A press release from FeministsForLife.org discusses an undercover investigation on the health center done by UCLA's campus newspaper The Advocate. The investigation found that pregnant students were encouraged by staff to get abortions because of the difficulties of being pregnant and raising a child while in college. The health center staff noted the limited amount of resources available on campus to assist pregnant students.
The investigation also found that the health center "had two medical providers of abortion on campus ready to assist, Health Services had no support for a woman who wanted to continue her pregnancy." In response students formed a pro-life group named Live Action and Feminists For Life (FFL) offered assitance upon hearing about the investigation.
FFL has opened similar programs on other college campuses. These programs offer housing, child care, insurance, communication and couseling to pregnant and parenting students.
The release can be found here: http://www.feministsforlife.org/news/PRcopUCLAprNewsire1-22-07.htm
Because of mass media coverage, it is often thought that feminist ideology for unplanned pregnancy is more focused on giving women support to terminate the pregnancy rather than to go through with it. Most stories I have seen about feminist groups seem to portray them as very liberal and quick to support abortion. Despite the fact that this program is offered at several college campuses, this is the first I have heard of it. Have you had the same experiences with feminist news coverage? What are your thoughts on FFL supporting pregnant students? Have you heard about this? If yes, how was the news story framed? If no, why do think this is so?
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Student pregnancy is a major issue on college campuses. I have also never heard of staff prompting students to have an abortion, but I can in some ways understand why. I am certain the true underlying reason has very little to do with the students capabilities and well being. I feel these decisions have more to do with personal opinion and beliefs. Things of this nature are not openly discussed within any community mainly because it is a controversial topic. Feminist news coverage tends to be one sided without hardly ever offering conflicting views. I think FFL supporting pregnant students is a good thing. I am certain these students need some type of support during this confusing time. Reproduction is a part of life, everyone does not make the right the decisions all the time, but we do have to deal with those situations when the time comes. Which ever decision one makes is totally up to them, as long as their decision is actually their own well thought out decision.
I'd never heard of college campuses encouraging abortions either. Then again, I've attended two universities and never noticed any pregnant students walking around (which doesn't mean there weren't any). I think it's really a fault, who's I don't know- feminist activists or the media, that feminism is equated with abortion. Truly, feminists advocated for the right to choose- which includes the option of carrying the pregnancy full term. In my opinion, encouraging college women to abort pregnancies or not offering support for pregnant students is the exact opposite of feminism. It's stripping them of the coice to continue their education in order to have the baby. Women should be able to do both and there should be support and encouragement for women who choose education and pregnancy. Why should it be one or the other? Men aren't encouraged to drop out of college if their wives or girl friends become pregnant. It is a woman's right to have an education and a baby. If college campuses can offer resources geared toward abortion, they can certainly offer resources for pregnant students.
I also think there is sort of a stigma in the academic world about pregnancy (especially out of marriage) and about women choosing to be homemakers...as if "smart" women don't get pregnant or choose to stay home with their children. Again, this perception also strips women of choice. Now a woman can't be educated and decide to be a stay at home mom?
I do think though that the universities that have adopted the FFL program are helping to turn the tide in feminism. The pregnancy taboo seems to be fading slightly. Women had to fight for reprodctive rights and opportunity in the workplace so hard that for the past few decades I think they felt compelled to fiercely defend/use those rights. I think women of our generation and the ones to follow will realize that feminism doesn't just mean abortions and proving yourself in the workplace. It means having the right to choose- pregancy or abortion, homemaker or working woman- and none of those options makes your more or less of a woman or a person.
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