion under the Due Process Clause of the Michigan Constitution. There is also a citizen-initiated constitutional amendment November 2022 ballot measure that would enshrine abortion access – and the right to make all decisions regarding reproductive health, including birth control, miscarriage care, prenatal care, and childbirth – in the Michigan Constitution.

NASW-Michigan will continue to work Governor Whitmer and our legislative partners to expand access to safe and legal abortion in Michigan. As laws change in the future, NASW-Michigan will provide you guidance on how to manage risk for yourself and clients as we continue to support clients in seeking resources.

For now, as social workers we must advocate. Abortions will continue to happen in our country regardless of the actions of the Supreme Court and social workers will continue to support people in Michigan to do so. But we need to be loud right now to protect our ability to talk to clients freely and to have access to abortion services. 

Call your Congressperson and Senator Stabenow & Senator Peters to urge them to codify abortion access. Donate to your local abortion fund, Reclaim MI WIN Fund. Follow Reproductive Freedom For ALL and Planned Parenthood Advocates of Michigan to learn more about how to take action.

Get involved with these groups, build community, support one another. We cannot lose hope. This movement is strong. As long as we are united and continue our fight, we can secure abortion rights here in Michigan.