Social work and Voluntary Interruption of Pregnancy: A systematic literature review

Abstract

This paper provides a systematic review of the scientific literature from the last decade (2014-2024) on the relationship between social work and the voluntary termination of pregnancy (VTP). Following the PRISMA methodology, 27 studies are identified and analysed. It is observed that reseach output from social work in this field remains scarce, particularly in European contexts, despite the clear social and professional relevance of the topic. Most of the work is concentrated in the United States and adopts quealitative designs, focusing on professional practices, training shortcomings, and the ethical dilemmas faced by those who support women through abortion processes. This review also highlights the tension between a medicalised view -which tends to interpret it as a traumatic experience- and the critical perspectives of social work, which promote interventions based on human rights, feminism, and reproductive justice. Furthermore, notable deficiencies are evident in the training of social work students, which limits their ability to intervene with competence and ethical sensitivity in this field. The article underscores the fundamental role of social work in the interdisciplinary approach to reproductive health and raises the need to strengthen its presence in professional teams, develop specific ethical frameworks, and incorporate reproductive rights into academic curricula. Ultimately, this review contributes to positioning abortion as a legitimate are of intervention and knowledge production within the discipline.