Sexual Health Month
September is Sexual Health Month! But what does sexual health entail? And how does your care at Choice in Health impact your sexual wellbeing?
The World Health Organization defines sexual health as “a state of physical, emotional, mental and social well-being related to sexuality; it is not merely the absence of disease, dysfunction or infirmity. Sexual health requires a positive and respectful approach to sexuality and sexual relationships, as well as the possibility of having pleasurable and safe sexual experiences, free of coercion, discrimination and violence. For sexual health to be attained and maintained, the sexual rights of all persons must be respected, protected and fulfilled.”
This definition aspires to a future where all of our lives are marked by this essential human right. Because we do not live in an equitable world, however, we understand that many of our clients have not had exclusively “pleasurable and safe sexual experiences, free of coercion, discrimination and violence.” And while individual abusers perpetrate sexual violence, it is also informed and perpetuated by a cisheteronormative, patriarchal, classist, racist society and institutions that fail to adequately support survivors.
Providing “positive and respectful” trauma-informed care requires that we minimize the harm that could come from the power differential between healthcare provider and client. Choice in Health was founded with the awareness that clients will be empowered in their abortion decision - and able to consent - only when they have enough time to share concerns and properly learn about the risks, benefits and process of their abortion and post-abortion care. Though we owe a great deal to trailblazer Dr. Henry Morgentaler, our clinic was founded by former colleagues of his who believed that his clinic was too limited in this aspect of care.* Dr. Nikki Colodny and her team members do not have the name recognition of their male counterpart; yet we continue to build on their foundational commitment to counselling as an aspect of supporting our clients’ emotional, mental, physical and sexual wellbeing and autonomy.
Our understanding of what counselling entails, and the language we use to describe it, has shifted with time. Our digital platform allows clients to review information in their own space and time before their appointment, and to let us know what birth control interests them, if any. In an interactive form about the abortion procedure, individuals specify what information they understand, and what requires clarification. Because it is normal for clients to mention a variety of personal concerns during these conversations, we have ensured that they happen with some separation from the medical process. Meeting with our Client Advocate allows folks to process emotions, and identify personal details that may impact their appointment, without dealing at the same time with institutional hallmarks such as paperwork. In turn, the nurse can more seamlessly document their check-in with a client.
We adopted the title of “Client Advocate” because it genuinely describes this team member’s role in ensuring that each client receives the best care for them. “Counsellor” could imply that they will give advice; “educator,” that they are handing down information, or that factual information should take precedent. Yet we know this is not superior to qualitative knowledge - what clients themselves know about their own experiences and what will work for them. In addition, allowing individuals to choose whether or not they connect with the Client Advocate during their appointment is itself part of ensuring client-led care.
The Client Advocate role is evolving at Choice in Health, with an increasingly expansive understanding of what abortion care entails. Beyond their visit with us, we want to ensure that each client leaves with an awareness that support is available to them. Some will want an appointment with our psychotherapist or a follow-up medical call with a nurse; yet we also aim help solve issues in our clients’ lives that they may not view as connected to us. An abortion appointment can represent an opportunity for clients that would not otherwise access services they may need to thrive. In partnership with other community organizations, we hope to make it simpler for our clients to connect with programs that deal with a range of issues - from primary healthcare to housing to addictions.
This Sexual Health Month, we appreciate the inherent complexity in each person’s sense of sexual wellbeing, and each abortion experience. Until “the sexual rights of all persons [are] respected, protected and fulfilled,” we will commemorate key dates as cause for both celebration and rage. Follow us on instagram for more about Sex Worker Pride on the 14th, World Patient Safety Day on the 17th, and World Safe Abortion Day on the 28th.
*Dunphy, C. (1996). Morgentaler: A Difficult Hero : a Biography. Penguin Random House.