AOTA’s Post-Dobbs Task Force Report: OT’s Role in Reproductive Health Promotion and Sexual Health

Bottom line up front: While this report is sobering and presents many gaps, we'd like to highlight this Community of Sex & Intimacy OT Champions who are actively addressing sexual health with their clients.  You are trailblazers and change makers and your clients are lucky to be working with you.  

Click here to read the report. 

Read on to learn more…  

After the June 2022 Supreme Court decision “Dobb’s v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization” Alyson Stover, AOTA President, and Micheal Urban, the RA Speaker, requested a Post-Dobbs Task Force to identify the impact of the ruling on OT clients and OT practitioners.  The task force, chaired by Emily Rothman and Rakhi Srivastava, identified areas within OTs scope of practice that are directly impacted by the Dobbs decision and generated a plan to address these areas and maximize OTs impact on those affected by the decision.  

OT practitioners' role in reproductive health promotion and sexual health is squarely and explicitly listed.  Here are a few examples of what OT/OTAs need to know.  

1. Nearly half of all pregnancies in the US are unintended.
2. Reducing unintended pregnancy by increasing family planning and sexual health services is a priority of the US government.
3. Practicing within our OT Code of Ethics, OT/OTAs need to be equipped to promote freedom of choice related to reproduction options.

The report also illuminates some precautionary and concerning forecasts, two of which we’d like to highlight here: 

1. With the increase of unintended pregnancy resulting in live births we will likely see an increase in maternal mortality, child maltreatment, and untreated pelvic health concerns. 
2. Few OTPs are ideally prepared to provide clients with comprehensive, accurate information about sexual health or locally available pregnancy prevention options. 

Let’s reread #2 again.  We’d like to highlight this Community of Sex & Intimacy OT Champions who are actively addressing sexual health with their clients.  You are trailblazers and change makers and your clients are lucky to be working with you. 

Want to continue enhancing your comfort and competency in addressing sexuality with your clients? Check out the Certified Sexuality OT CEU courses to further your knowledge and skills in this area.