A message on Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization court ruling

A message from AOTA President Alyson Stover, MOT, JD, OTR/L, BCP

Today is my first day as your AOTA President. I'm filled with gratitude for each of you, optimism for the future of occupational therapy, and the courage to lead through any challenges we may face together. Although my service has just begun, the unpredictability of a rapidly changing environment is not new to us. We continue to live, work, and play in a world where predictability is elusive at best. 

The U.S. Supreme Court’s decision on Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization ended federal rights that had been in place for nearly 50 years and shifted power on related health care policy to states. Occupational therapy was the first profession to identify sexual activity as an activity of daily living (ADL), and we emphasize the value of this ADL in our scope of practice (Occupational Therapy Practice Framework: Domain and Process–Fourth Edition, OTPF–4). Additionally, the OTPF–4 obligates us to assist individuals, communities, and populations to develop and participate in meaningful and purposeful habits, routines, and roles. 

Our expertise in the dynamic relationship among the person, occupation, and environment, along with our Code of Ethics, must guide how we navigate highly complex policy changes while supporting consumers’ health, well-being, and participation. Our unique history rooted in mental health combined with our expert training in body functions and structures creates an avenue to realizing the goals of each individual, as well as communities and populations.

These significant changes to the policy landscape will change how we practice occupational therapy, while heightening the experiences of occupational and social injustices, disproportionately among women and those who identify as women first, with greater risk to continue to impact many other communities. We must be responsive and agile in order to survive and thrive, as a profession, as a community, and as individual occupational beings.

Much work will need to be done to examine the specific effects these changes will have on our practice, health care access, health care quality, maternal and caregiver health, child health, mental health, and beyond. AOTA is committed to monitoring these issues, keeping you informed, facilitating dialogue, and equipping you to navigate these new frontiers. 

I look forward to learning from you and with you as we engage in this important conversation. We are OT. We are AOTA.