GUEST POST: Anyone who attends a public university knows that the terms “pro-life” and “pregnancy resources” are often taboo on campuses that normalize support of Planned Parenthood, America’s biggest abortion vendor. 

As a student of the University of Connecticut and President of UConn Students for Life, I decided to meet with my school’s health center to learn about the resources that they provide for pregnant and parenting students. I did not know what to expect during my meeting that took place shortly after the reversal of Roe vs. Wade. 

I knew that emotions were high when speaking about these issues, but much to my surprise, meeting with my university’s health center taught me a lot about what my school is already doing for pregnant and parenting students. 

I met with a nurse who is involved with a support group for moms on campus. The nurse informed me that this support group has recently developed a website for pregnant and parenting students to inform them of their rights, provide housing resources, as well as other supportive information for student parents. Before my meeting, I had no idea that this website existed! 

During my meeting, I asked the nurse if she would link this website to the university’s main health page, and she agreed to do so. This small step of progress will be helpful for countless other women on campus who, like me, had no prior knowledge of this website’s resources. Now, this resource will be more accessible to pregnant and parenting students by adding it to a well-trafficked webpage.  

We still have our work cut out for us as UConn currently lists Planned Parenthood on its health page, and we know there are better life-affirming services for women available like Students for Life of America’s (SFLA) Standing With You initiative. However, meeting with my university’s health center taught me that my school is actually doing more than I thought to support student parents and children, and they’re open to dialogue with students like me. 

I encourage you to meet with your school’s administration or health center staff and learn more about the pregnancy resources that they provide for students. This will give you a better understanding of where to begin when advocating for policy change on campus and if your school is anything like UConn, you may even be surprised. 

Don’t be afraid to ask for these meetings this semester and offer life-affirming alternatives! I look forward to continued work with my university to hopefully see Planned Parenthood removed from their health page and replaced with supportive services that don’t profit off abusing women in need.  

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