Pregnant Students' Rights Act
Floor Speech
Mr. Speaker, I rise in opposition to H.R. 6914, the so-called Pregnant Students' Rights Act. This legislation requires institutions of higher education to distribute information about some of the rights of and accommodations for pregnant students. I opposed this legislation in committee and do so again today because, among other reasons, what is required in this bill is incomplete and biased by not providing information about comprehensive family planning resources and a full range of reproductive healthcare options for pregnant students.
Additionally, Republican amendments adopted in the committee added controversial misinformation to this bill, including the myth that having an abortion can lead to breast cancer. This claim has been refuted by the National Cancer Institute, the American Cancer Society, and the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists.
These scare tactics unmasked the true intention of this bill, which is to further the Republican agenda about attacking reproductive healthcare in their attempt to pass a nationwide ban on abortion.
As I mentioned to my Republican colleagues in committee, if you want to encourage pregnancy and childbirth, join with Democrats in passing legislation that will make childcare more affordable, support access to affordable healthcare and affordable housing, expand the Children's Health Insurance Program, and join the rest of the world in offering paid family leave.
The intent of this bill is clear. It is another attempt to have politicians interfere in the very intensely personal decision of whether and when to have a child, a decision that should be made only by the pregnant student and their healthcare provider, not by judges, and certainly not by Members of Congress.
Mr. Speaker, I oppose this bill.
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Ms. BONAMICI. Mr. Speaker, if my colleagues on the other side of the aisle truly cared about moms, they would join us in addressing the embarrassingly high maternal mortality rate in this country, which is especially concerning for women of color.
Ross).
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Ms. BONAMICI. Mr. Speaker, as I mentioned in committee, a pregnant student is not just the only one affected. If whomever impregnated the student got some rights and notification about paternity and child support obligations, that might help this information be more complete, but that is not in this bill.
Stevens).
Mr. Speaker, I note that our colleagues on the other side of the aisle rejected an amendment to include information about comprehensive reproductive healthcare services.
Mr. Speaker, it is now my honor to yield 1 minute to the gentleman from New York (Mr. Jeffries), the dynamic, distinguished, and dedicated Democratic leader.
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Ms. BONAMICI. Jacobs).
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Ms. BONAMICI. Madam Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentlewoman from Michigan (Ms. Tlaib).
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Ms. BONAMICI. Madam Speaker, it is clear from the debate on the bill that what my colleagues on the other side of the aisle want to happen is for every pregnant student to stay pregnant with consequences long beyond their time in college. That is why it is so important that we fund WIC, healthcare, childcare, and all the other things that are prowomen, prochildren, and profamily. This bill is not.
Madam Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentlewoman from Minnesota (Ms. Omar).
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Ms. BONAMICI. Madam Speaker, I yield an additional 30 seconds to the gentlewoman from Minnesota.
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Ms. BONAMICI. Madam Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentlewoman from Illinois (Ms. Underwood).
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Ms. BONAMICI. Madam Speaker, I yield an additional 15 seconds to the gentlewoman from Illinois.
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Ms. BONAMICI. Madam Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the distinguished gentlewoman from Massachusetts (Ms. Clark), the Democratic whip.
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Ms. BONAMICI. Madam Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the distinguished gentleman from Virginia (Mr. Scott), the ranking member of the full committee.
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Ms. BONAMICI. Madam Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time.
I include in the Record a letter from the Coalition for Pregnant and Parenting Students Advocacy, signed by 60 organizations, opposing H.R. 6914 because this legislation ``would not address the key barriers to pregnant students' educational attainment, and instead would further shame and stigmatize people for their pregnancy outcomes.'' January 18, 2024. Hon. Mike Johnson, Speaker, House of Representatives, Washington, DC. Hon. Hakeem Jeffries, Minority Leader, House of Representatives, Washington, DC.
Dear Speaker Johnson and Leader Jeffries: The Coalition for Pregnant and Parenting Students Advocacy is a diverse group of advocates and experts dedicated to advancing civil rights protections and institutional resources for pregnant and parenting students. We are joined by the undersigned organizations in voicing our opposition to H.R. 6914, the Pregnant Students' Rights Act--a thinly veiled anti-abortion law which would not address the key barriers to pregnant students--educational attainment, and instead would further shame and stigmatize people for their pregnancy outcomes.
This latest bill to ``protect the rights of pregnant students'' falls far short of the protections that are actually necessary for pregnant and parenting students and their children.
Students who are pregnant and/or parents deserve to complete their education free from bias and harassment, in environments that support them on their educational journeys. Unfortunately, pregnant and parenting students are routinely stigmatized, discriminated against, and denied the resources, accommodations, and support they need to thrive in their educational institutions.
More than 5.4 million college students in the United States are parents, which is nearly one quarter of undergraduate students and nearly one third of graduate students. Despite earning higher GPAs than non-parenting students, parenting college students are less likely to graduate. This is not due to personal failing, but rather a lack of institutional support and recognition of the unique barriers to college completion for parenting students. Pregnant and parenting students often experience feeling disconnected from the larger education community and are not aware of who they can speak to when they experience discrimination because of their pregnancy or parenting status.
The proposed bill relies on anti-abortion language and seeks to limit students' reproductive healthcare decisions. This type of language is part of a deliverate strategy by the anti-abortion movement to further legal grounds for a national abortion ban now that th Supreme Court has overturned the constitutional right to abortion care as established in Roe v. Wade. Furthermore, the bill language contrasts with existing legal protections for pregnant students experiencing a range of outcomes related to their pregnancies.
Our belief in personal autonomy and respect for every person's capacity to make their own decisions--including whether to continue their pregnancy or not--is at the core of our work to support pregnant and parenting students. This bill does not contain any meaningful supports that would actually help pregnant and parenting students be able to remain enrolled and meet their educational goals.
Such supports are critically needed, and include:
Strengthened Title IX protections; Nondiscrimination protection at the state and local level; Accessible and affordable child care, and increased funding for on-campus child care; Access to early education and pre-kindergarten services; Transportation access; Basic needs security (including food, housing, clothing, etc.); Flexible school attendance policies; Lactation accomodations; Less stigma and shame around young parenthood; Increased accountability measure for institutions who fail to protect pregnant and parenting students; Federal funding to support campus Title IX offices' work to prevent and investigate discrimination against pregnant students; Mandatory data collection on students' parenting statuses. Student Parent Outcomes Act of 2023, which would allow essential data collection on the barriers to college graduation for pregnant and parenting students. But sweeping legislation is necessary to ensure that pregnant and parenting students and their families are protected.
Although pregnant and parenting students face many roadblocks, they can thrive when their educational institutions listen to them, support them, and prevent discrimination against them. While balancing their health, caregiving responsibilities, and educational goals is challenging, these added responsibilities often renew students' dedication to their studies. While the decision to parent and/or continue pregnancy is a personal one, the barriers that pregnant and parenting students face are not. This proposed bill would reinforce structural and institutional bias and scrutiny of the decisions students make regarding their personal lives.
We welcome the opportunity to have an open dialogue with the sponsors of the ``Pregnant Students' Rights Act'' and with any other members of Congress who are ready to step up as the champion that pregnant and parenting students in our nation need and deserve. Sincerely,
The Coalition for Pregnant and Parenting Students Advocacy:
A Better Balance; Generation Hope; Healthy Teen Network; Institute for Women's Policy Research; Justice and Joy National Collaborative; National Women's Law Center; New America Higher Education Program; Pregnant Scholar Initiative at the Center for WorkLife Law; UNITE-LA.
Joined by:
Advocates for Youth; American Association of University Women; American Federation of Teachers; American Humanist Association; BreastfeedLA; California Women's Law Center; Center for Freethought Equality; Center for Reproductive Rights; Clearinghouse on Women's Issues; Colorado Teen Parent Collaborative; End Rape On Campus; Equal Rights Advocates; Family Equality; Feminist Majority Foundation; Guttmacher Institute.
Hadassah; Harvard Law School; If/When/How: Lawyering for Reproductive Justice; Indivisible, Ipas; League of Women Voters of the United States; Legal Momentum, The Women's Legal Defense and Education Fund; Michigan Organization on Adolescent Sexual Health (MOASH); National Asian Pacific American Women's Forum; National Association of Nurse Practitioners in Women's Health; National Association of Social Workers; National Center for Lesbian Rights; National Center for Parent Leadership, Advocacy and Community Empowerment; National Center for Transgender Equality; National Council of Jewish Women; National Education Association; National Family Planning & Reproductive Health Association; National Latina Institute for Reproductive Justice.
National Network to End Domestic Violence; National Partnership for Women & Families; National Women's Health Network; National Women's Political Caucus; Partners in Abortion Care; Physicians for Reproductive Health; Planned Parenthood Federation of America; Positive Women's Network- USA; Power to Decide; Public Justice; Reproductive Freedom for All (formerly NARAL Pro-Choice America); SIECUS: Sex Ed for Social Change; Southeast Asia Resource Action Center; Stop Sexual Assault in Schools; The Hope Center at Temple University; Union for Reform Judaism; Women of Reform Judaism; Won't She Do It; YWCA USA.
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Ms. BONAMICI. Madam Speaker, the so-called Pregnant Students' Rights Act does nothing to strengthen pregnant students' existing protections and freedoms, and it leaves pregnant students in the dark about their rights under Federal civil rights law.
In fact, when committee Democrats tried to include information that would meaningfully support pregnant and parenting students in our committee's markup, Republicans voted down our amendments.
Democrats submitted amendments that would have included information about programs that promote the health and well-being of mothers and children, such as Medicaid and WIC. Coincidentally, these are the very programs Republican appropriators are right now actively working to roll back and defund.
The bill provides partial information, but no help. That is why dozens of health and reproductive rights organizations, the National Women's Law Center, the National Partnership for Women & Families, and the American Civil Liberties Union have stated that H.R. 6914, ``falls far short of the protections that are actually necessary for pregnant and parenting students and their children.''
In fact, I have a bill to get students information about their SNAP eligibility. I wish we were doing that right now.
Madam Speaker, college is hard enough already, and we should do our part to ensure that all pregnant students have the resources they need to succeed. The legislation before us does nothing to achieve that goal.
Madam Speaker, I urge my colleagues to oppose this bill, and I yield back the balance of my time.
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