F25-905 Reproductive Rights as Human Rights: Social Workers and Reproductive Justice
Total Credits: 4 Anti-Oppressive Social Work Practices CEs
- Bundle(s):
- Fall 2025 Anti-Oppressive Social Work Practice Workshops
- Categories:
- 700 Professional Growth & Development | 900 Anti-Oppressive Social Work Practice | DC Public Health Priorities
- Instructors:
- Stacey B. Stephens, LCSW-C | Michele Beaulieu, LCSW-C
- Course Levels:
- Advanced
- Duration:
- 4 Hours 15 Minutes
- Target Audience:
- Social Workers, LCPCs, and Psychologists
Description
Roe v. Wade never fully protected the rights of historically marginalized communities’ access to equitable reproductive health care. The Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v. Wade further exacerbated the structural determinants of women actualizing reproductive autonomy. This population frequently experienced traumatic, harmful, and unjust medical treatment, which has led to inequities in reproductive and pregnancy outcomes. Racialized politics, social, and economic factors are often the drivers of these disparate outcomes. To guarantee that women and pregnant individuals maintain their right to bodily autonomy, receive respectful reproductive healthcare, and achieve optimal health and well-being, social workers must develop a liberatory consciousness, a framework of awareness, analysis, action, and accountable allyship, as developed by Barbara Love and presented in this workshop. Awareness includes educating ourselves on SisterSong and Black Mammas Matter Alliance’s definitions and frameworks of reproductive health, rights, and justice. This workshop will explore the underpinnings of reproductive injustice, including the historical and current practices of obstetric racism, reproductive violence, and the dehumanization of Black bodies so as to gain insight into how to change the delivery of reproductive healthcare.
This workshop is in accordance with and compliance with the NASW Standards with a focus on service, social justice, dignity and worth of the person, importance of human relationships, integrity, competence, and social workers’ ethical responsibilities to clients, in practice settings, as professionals, to the social work profession, to the broader society.
This workshop is in compliance with the Maryland Board of Social Work Examiners’ COMAR 10.42.03.06.A(5) and with the District of Columbia Board of Social Work 17-70-7008.4.
Maryland: This workshop meets the license renewal requirement for Anti-Oppressive Social Work Practice for Maryland Board of Social Work Examiners’COMAR 10.42.06.03.A.(1)(d) with a focus on social justice.
District of Columbia: This workshop meets the continuing education requirement for DC Public Health Priorities in the following topic: 1. Sexual and Reproductive Health.
Instructor
Stacey B. Stephens, LCSW-C Related Seminars and Products
Stacey Stephens, LCSW-C, is the Director of the B’more for Healthy Babies Upton/Druid Heights at the UMSSW Center for Restorative Change. Ms. Stephens is a visionary leader with twenty-eight years of experience in assisting women and children access equitable health and mental health services throughout Baltimore and the metropolitan DC region. She was a governor-appointed member of the Maryland task force to study perinatal mental health. Ms. Stephens is a clinical assistant professor at University of Maryland School of Social Work and an adjunct professor at Morgan State University School of Social Work, where she teaches and inspires future healthcare professionals. She is also a certified diversity practitioner, enabling her to help individuals, groups, organizations, and communities effectively manage cultural differences, influence system change, and create equity in healthcare and educational sectors.
Ms. Stephens and her team were awarded the University of Maryland School of Social Work’s JEDI 2022 inaugural Shirley Chisholm Community Award for making significant strides in building a sense of unity and purpose in Baltimore City by seeking to advance equity and inclusion in the community. She was recently recognized by the Maryland chapter of the National Association of Social Worker as Social Worker of the Year in 2022. With meaningful partnerships with residents and community partners, she has also led the B’more for Healthy Babies team, which has accomplished a 75% reduction in the infant mortality rate over the past eleven years, resulting in the elimination of the disparity between Black and White infants in this community. Ms. Stephens is a strong advocate of reproductive and sexual health and justice.
Michele Beaulieu, LCSW-C Related Seminars and Products
UMSSW
Michele Beaulieu, LCSW-C, is a clinical assistant professor at the UMSSW, where until recently she managed four integrated behavioral health workforce development grants and projects. Work on these programs included developing and facilitating monthly seminars for competitively selected fellows in culturally and linguistically evidence-supported social work practices, as well as mentoring fellows in their final year of graduate work and as they launched careers in behavioral health.
Ms. Beaulieu’s teaching experience includes a semester course on Intimate Partner Violence (IPV) and a one-credit course in Interprofessional Healthcare Delivery. Additionally, she co-developed and coordinated a one-credit interprofessional course on IPV across UMB’s professional schools and a one-credit interprofessional special topics course with Law and Public Health faculty.
Ms. Beaulieu has over twenty years of experience providing direct clinical service in the fields of intimate partner violence and women’s health as a licensed clinical social worker. As an OB/GYN ambulatory social worker, she advocated for and provided brief interventions to women across the lifespan related to reproductive health issues.
Agenda & Learning Objectives
AGENDA:
11:50-12:00 Log on
12:00-12:10 Introductions
12:10-12:25 Small group breakout
12:25-12:35 Report Out
12:35-1:20 Maternal/Reproductive health landscape
1:20-1:45 Small group break out and large group report out
1:45-2:00 Break
2:00-3:00 Frameworks for social work practice in relation to reproductive justice
3:00-3:15 Small group exercise: Applying a framework
3:15-3:45 Report out and discussion
3:45-4:15 Making a commitment to action; Questions
4:15 Adjournment
LEARNING OBJECTIVES:
Upon the completion of this workshop, participants will be able to:
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Work toward an inclusive definition of reproductive rights.
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Understand the root causes of reproductive injustice and its intersections with other social justice issues.
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Explore the current landscape of maternal health in the US.
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Adopt a liberatory consciousness/abolitionist framework to guide social work reproductive health practice.
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Understand how working for reproductive justice aligns with social work core values and informs our advocacy for reproductive justice.
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Adopt a reproductive justice framework for action.
Bibliography & References
BIBLIOGRAPHY & REFERENCES
Green CL, Perez SL, Walker A, Estriplet T, Ogunwole SM, Auguste TC, Crear-Perry JA. The Cycle to Respectful Care: A Qualitative Approach to the Creation of an Actionable Framework to Address Maternal Outcome Disparities. Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2021 May 6;18(9):4933. doi: 10.3390/ijerph18094933. PMID: 34066381; PMCID: PMC8141109.
Thaddeus S, Maine D. Too far to walk: maternal mortality in context. Soc Sci Med. 1994 Apr;38(8):1091-110. doi: 10.1016/0277-9536(94)90226-7. PMID: 8042057.
Hunter, Daniel, Building a Movement to End the New Jim Crow: an organizing guide; ISBN #978-0-9885508-1-0, Published by the Veterans of Hope Project 2015.
Love, B. J.: Developing a liberatory consciousness. In M. Adams, W. J. Blumenfeld, C. R. Casteneda, H. W. Hackman, M. L. Peters, & X.
Zuniga (Eds.), Readings for diversity and social justice (pp. 533-540). Routledge;2010.
Kim ME, Rasmussen C, Washington DM, Kaba M. Abolition and Social Work : Possibilities, Paradoxes, and the Practice of Community Care. 1st ed. Haymarket Books; 2024.
Course Completion & CE Information
Category I Maryland BSWE Requirement
The Office of Continuing Professional Education at the University of Maryland School of Social Work is authorized by the Board of Social Work Examiners in Maryland to sponsor social work continuing education programs. This workshop qualifies for 4 Category I Continuing Education Units for anti-oppressive social work practices. The Office of Continuing Professional Education is also authorized by the Maryland Board of Psychologists and the Maryland Board of Professional Counselors to sponsor Category A continuing professional education.
ASWB Information
University of Maryland School of Social Work Office of Continuing Professional Education, #1611, is approved as an ACE provider to offer social work continuing education by the Association of Social Work Boards (ASWB) Approved Continuing Education (ACE) program. Regulatory boards are the final authority on courses accepted for continuing education credit. ACE provider approval period: 2/11/2024-2/11/2027.
To receive ACE credit, full attendance is required; no partial credits will be given for partial attendance.
Certificate Access
To access the evaluation and certificate, click on the orange certificate button in your CPE account. Once you complete the evaluation, access to the certificate will be available.
Live Interactive Webinars (Cat I) and Live Webinars (Cat II) - Allow up to 30 minutes post-training for attendance to be verified, then you will be able to access the evaluation and certificate.
In Person Trainings - Please allow five (5) business days post-training for attendance to be verified, then you will be able to access the evaluation and certificate.
Please refer to the tab "Live Interactive Webinar Policies & FAQs" for UMSSW Office of CPE policies regarding all live interactive webinar related matters. Contact our office at cpe@ssw.umaryland.edu for more information.
Evaluation
Participants will have access to the evaluation after attendance has been verified. Evaluations will be available for one (1) week after the workshop has ended.
After one (1) week, participants will no longer have access to the evaluation and will have to contact CPE about reactivation.
Target Audience
Social Workers, LCPCs, and Psychologists
We welcome anyone interested in the topic!
Live Interactive Webinar Platforms
LIVE INTERACTIVE WEBINAR PLATFORMS
The Office of Continuing Professional Education hosts Live Interactive Webinars through Zoom. This platform offers a high quality and user-friendly webinar platform for our registrants.
System Requirements:
- Operating Systems: Windows XP or higher; MacOS 9 or higher; Android 4.0 or higher.
- Internet Browser: Google Chrome; Firefox 10.0 or higher.
Our system is not compatible with the Safari web browser.
- Broadband Internet Connection: Cable, High-speed DSL and any other medium that is internet accessible.
**Please have your device charging at all times to ensure that your device does not lose power during the webinar.
Course Interaction Requirements:
To participate in Live Interactive Webinars, you MUST have a device that allows you to view the presentation on screen and hear the instructor at all times. We do not allow participants to call-in from their phones or mobile devices and solely listen to the presentation. Participation in Live Interactive Webinars is mandatory.
Our webinar policies can be found on our website by clicking here.
Webinar Policies & FAQs
Click The Link to View The Webinar Policies & FAQs
https://umbsswcpe.ce21.com/Page/live-interactive-webinar-procedures-policies-4129
Code of Conduct
The Office of Continuing Professional Education at the University of Maryland School of Social Work adheres to the NASW Code of Ethics. This policy is to ensure that the training environment for social work professionals remains respectful, productive, and conducive to learning. Disruptive behavior that interferes with the learning process, disrupts the training experience for others, or undermines the integrity of the program will not be tolerated.
Expectations for Participant Engagement:
In alignment with the NASW Code of Ethics and the University of Maryland Baltimore Code of Conduct, participants are expected to demonstrate professionalism, which includes respecting confidentiality, maintaining a collaborative and respectful tone, and contributing positively to the group dynamic. Disclosures made during the training (e.g., case studies or personal reflections) must be handled with care and in accordance with ethical and legal guidelines.
All participants in the training program are expected to:
- Engage actively in the learning process and show respect for the opinions and contributions of others.
- Demonstrate professionalism in both attitude and behavior, maintaining respect for instructors, peers, and the training environment.
- Maintain open communication by expressing concerns or disagreements constructively and respectfully.
- Follow the guidelines and expectations provided by instructors and facilitators.
- Support a collaborative learning environment where all participants feel valued and safe to contribute.
Instructors and CPE staff reserve the right to dismiss participants who do not adhere to ethical/professional principles and standards. If removed, CEs will be adjusted to reflect the time attended, unless otherwise specified.
ADA Accommodations
If you are requesting ADA accommodations, please contact our office via email at least two weeks prior to the workshop date. Requests after that date may not be fulfilled.
Our email address is cpe@ssw.umaryland.edu.
Late Fees and Refunds
The base price is $85, which includes CE credit.
Late Fee: On 10/31/25, a non-refundable late fee of $20 is added to the base price. Late fees cannot be refunded or applied to account credit.
Cancellations: **ALL cancellations will be subjected to a $35.00 administration fee.** To be eligible for a refund or CPE account credit, cancellations must be made at least 24 hours before the workshop.
For more information, please read the general policies on our website.