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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I have to agree that most stories out there do portray feminists as very liberal. However, I feel that the stories frame it to make it appear that feminist groups only support abortion when in reality, they support the woman's right to choose. This is why many people assume that feminists are so extreme because of how the stories are framed about them. I think it's great that the FFL is supporting pregnant students. I don't feel that this should be looked at as shocking, but unfortunately the story is portrayed to make it seem like it's a chock that there are feminists supporting pregnancy. I haven't heard anything about this before reading this blog and press release. I feel like this has to do with the fact that according to media, this is not typical feminist behavior. They can't frame this story quite as well as ones that have "typical" feminist behavior.
I earned my BA from Franklin Pierce College in NH, a fairly conservitive school. Not surpriseingly the concept of abortion was hardly ever brought up--even during the Presidential Campaign in 2004. The most vocal feminist group was Sistah's, a student organization formed as a support network for black women who attened the institution. This group was far from invisible at FPC, however. And it managed to affect a great deal of change, at the very least in terms of the student dynamic. Members of this group made respect and oppertunity the primary definitive characteristics of feminism.
That said there were a few--and when I say a few I mean literally three women on campus who pressed what is refered to as the radical feminist approach on those around them. I won't dignify this group by describing their views but basically imagine how feminists are generally depicted in movies and you'll get the picture.
The reality is that the majority of feminists or those who would call themselves that are grounded in very sennsible ideals regarding respect, equality, and respect for women. Sistah's would actually hold informal forums about narrowing the wage gap. I thought this was impressive, despite being a male not directly involved in any of this.
I saw on the news today how Texas is considering a state-wide program that would pay perspective mothers $500 to stay pregnent and avoid getting an abortion. I wonder if this kind of attack on abortion is more ideologically based and therefore has less to do with women rights, but it's debatable.
As for the article presented in this blog, I am appalled that counseling and medical services are not being offered to women students who get pregnent and equally so that any school could view this as an acceptable strategy to force a very conservitive and generally insensitive ideology on female students.
A side note...I found the article to be framed using the conflict/human interest style. Clearly it is an issue that the reporter wanted to bring t opeoples' attention and affect change in the policy...conflict framing is one of the most direct methods of accomplishing that, at least in my view.
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