House Republicans will move forward Wednesday with the Pregnant Students' Rights Act, legislation they say will allow pregnant college students to know all options available to them and require schools to inform women of the accommodations to them and combat the perception that their "only option is to receive an abortion or risk academic failure."
"This bill operates on the assumption that pregnant women, especially those facing the daunting uncertainty of an unexpected college pregnancy, should know all options available to them to help carry the baby to term," House Education and Workforce Committee chairwoman Rep. Virginia Foxx, R-N.C., told The Washington Examiner.
"The goal with any decision during this deeply personal and sensitive time should be to maximize the pregnant mother's educational journey while minimizing harm done to her child's potential future," she added.
The legislation says that about 30% of all abortions performed in the United States are to college-age women between the ages of 20-24, and it looks to require schools receiving federal money through the Higher Education Act to distribute information to all students about their rights and resources should they become pregnant.
The resources could include permission to miss class for prenatal doctor visits and to continue scholarships for women who need to take time away to give birth. It would also include community resources to help them care for their child after birth and would require informing them about their rights to seek additional restroom and breaks to drink water, as well as to request properly sized seating arrangements.
The legislation also requires that schools provide guidance on filing a Title IX complaint against the school if the student believes their rights have been violated.
"As for universities, it is their role to foster an environment of support and understanding, where pregnant students feel safe seeking guidance and assistance," Foxx said. "Too often though, counselors fail to provide pregnant students with a complete picture of all the resources available to them."
Similar legislation was recently signed into law to ensure protections for pregnant employees, and as the provisions did not include protections for abortion, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission added access to abortion to the administrative rules on the law.
A spokesperson for the Education and Workforce Committee said it expects the Biden administration to do something similar with the students' bill, but said the legislation is "narrowly tailored" to prevent that from happening.
Sandy Fitzgerald ✉
Sandy Fitzgerald has more than three decades in journalism and serves as a general assignment writer for Newsmax covering news, media, and politics.
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