2. COUNSELING AND INFORMED CONSENT

^{Updated by Jillian MacLeod JD, Cathy Obando NP-C, MSN, & Amy Alspaugh CNM, MSN, PhD}

This chapter is inspired and informed by the Reproductive Justice (RJ) movement and centers the desires and autonomy of communities historically marginalized to provide guidance for counseling and care. It focuses on identifying and addressing bias, and the use of person-centered counseling to uphold a person’s autonomy when faced with pregnancy decisions. Image from UCSF Beyond the Pill Program

Chapter Learning Objectives

Following completion of this chapter, you should be able to:

• Give pregnancy test results in a neutral, supportive manner
• Focus counseling on process & outcomes consistent with a person’s preferences
• Use language that is mindful, sensitive, unassuming and that supports people through affirming their decisions during counseling and/or procedures
• Provide information on abortion care options, including medication (in-person, telehealth, and self-managed) and aspiration abortion
• Effectively accommodate a disabled person’s needs and provide accessible care
• Help people navigate barriers to abortion care (e.g., legal, cost, childcare, transportation, social support, communication, and/or other structural barriers)

Videos

• Informed Consent, Decision Assessment, and Counseling in Abortion Care (IERH)
• Counseling for Pregnancy Ambivalence (IERH)
• Supported Decision-Making: What Supported Decision Making is and Why it Matters (UC Davis MIND Institute and ACLU)
• Supported Decision Making in Health Care & health care Treatment Decisions (NDRN)