Counseling Psychology and Reproductive Justice: A Call to Action

Abstract

Although it remains an underresearched topic in the field, counseling psychology can and should play an important role in enhancing individuals' sexual and reproductive health (SRH), as well as promoting reproductive rights at the systemic level. SRH issues affect virtually all people, especially those whose sexual and reproductive behaviors and identities are stigmatized. In this article, we make the case for the importance of SRH and rights in counseling psychology, and introduce the reproductive justice framework as a means to incorporate these issues into research, training, practice, and advocacy for social justice. We introduce four case studies with a focus on the ways in which restrictions on SRH differentially affect individuals across dimensions of social inequality including race, class, and sexual orientation. Next, we assess the state of scholarship on SRH in counseling psychology. Finally, we offer an action plan for incorporating reproductive justice principles into counseling psychology.

“Sincerely Held Principles” or Prejudice? The Tennessee Counseling Discrimination Law

“…The state of Tennessee, colloquially referred to as the “buckle” of the United States’ Bible Belt, represents a frontline of legislation directed at eroding LGBT+ individuals’ civil rights (Grzanka & Frantell, 2017). In response to one such piece of legislation, a 2016 state law that enabled therapists in private practice to deny services to clients based on the provider’s “sincerely held principles,” we partnered with the state’s largest LGBT+ advocacy organization, the Tennessee Equality Project (TEP), to study how this law might contribute to structural stigma and inequality in Tennessee.…”

Abortion Knowledge and Attitudes Among Psychologists and Graduate Students

“…The mean number of correct answers to the true-false measure was 68%; given that in customary practice, grades less than a B do not result in course credit in graduate programs, we assess this finding as reflective of insufficient knowledge. The stigma that characterizes abortion nationally, socially, and politically (Norris et al, 2011) may be emblematic of the relative silence in counseling psychology (Grzanka & Frantell, 2017) that results in a lack of attention in training programs and a concomitant dearth of knowledge among students and psychologists. Additionally, bias about abortion, despite legality, may influence the application of accurate knowledge in treatment of clients and patients (Hersh & Goldenberg, 2016).…”

“…Trainees may perceive the lack of discourse as a gap in their training that they must fill themselves. Additionally, depending on the training program's location within the United States, a failure to introduce abortion discussions may silently promote the status quo, which includes placing unnecessary barriers on providers and people who may seek legal abortion services (Grzanka & Frantell, 2017).…”

Soft Sterilization: Long-Acting Reversible Contraceptives in the Carceral State

“…The crux of soft sterilization is the highly effective contraceptive technologies, which prevent a user from pregnancy for 3–10 years, depending on the device. National health organizations, such as the American College of Obstetrics and Gynecology and the American Academy of Pediatrics, recommend LARCs as the preferred contraceptive to prevent unintended pregnancies (Grzanka & Frantell, 2017; Gubrium et al, 2016). LARCs require a medical professional to insert and remove the device for the user, and furthermore, LARC devices eliminate human error in contraceptive use as no additional action is required by the user after insertion.…”