Editor,
Students for Life UNM was able to hand out 30 Valentines Day bags and over 40 roses to women at our pregnant and parenting support table today! Each bag contained a rose, a pregnancy test, a referral to both the nearest pregnancy recourse center and Care Net’s STD Mobile Unit, information on our outreach, Pregnant on Campus and an invite to our next meeting.
Why did we give away pregnancy tests, you may ask? Are we telling students to get pregnant? According to recent polls, nearly 26 percent of undergraduate students (4.8 million) are parents of a dependent child, many of whom are single mothers. This is a high number, and is not always recognized on campuses.
Many pregnant or parenting students like myself will tell you that they have felt ostracized or looked down on for bringing their child to class or missing class because of pregnancy symptoms. We believe that universities need to better support pregnant and parenting students, and empower them to be parents AND get their degree!
By handing out pregnancy tests and pregnancy support today, we are telling female students and their partners that if they become pregnant, we are here to help them and walk with them through their unique situations. Many women who become pregnant in college feel the pressure to either drop out of school or have an abortion, both which come with various negative effects.
It is our goal that men and women would be encouraged, through the university and programs like Pregnant on Campus and Lobo Parenting, to not feel pressured to make either decision, but rather to be a self-sufficient parent and have an education. Should students not become pregnant, our mission today was to offer referrals to free and confidential STD testing and treatment and other health services.
If we want to change the future on our campus and in our community, it starts with us realizing that we have the power to change it.
Sincerely,
Sade Patterson
UNM student
President, Students for Life
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