A gestation-photo matching game. A baby shower donation box. A shirt that read, “This is what a pro-life feminist looks like.” These are some of the sights to see this week as Pregnant on Campus holds a four-day tabling event on Hayden Lawn Monday through Thursday. The club seeks to offer alternative solutions to abortion for students in a crisis-pregnancy situation.
“If they don’t know we’re here, we can’t help,” said Mariah Martinez, a psychology junior and chair of Pregnant on Campus at ASU.
The initiative is supported by Students for Life, a nationwide pro-life group with “thousands of programs across hundreds of schools over the country,” Martinez said.
During Tuesday’s tabling event, Martinez said the group gave resources to a student who was 13 weeks pregnant. She also said her club gained at least one new volunteer who was experienced with adoption procedures, something Martinez said the club could use.
Martinez said the week was shaping up to be a “runaway success” for the club and for students in need of support.
“I think it’s been pretty successful,” said Morgan Morano, an educational studies sophomore and co-chair of Pregnant on Campus. Morano said many students are unaware of the rights they have as pregnant students.
Both Martinez and Morano explained that pregnant students are protected under Title IX laws.
For example, a female student-athlete cannot lose an athletic scholarship if she becomes pregnant while a student-athlete. In fact, the school must reserve a spot for them on the team and must help them “get back into shape” to compete after the pregnancy.
Also, a student who is pregnant must be allowed medical absences to attend appointments and carry out the pregnancy, and must not face any disciplinary action from schools or professors.
“I don’t think it’s an option most people know about,” Morano said.
Lucas Johnson, a biochemistry senior, was drawn to the event by the “Humanity of the Unborn” poster, which is essentially a matching game in which the player matches the age of the fetus with the correct fetal stage photo.
“Personally, I’m pro-choice,” Johnson said, explaining that he thinks a planned-out pregnancy with prepared parents is a better situation for a child then one where it may not be financially feasible to raise one.
While Johnson thinks that “it’s really important to have choice,” he’s glad that students have resources like Pregnant on Campus.
“It’s not black and white at all,” Johnson said about the abortion debate. “It’s a spectrum.”
Genevieve Gandara, an elementary education freshman, stopped by the event to write a letter of support to a random pregnant student.
“I got pregnant not too long ago,” Gandara said. “I made the abortion decision.”
Gandara said she wasn't financially ready for the commitment. She and her boyfriend had just moved in together and gotten a dog when she found out she was two-months pregnant.
She said she’s glad that a club like Pregnant on Campus exists, to help other students like her realize all their options when faced with a pregnancy.
In her letter, Gandara wrote, “Don’t be afraid to make the best decision for yourself. Sometimes, things just happen the way they do.”
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