Hart Amendment to Help Pregnant and Parenting Students
Passes House of Representatives

Amendment includes maternity coverage in student health plans and
on-campus child care for parents.

Feminists for Life of America is celebrating passage of an amendment, introduced by Congresswoman Melissa Hart in the U.S. House of Representatives, that will help pregnant and parenting students complete their education by encouraging institutions of higher education to offer critical support services. The language will be included in H.R. 609, the College Access and Opportunity Act, which the House is scheduled to give final consideration to on March 30, 2006.

Hart noted the amendment goes a long way in encouraging colleges and other educational institutions to support the 4.5 million pregnant and parenting students across the country. “Many students who are pregnant or who already have children are finding it increasingly difficult to make ends meet while they are trying to finish their education,” said Hart. “My amendment will provide services like affordable on-campus childcare and maternity coverage in their student health plans so they can concentrate on being good parents and good students.”

“Approximately 27 percent of all undergraduates are parents and 34 percent of all graduate students are parents. In addition, about half of all undergraduate students that have a child are single parents. It is time that we recognize the unique obstacles that these students face and help them complete their education and enter the workforce on solid footing,” said Hart.*

Funding for institutions to provide these services is authorized by the amendment through the Fund for the Improvement of Postsecondary Education (FIPSE). Some of the services the amendment encourages schools to provide include:

• Assistance in locating and utilizing child care;
• Maternity coverage in student health care plans;
• Increasing availability of family housing;
• Flexible academic scheduling, such as telecommuting programs;
• Financial aid, especially for women living independently from their parents.

“This legislation will help pregnant students who feel they have no one to turn to, couples who would like to have children in school, women who feel adoption is the most empowering choice for them, and women on the tenure track who want to balance work and family,” said Feminists for Life President Serrin M. Foster. “Feminists for Life's Pregnancy Resource Forums have demonstrated that women who are pregnant or parenting while in college have been waiting to be heard. Thankfully Congresswoman Melissa Hart is listening. This act can help put woman-centered solutions into hyper drive. Women won't feel driven to choose between their education and career plans and their children.”

Congresswoman Hart highlighted that the amendment will help expectant mothers choose life. “We can't just hope that abortion will disappear. We have to help women who are pregnant get the assistance they need so they do not feel that abortion is the only answer,” said Hart. “According to a recent study by the Alan Guttmacher Institute, over 70 percent of college-aged women surveyed who have had an abortion cited their fear that having a child would interfere with their education or career. Often, these women do not have the financial resources to afford childcare while they complete their studies. This legislation will help women choose life by lessening the financial strain they will feel by being both mothers and students.”

Feminists for Life hosted a Capitol Hill briefing on the Elizabeth Cady Stanton Pregnant and Parenting Student Services Act on February 15, Susan B. Anthony's birthday. Students who have faced the challenges of pregnancy, parenting and placing a child for adoption shared their compelling stories with legislative staffers. A representative from Georgetown University, who hosted the first of FFL's Pregnancy Resource Forums, talked about GU's model program. Foster presented Congresswoman Hart with the Elizabeth Cady Stanton Award in recognition of her leadership and service to women.

“The amendment passed by the House today in support of pregnant and parenting students is an important step. Other legislative steps will require active support—especially by Feminist for Life members and supporters across the country," said Foster. "We must mobilize now, and invite others to help us help pregnant and parenting students.”

Congresswoman Hart's amendment is included in the College Access and Opportunity Act, which expands access to higher education for middle- and lower-income students. The legislation provides additional Pell Grant assistance for high-achieving first- and second-year students and increases funding for educational institutions that serve minority populations, such as historically black universities. The bill is expected to receive final consideration in the House of Representatives later today.

“This is a great way to end Women's History Month. We can all follow in the footsteps of the great American feminists like Elizabeth Cady Stanton who refused to choose between women and children, and staunchly believed in education,” said Foster.