Pregnant Students Need Options

About a year-and-a-half ago, a friend of mine went to University Health Services (UHS) because she had just found out that she was pregnant, and she wanted some support and advice. Before going, she had already decided that she would keep the child. Unfortunately, UHS was able to offer her little assistance to support her in her decision, or to direct her to other resources where she could find help.

I have learned that the experience of my friend is all too common. Harvard students faced with an unplanned pregnancy often feel like they have only one option--abortion. While some resources do exist that could be used to help pregnant students, finding them in the maze of Harvard offices and departments is somewhat like a scavenger hunt. And for a student faced with all the stress and emotional turmoil of a crisis pregnancy, the inability to find the financial, academic and residential assistance that she needs may make her feel like she is forced to choose between her child and her education.

According to the Alan Guttmacher Institute (Planned Parenthood's research arm), 10 percent of all college-age women become pregnant. Further, the Institute's research indicates that most women would prefer not to have an abortion, but are driven to make that choice primarily because they lack financial resources and emotional support.

If this university is serious about the well-being and success of its entire student population, then it is time to deal with the obstacles and dilemmas that many women on our campus face. Moreover, as one of the most prestigious universities in the world, Harvard has a special responsibility to take the lead by providing real choices and support for pregnant students. With its many efforts to promote tolerance and diversity, Harvard cannot afford to fall short in this crucial area of supporting women's needs on campus.

No woman should have to choose between her child and her education. My friend was, in a sense, lucky--her family and friends were ready and willing to assist her. Few pregnant students are given such support. Pregnant women need basic options such as housing, child care, and financial aid. College health clinics need to make women aware of all the options available to them. Men need to understand that they are equally responsible for the child they helped to conceive.

In an effort to change this situation, Harvard Right to Life (HRL) would like to work to implement reforms on campus that would help alleviate the economic, practical and social pressures that pregnant students feel in crisis situations. On Feb. 7, HRL will sponsor a Pregnancy Resource Forum to discuss these issues, moderated by Serrin Foster, president of Feminists for Life (FFL).

The work of FFL proves that a commitment to education, outreach and resources and support for women in need does not depend on pro-choice or pro-life labels. Like the early American feminists who opposed abortion, FFL seeks to address systematically the root causes of the problem, and has in the past fought for the Family and Medical Leave Act, the Violence Against Women Act, stronger child support enforcement and the elimination of child exclusion measures in welfare reform. In doing so, it has worked with groups such as Planned Parenthood of America, the National Abortion and Reproductive Rights Action League (NARAL), the Feminist Majority, the National Organization of Women (NOW) Legal Defense and Education Fund and the American Civil Liberties Union. Clearly, these efforts transcend the abortion debate.

We must make an effort to reach out to students on both sides of the debate to work together to address the needs of women at highest risk of abortion: college women. Because of a lack of resources--housing, child care, maternity coverage and knowledge about paternity establishment and child support--one out of five women who undergo an abortion are college students.

Harvard Right to Life is ready and willing to cooperate with Harvard Students for Choice, other student groups, UHS and university administrators to work for women-centered solutions that challenge the status quo.

Melissa R. Moschella '02 is president of Harvard Right to Life. The Pregnancy Resources Forum will be held Wednesday, Feb. 6, at 7 p.m. in the Quincy House Junior Common Room.