Choice, Policy, and Practice: Understanding Social Work Student Attitudes Toward Abortion

As access to abortion care in the U.S. becomes increasingly limited and complex due to the shifting political landscape, social workers have the opportunity and ethical imperative to advance reproductive justice, including access to 10 and education about abortion. Currently, education and training offered to social work students regarding abortion is largely Q3 overlooked. We surveyed social work students across the U.S. between November 18, 2024 – March 5, 2025 with questions in four areas: abortion attitudes, perceived abortion knowledge, birth control attitudes and exposure to reproductive health topics within their education. Survey responses showed widespread student support for the legality of abortion, correlated with positive birth control 20 attitudes. While most students rated knowledge about abortion and reproductive health as important, most students also reported having received little to no education on these topics. Further research is needed to evaluate students’ perceived vs. actual knowledge of abortion, and to gather more 25 qualitative information about students’ educational experiences of abortion. Social work programs have a responsibility to embed reproductive justice and abortion education into their curriculums, such as through integrating material into existing courses, offering electives, and partnering with field placements 30 working in the areas of reproductive and sexual justice.