From the President
Respecting the Right to Choose
By Gary Bailey, MSW
 On
April 25, 2004, the March for Women's Lives will take place in
Washington, D.C. NASW is proud to be a cosponsoring partner of
this historic event. Social workers, together with thousands of
others from across the country, will be speaking out in our nation's
capital in support of a woman's right to reproductive freedom,
access to safe and effective birth control, appropriate funding
for family planning clinics nationwide and around the world, and
other women's health issues.
NASW's position on reproductive health services and family planning
is based on self-determination, and self-determination is what
social work is all about — helping people make choices; assisting
them in realizing the power within themselves, through decision
making based on an understanding of their own strengths; and helping
people navigate and choose from among the complex health care,
mental health care and social services systems that are in place
to support them during times of crisis.
Social work is based on the principle that each individual has
a right to quality of life, to self-determination and to make
his or her own decisions about how to meet the challenges, overcome
the obstacles and grasp the opportunities that are so much a part
of life.
Historically, NASW has opposed government restrictions on access
to reproductive health services. We also oppose restrictions on
financing these services in health insurance and foreign aid programs.
As an uncle, son, nephew, cousin and friend, I know that reproductive
freedom — having the right to choose between as many options as
possible — is not just a women's issue. It is our issue. It is
a human issue.
Women in the U.S. and internationally are working around the
clock on this issue. It is critical that men work side by side
with them on the front lines. For many men, though, this can be
a daunting prospect. It is important, therefore, that I, as a
man, be present in Washington as an ally to women, working to
ensure that their right to make decisions about their lives is
guaranteed and protected. These are choices that will affect and
enhance our lives too. I encourage men to join me in Washington,
to support the protection of individuals' right to make choices
with which we may not always agree.
As social workers and as members of the world's largest membership
association of professional social workers, speaking out in support
of people's right to make choices about who and how they love,
where they live, how they live and what they do represents our
core social work values. This march, this speaking out, is essential
to social work; it is part and parcel of our role as professional
social workers and reflective of our social work values.
Although the March for Women's Lives will take place in Washington,
D.C., social workers and others across the nation who are unable
to travel to this event can still be involved and make a difference.
To begin with, I urge each of you to visit the NASW Web site,
where you will find more information about the march. There you
will also find a petition that you can sign in support of the
march and in favor of women's rights to make decisions about their
own bodies and about reproduction without government interference.
You can also help by announcing and promoting the March for Women's
Lives at conferences; through newsletters; to your friends, family
and colleagues; at district meetings; and on your Web site.
It is all too easy to forget history. After fighting for, and
finally enjoying, our hard-won personal freedoms, we sometimes
become complacent and can quickly find ourselves again in dire
circumstances. In Regarding the Pain of Others, Susan Sontag wrote,
"Compassion is an unstable emotion, it needs to be translated
into action, or it withers. Otherwise, one starts to get bored,
apathetic, or cynical." The right — and the responsibility
— to have choices and make decisions is not only a woman's right.
It is the right of all Americans.
See you in Washington on April 25.
To contact Gary Bailey: president@naswdc.org
For NASW's Web site on the March for Women's Lives: www.socialworkers.org/advocacy/events/choiceMarch/default.asp
From April 2004 NASW News. © 2004 National
Association of Social Workers. All rights reserved. NASW News
articles may be copied for personal use, but proper notice of
copyright and credit to the NASW News must appear on all copies
made. This permission does not apply to reproduction for advertising,
promotion, resale, or other commercial purposes.
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