Reproductive Health and Parenting With a Disability

Abstract Reproductive health and parenting are important aspects of overall health and well-being for individuals with disabilities. Despite facing numerous barriers and multiple types of discrimination, people with disabilities have the right to access comprehensive and inclusive reproductive health services, make informed decisions about their bodies, and parent their children. This chapter explores the various barriers and facilitators to the reproductive and parenting rights, services, and activities of persons with disabilities from a global perspective. Inaccessible infrastructure and negative attitudes toward persons with disabilities, and particularly women and those with intellectual and mental health disabilities, remain key challenges that influence systems and services and adversely impact the care and services that persons with disabilities can access during family planning, adoption, perinatal care, and welfare-related caregiving and support. Key facilitators to parenting with a disability are strong support systems including personal care assistance and having access to health care and assistive technology. By ensuring equal access to resources and providing education and support for health care providers and individuals with disabilities, rehabilitation psychologists can work toward addressing these disparities and improving the reproductive health outcomes for this community in order to support their autonomy, dignity, and well-being and empowering persons with disabilities in realizing their reproductive rights and parenting goals.