Assignment: Abortion Laws and Ethical Considerations. For social workers, the potential conflict between personal and professional ethics can be a source of great contention. Abortion is a highly politicized and contested topic. It is also one that reflects great diversity in terms of opinion, personal and professional ethics, and legal stances varying from state to state. For this Assignment, consider the topic of abortion, the laws of abortion that exist in the state or country in which you reside, and your own opinions on the topic. Also consider the relationship between your personal and professional ethical stance on the topic and how that may affect your interactions with clients.

By Day 7

Submit a 2- to 4-page paper that explains what you discovered about the laws of abortion in your state or country and why this information might be shared with clients. Further, explain your personal stance on abortion and how your ethical entanglements might impact your work with clients given the professional social worker ethic. Please use the Learning Resources to support your answer.  

Learning Resources

Note: To access this week’s required library resources, please click on the link to the Course Readings List, found in the Course Materials section of your Syllabus.

Required Readings

Zastrow, C. H., Kirst-Ashman, K. K., & Hessenauer, S. L.  (2019). Understanding human behavior and the social environment (11th ed.). Boston, MA: Cengage Learning.
Chapter 2, “Biological Development in Infancy and Childhood” (pp. 45-94)

Greil, A. L., McQuillan, J., Lowry, M., & Shreffler, K. M. (2011). Infertility treatment and fertility-specific distress: A longitudinal analysis of a population-based sample of U.S. women. Social Science & Medicine, 73(1), 87–94.
Note: You will access this article from the Walden Library databases.

Plummer, S.-B., Makris, S., & Brocksen S. M. (Eds.). (2014). Social work case studies: Foundation year. Baltimore, MD: Laureate International Universities Publishing. [Vital Source e-reader].
Working With Clients With Addictions: The Case of Barbara and Jonah

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2018). Child development. Retrieved from https://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/childdevelopment/index.html

Guttmacher Institute. (2018). An overview of abortion laws. Retrieved from https://www.guttmacher.org/state-policy/explore/overview-abortion-laws

Los Angeles Biomedical Research Institute at Harbor-UCLA Medical Center. (2014). Children exposed to methamphetamine before birth have increased cognitive problems. Retrieved from https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2014/03/140318113733.htm