Teaching Reproductive Justice in Social Work Education

In addressing inequalities, reproductive health is often forgotten. It has been noted for a decade or more by some social work educators that reproductive health and, indeed, reproductive rights are not often addressed in social work education. This chapter explores the experience of teaching about reproductive health and rights in both undergraduate and postgraduate classrooms. Utilising a lens of reproductive justice has enabled reproductive health to be explored, and links made to other topics, such as sexual health, sexuality education, parental poverty, gender violence, eugenics, surveillance, and incarceration. Notions of reproductive justice of course raise the spectre of abortion, contraception, and assisted reproduction as heavily contested aspects of healthcare. Diverse student beliefs impact how receptive they are to exploring such topics. Polarising debates can lead to silencing and alienation. Using multifaceted constricted case scenarios has helped to provide a safe environment to discuss reproductive health and justice topics. Exploring these scenarios can incorporate an intersectional human rights approach centering the needs of service users, rather than social work student opinions.