More Colleges Aiding Pregnant Students, Pushing Fewer Abortions

The nation’s largest group of pro-life students is releasing its 2016 list of the top public colleges and universities that provide resources for pregnant and parenting students.

Students for Life of America (SFLA) says most colleges refer pregnant students to Planned Parenthood, but some have stepped up to help students who want to remain in their colleges.

“Unexpectedly finding out you are pregnant as a college student can be terrifying, lonely, and a huge shock,” says SFLA president Kristan Hawkins. “These students need support and encouragement, and the schools that go out of their way to offer programs, housing, scholarships, and child care to these students should be commended.”

A 2014 Guttmacher Institute study found that 42 percent of abortions are performed on women between the ages of 18 and 24, typically the college years. The two most common reasons for these women to have an abortion are: having a baby would dramatically change their lives and have an impact on their ability to continue their education, and not being able to afford a baby.

SFLA uses the following criteria to determine its list of top schools that offer support for pregnant and parenting students:

• The school must have some of kind of support program or network for pregnant and/or parenting students.
• The school has policies in place that specifically welcome and accept pregnant/parenting students.
• The school has scholarships for Pregnant/Parenting Students.
• The school offers housing for students with dependents.
• The school offers additional resources like lactation rooms, diaper decks, childcare for students’ children, etc.

The following schools met these criteria for 2016:

University of Washington, Seattle, Washington; Los Angeles Valley College, Los Angeles, California; Winona State University, Winona, Minnesota; University of California, San Diego, California; University of Utah, Salt Lake City, Utah; Oregon State University, Corvallis, Oregon; University of Wisconsin, Madison, Wisconsin; University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, New Mexico; Texas A & M University, College Station, Texas; City College of San Francisco, San Francisco, California; Norwalk Community College, Norwalk, Connecticut; and University of Massachusetts, Amherst, Massachusetts.

“Instead of sending pregnant students to the nearest Planned Parenthood, these schools have put a premium on offering pregnant and parenting students the resources they need so they don’t have to choose between the life of their child and their education,” Hawkins observes.

Other resources for pregnant and parenting students – including housing options and sources for material and financial aid – are located at www.PregnantonCampus.org, an SFLA site coordinated by Beth Rahal.

Planned Parenthood has planted itself on most public college and university campuses, and even has infiltrated some Catholic colleges. In an effort to shore up support for its primary service and normalize the procedure, the abortion business has encouraged college students to share their “abortion stories.”

At many colleges and universities, Planned Parenthood also joins with their student chapters to host events such as “Sex Week,” during which college students are taught about sexual pleasure, birth control and abortion, HIV/STD testing, and how to engage in political activism for “reproductive justice.”

Recently, Planned Parenthood has gained entrance to some high schools as well, encouraging students to form “clubs” that promote the goals of the abortion giant.

Hawkins, however, says the colleges and universities who extend themselves to young women who want to be both a parent and a student deserve praise.

“We hope that these universities will set the standard when it comes to an attitude of making campus a pregnant and parenting friendly place,” Hawkins says. “They all deserve recognition and applause for their willingness to help all their students succeed.”