Psychology plays a pivotal role in our responsibility to women to be their allies, advocates, and an activist for their rights. The field of psychology is obligated to society to become involved in “public policy to inform social practices” and use this scientific and professionally acquired knowledge to advocate for better human conditions (Melton, 2018). Melton (2018) also suggests that psychologists are ethically bound by the APA’s ethical guidelines to “protect civil and human rights” and offer aid to society in “developing informed judgments and choices concerning human behavior.”
One solution that Psychologists have to address the growing problem of inequality for bodily autonomy is the adoption and promotion of the “Reproductive and Sexual Health Equity” framework, which seeks to meet “people's reproductive and sexual health needs, with explicit attention to structural influences on health and health care and grounded in a desire to achieve the highest level of health for all people and to address health inequities” (Dehlendorf et al., 2021). Within this framework, Dehlendorf et al. (2021) explain six assumptions that cross-disciplinaries can use to aid in their understanding of how the framework lends itself to informed interventions. These assumptions are as follows: “center the needs of and redistribute power to marginalized individuals and communities; acknowledge historical and ongoing harms, including those perpetuated by health care and public health institutions; address the root causes of reproductive and sexual health inequities, including racism, patriarchy, and economic inequality; honor bodily autonomy for all people; affirm and create conditions for healing - don't shame or (re)traumatize; create systems that meet people's needs inside and outside the formal health care system.”
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