A bill that would help enable pregnant and parenting students to choose life for their babies and also finish school was introduced to the U.S. Congress on March 30, 2022.
The Pregnant Students’ Rights Act seeks to protect the rights of these students, requiring they be informed of resources available to them under federal law and provide for accommodations to support them.
Rep. Ashley Hinson (R-IA) introduced the Act.
Navigating college can be difficult for pregnant students, Hinson said in a statement, and in many cases, women feel pressured to end their pregnancies or risk academic failure, despite protections.
“College students who are pregnant or may become unexpectedly pregnant deserve to know all of the resources available to them,” Hinson said, “and it is unacceptable that so many are told that abortion is their only option. Young women should feel empowered to choose life and create the best future for both themselves and their child.”
Tweet This: “College students who are pregnant or may become unexpectedly pregnant deserve to know all of the resources available to them”
The goal is to help women stay in school to complete their degree, helping them prepare for their future, a noble objective that should easily have bipartisan support.
Students for Life Action and Students for Life of America helped to develop the legislation.
“If passed, this bill would encourage federally-funded college campuses to comply with and increase awareness of the Title IX rights of pregnant students and the resources available to them via a campus-wide email, student handbook, orientation, and a publicly available website,” said Brook Paz, Government Affairs coordinator for Students for Life Action,”
The bill is also supported by Susan B. Anthony List, Family Research Council, Feminists for Life, and the U. S. Conference of Catholic Bishops.
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While resources may be in place for women who find themselves in an unexpected pregnancy while in college, many women do not know of their existence. Should the schools not inform these pregnant students of the resources available there hasn’t been an accountability mechanism to ensure the pregnant and parenting students’ rights.
In requiring colleges and universities to inform students about their rights and the resources available to them, including protections and accommodations, the Pregnant Students' Rights Act would modify part of the Higher Education Act of 1965, the Washington Examiner reports.
Along with requiring that every student be informed by the school of all resources available to them under federal law, the bill would also provide a means to file complaints against any non-compliant schools for violations.
Public institutions would also be required to provide an annual report of how they complied with the measure, furthering accountability for responsible parties. Other details include allowing for modified class schedules, the ability to reschedule exams, and alternative methods to complete makeup work without penalty.
Women who have had abortions report they never would have chosen abortion if they knew all of their options from the beginning. Other women drop out of college completely, giving up their positions in leadership, sports teams, and other various titles, unaware of the support in place to help them finish school while also working through an unplanned pregnancy. These situations are further exacerbated when schools refuse to accommodate and support their students, regardless of the federal provision in place.
This bill could have a positive, life-affirming impact on pregnant and parenting students.
In 2018 60% of U.S. abortions were performed on women in their 20s., according to data from SFL Action, and one in five students are parents, nearly 20% of the student population. This means a substantial number of students would be directly affected for the better by implementation of this bill.
Tweet This: "Young women should feel empowered to choose life and create the best future for both themselves and their child.”
Women deserve better than being made to believe they have to choose their education and future over their baby.
The abortion agenda’s false rhetoric claiming that women need abortion to succeed has held precedence for too long.
Women on campus have pregnancy help support and accommodations available to them that would enable them to choose life for their babies, but if they are not aware or informed of their options, they won’t have the chance to utilize them, and they and their children will suffer for it, as will all of society.
The Pregnant Students’ Rights Act is one way we can help these young women to choose life.
