The perception of the social workers' role in the pregnancy termination committee, the dilemmas that they face, and the process of their decision-making

Background and Purpose: In Israel, women seeking a pregnancy termination must obtain approval from a designated committee, where a social worker plays a pivotal role. This role is characterized by ambiguity and is situated within a complex web of legal, ethical, and ideological tensions. This qualitative study examines how social workers serving on pregnancy termination committees in Israel perceive their professional role, the dilemmas they encounter, their guiding values, and their decision-making processes.

Method: The study employed a qualitative design based on grounded theory principles. Data were collected through in-depth, semi-structured interviews with twelve social workers serving on pregnancy termination committees in public and private hospitals across Israel.

Findings: The analysis of interviews with the 12 social workers reveals a complex, multi-faceted picture, indicating the absence of a uniform role perception. Instead, the findings show a wide variety of practices and coping mechanisms, reflected in four central themes: (1) Professional Identity, which is personally constructed and oscillates between a bureaucratic-administrative role and providing emotional-therapeutic support; (2) Perception of the Client, which spans a spectrum from a paternalistic approach to one that empowers her autonomy; (3) Values and Attitudes, which express an internal conflict between supporting a woman's right over her body and moral considerations regarding the life of the fetus; and (4) Attitude Towards the Law, which covers a wide range of positions, from acceptance to principled opposition.

Conclusions and Implications: It can be suggested that at the center of the participants' experience lies a structural role ambiguity, which appears to have been created and intensified with the removal of the "social clause" from the law. The research findings suggest that this ambiguity exposes the social workers to a constant conflict between professional values and systemic demands. Paradoxically, it seems that the social worker and the female client become mirrors for one another, reflecting restrictive gendered social expectations. This combination of pressures, as the study indicates, may lead to ethical burnout and a professional identity crisis. Considering this, there appears to be value in redefining the role and in developing a dedicated training program that would provide tools for managing ethical conflicts. Furthermore, the study indicates a need to broaden future research, both by examining the perspectives of other committee members and, significantly, by giving a central place to the voices and experiences of the women themselves.