On Friday, June 24, 2022, the U.S. Supreme Court released their Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health decision, overturning Roe v. Wade. NASW-NC is appalled by this decision and will continue to work with state and federal partners to ensure social workers have access to needed resources for their patients.

Read NASW's statement Major Mental Health Associations decry U.S. Supreme Court decision overturning Roe v. Wade.

Here are some helpful reminders and actions to take from our partners, Pro-Choice NC.

First and foremost, abortion is still legal in North Carolina.

Here are steps you can take immediately:

- Call your members of the NC General Assembly and tell them to pass SB 888 and HB 1119. Find your legislators here.

- Volunteer with pro-choice candidates. You can find the candidates Pro-Choice NC has endorsed thus far here. A note from NASW-NC: the NASW-NC PACE Committee will be meeting over the summer to determine endorsements on behalf of the social work profession. 

 - Donate to Carolina Abortion Fund to help reduce financial burdens for North Carolinians accessing abortion and for people who will now have to travel to NC to access abortion.

- Find more resources, take action, and stay connected here.

- If you are in the Triangle tonight (Friday, June 24), wear a mask and join partners for a rapid response rally and march at 5:30pm in downtown Raleigh at Bicentennial Plaza. Not in the Triangle? Gather at 5pm in your town/city wherever folks typically gather for rallies and marches. 

As the NASW-NC 2022 NASW-NC Advocate of the Year, Lynne Walter, stated in her post in September How Social Workers Can Take Action on Abortion Access:

Access to abortion and reproductive health care has been on the NASW-NC Legislative Agenda for years: “Oppose any and all efforts to restrict access to abortion and reproductive health care, allow providers the ability to fully practice within the scope of their profession, and grant young people access to factual, comprehensive, and medically accurate sexuality education.”

Taking action to defend abortion access and reproductive freedom is intrinsic to our profession. The very first ethical responsibility outlined in the NASW Code of Ethics is “Commitment to Clients,” which requires that “clients’ interests are primary.” Social workers also must “respect and promote the right of clients to self-determination,” which clearly includes a client’s right to make choices about their own reproductive health. As social workers, the right to bodily autonomy, including getting an abortion, inherently aligns with our ethical standards as social workers.