Roe v. Wade has officially been overturned, but the work for Conservatives and Pro-life people has just begun. In states like Alabama, all abortion clinics have been formally closed, meaning that women need even more support than was overdue before the SCOTUS decision. With 34% of abortions being performed on women aged 20-24 in 2014 according to Guttmacher, it’s time that universities like UA step up to help their students who become pregnant.
College-aged pregnant women are in desperate need of support, and this need is now magnified in states like Alabama where abortion has been abolished. According to BMC Women’s Health, one in five women who have an abortion point to education and career as their reason. While the government needs to reform both adoption and the foster-care system, UA plays a large role in supplying resources and the administration must take action.
Women deserve better than feeling like they need to either drop out of school or go beyond state lines to get an abortion to continue their schooling. A culture of support on campus is something that can’t be created immediately, but UA must implement some resources now, to make school more reasonable and available for students who experience an unplanned pregnancy.
Parking spaces reserved for pregnant and new mothers would not only make it easier for them by being closer to buildings but would let them know that they are accepted and seen on our campus. Establishing a childcare service for students to bring their children to for ~90 minutes during classes would allow parents to attend class uninterrupted, and give them a real opportunity to still get their degrees.
Both college and children are expensive. But establishing scholarships from private funds for students who have unplanned pregnancies to pay for diapers, formula, and childcare can make parenthood in college can become a little more reasonable.
There is no doubt that pregnancy and parenting in college are always going to be hard, but with Roe being overturned, it is time that students return to their universities with more support than ever. Conservatives and Pro-lifers must prove they care about women and babies after birth just as much as they do before birth.
Pregnancy Resources in Tuscaloosa:
Sav-A-Life Tuscaloosa/Choices Pregnancy Clinic – (205) 749-5433 – 535 Jack Warner Parkway NE Ste G1, Tuscaloosa, AL 35404 – Free pregnancy testing, counseling, ultrasounds, adoption information, referrals, parenting education, baby clothes, support for fathers, infant supplies, and post-abortion counseling.
UA Student Health Center – (205) 348-6262 – shc@bama.ua.edu – 750 Peter Bryce Boulevard, Tuscaloosa, AL 35401 – Pregnancy testing, reproductive health testing, and contraception.
University of Alabama Directory – List of resources available to pregnant UA students.
National Resources:
Option Line – (800) 712-4357 – Confidential live chat online or over the phone providing information and connecting you to pregnancy resources.
Let Them Live – (260) 200-3789 – info@letthemlive.org – Provides financial and material assistance to pregnant women in need.
National Diaper Bank Network – (203) 821-7348 – info@diaperbanknetwork.org -Directory of ministries that provides free diapers to struggling families
American Pregnancy Association – 1-800-672-2296 – Pregnancy resource directory and information about conceiving and maintaining healthy pregnancy.
