ABSTRACT
Chapter 4 shares the story of Jenn, a student who was led to believe that her unplanned pregnancy was incompatible with her college education and plans to study abroad. The challenges she faced during her pregnancy and after an abortion open a discussion of the many physical challenges faced by students who experience pregnancy, vaginal or caesarean childbirth, and the postpartum phase, and by students who have miscarriages, abortions, or postcoital hormonal treatments to prevent or end an early pregnancy (i.e., “emergency contraception”). Challenges are discussed in the context of college campuses and in the context of Title IX, which is meant to provide protections and accommodations when medically necessary. The authors maintain that these health-related circumstances expose students to hardships that often warrant support, including accommodations and protection. Knowledge of predictable physical challenges, they argue, can help students, faculty, and staff better prepare to support the pregnant and parenting population on their college campuses.
