Abortion Law Changes and Occupational Therapy Practice in the United States
Authors: Nemati Darya , McKee Delaney , Rothman Emily F. 
Published: October 2024

Importance: The U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade in 2022, changing access to abortion in many states. The impact of these changes on occupational therapy practice has not yet been explored through empirical research.

Objective: To explore the perspectives of occupational therapy practitioners on how restrictions to abortion in the United States may have influenced their clients’ needs and thus their practice.

Design: This was a qualitative research study. We used an interpretivist epistemological approach and an inductive, thematic content analysis. Participants were recruited through state occupational therapy associations and social media. Two independent researchers coded data and had an initial agreement percentage of 88%. Data trustworthiness was enhanced through documentation of decisions, reflexive thinking about our positionality and the data, and team-based discussions.

Participants: Occupational therapy practitioners (N = 15) working in states with new abortion law changes at the time of interviews.

Results: The four key themes of this study were as follows: (1) abortion restriction laws are affecting some occupational therapy clients’ mental health, (2) clients are discussing reproductive health with occupational therapy practitioners across a variety of settings, (3) occupational therapy practitioners are using clinical judgment and their personal beliefs to support clients affected by abortion restrictions, and (4) occupational therapy practitioners are seeking guidance and evidence-based resources to best support clients in the wake of abortion-related legislation changes.

Conclusions and Relevance: Our findings underscore the relevance of reproductive health to occupational therapy practice and highlight the importance of preparing occupational therapy practitioners to respond to client needs related to abortion care.

Plain-Language Summary: We sought to determine whether occupational therapy practitioners perceive that the 2022 abortion-related restrictions are affecting occupational therapy practice; specifically, we wanted to know whether and how practice is being affected and what resources occupational therapy practitioners might need to address clients’ needs. Fifteen occupational therapy practitioners were interviewed and revealed that many of their clients were experiencing stress and anxiety (i.e., mental health challenges) specifically related to abortion access. We also found that occupational therapy practitioners who routinely discuss reproductive health with clients were commonly hearing from clients about abortion-related needs. Overall, this research uncovers a need for resources and guidance from state or national occupational therapy organizations so that occupational therapy practitioners can better support their clients given these new changes in abortion access.

Positionality Statement: We are a team of three researchers who identify as cisgender women, and we reside in an urban area in the northeastern United States. Two of us identify as White, and one identifies as a person of color. We have all participated in reproductive health access advocacy and critically examined our own lenses as we engaged in this analysis.