The pro-life movement has always been about valuing both moms and babies. Historically, teens and college students have been particularly vulnerable to abortion due to their age, lack of involvement from the father, lack of support from parents or friends, and/or changes to their academic studies or other plans for the future. In a post-Roe America, maternity homes across the country along with some religiously affiliated college campuses are ensuring young moms and families feel supported like never before.
On-campus programs for pregnant and parenting college students
Leaving behind the vestiges of shame or scandal that may have characterized institutional attitudes (and responses) to unplanned pregnancy in the past, religiously affiliated colleges and universities are increasingly recognizing the heroic generosity demonstrated by young college students who choose life in less-than-ideal circumstances. These schools are directly addressing the needs of pregnant and parenting students. A recent EWTN News survey of 64 Catholic colleges and universities found that many now support pregnant and parenting students via a range of services, including “tuition breaks, special housing arrangements, dedicated lactation rooms, ‘expectant mother’ parking spaces, and even free babysitting.”
While the survey response rate was low at just 26.5%, of the 17 responding institutions, the Catholic News Agency reported that:
- Fifteen of these 17 schools (88%) allowed pregnant students to remain in the dorms with the remaining two colleges offering off-campus housing options.
- Seven schools (41%) had specialized housing options to accommodate a pregnant mother or a mother with a young child.
- Eight schools (47%) offered scholarships solely dedicated to pregnant or parenting students.
- Eleven schools (64%) had lactation rooms or designated spaces for that purpose.
- Five schools (29%) offered on-campus child care.
- Fourteen schools (82%) had additional campus resources available for pregnant or parenting students, such as expectant mother parking, counseling services, and free baby supplies.
The survey highlighted the most comprehensive programs, including Belmont Abbey College’s MiraVia on-campus residential program, Catholic University of America’s(CUA) Guadalupe Project, University of Mary’s St. Teresa of Calcutta Community for Mothers, and Ave Maria University’s Campus Care.
Belmont Abbey College
Live Action News previously provided in-depth coverage of MiraVia in North Carolina, an “on-campus residential home at Belmont Abbey College” that accepts residents from any school, be it a trade school, four-year institution, etc. MiraVia can house 15 women and their children at any given time, and residents can stay until their child’s second birthday. Residents who attend Belmont Abbey College receive free tuition, an $18,500 value annually.
Catholic University of America (CUA)
Aspects of CUA’s Guadalupe Project include lactation rooms around campus, designated parking spots for expectant mothers, maternity clothes at the university’s clothing exchange, and baby items in the university’s food pantry for students in need. All over campus, posters and stickers with QR codes raise awareness of the resources available to pregnant and parenting students “to drill home that message of support and ‘we’ll walk with you. Life is a gift. And, we’re here with you,’” according to Jennie Lichter, the university’s Deputy General Counsel.
The Catholic university advocates for sex within the context of marriage only, but Lichter was clear that pregnant students would not be penalized. She commented, “In a sense, that seems obvious, right? But in a moment of panic or something that’s experienced as a moment of crisis, we just didn’t want there to be any question in the minds of any student on this campus that they would need to be hesitant to seek help and support from the university for any reason.”
One expectant student expressed her gratitude for CUA’s approach. She said, “I really appreciate that we’ve put all these things in place to make these students feel safe. We’re not ostracizing them — we’re embracing them.”
University of Mary (UMary)
UMary launched its St. Teresa of Calcutta Community for Mothers just five months ago, and already two students and their babies have benefited. Participants receive free room and board, an $8,000 value annually, and UMary staff assist them with securing tuition assistance from governmental or other programs.
Katie, one of the mothers, noted how much living on campus with her peers helped maintain the college experience she so values. She also loves the easy access to spiritual support, noting “any time of the night, I can walk upstairs and go to the chapel and go to adoration. I just love it.” UMary also offers a volunteer babysitting program staffed by fellow college students, and enables Katie to attend social events, not just classes.
Angelina, the other program participant, is equally grateful for and complimentary of the opportunities she’s received. She transferred to UMary during the spring semester from a Texas college specifically to join the program just weeks after giving birth to her son Augustine. She called it, “definitely a light at the end of the tunnel for me.” Thanks to the support she’s received, she continues to pursue her dream to become a nurse.
Ave Maria University (Ave)
Like UMary, AMU’s Campus Care program features student volunteer babysitters and on-campus living arrangements for expecting female students. Campus Care was spearheaded by an Ave student whose roommate became unexpectedly pregnant. At first, the program simply offered free rides to a local pregnancy resource center. It’s since expanded to accommodate the needs of pregnant and parenting students, for material resources like diapers and baby clothes — but especially for community, meaning welcome from other students and faculty as well as camaraderie with other pregnant and parenting students and young families.
Mary Pogasic, a recent Ave graduate who benefited from Campus Care, celebrated the program. She told the National Catholic Register,“These people are really living their pro-life beliefs by saying, ‘We’re not just going to pray for the end of abortion or go stand at abortion clinics’; while those things are incredible, they’re showing that ‘We still care, and we still are going to help with and support these parents after they make that decision and after they bring that life into this world.’”
Maternity homes
Many women experiencing a crisis pregnancy outside the college setting have also benefited from wraparound support tailored to their needs for housing (potentially of themselves plus older children), job training, parenting education, addiction recovery (offered by some maternity homes), and more.
St. Gianna and Pietro Molla Maternity Home, located in Warsaw, North Dakota (and named for an Italian Catholic couple who rejected abortion after wife Gianna received a cancer diagnosis while expecting their fourth child), opened in 2004. It welcomes pregnant and new moms of any age, striving to fulfill its mission of caring for “one mother, one baby, one family at a time.”
Geianna Meade, the first baby born at the home, told EWTN Pro-Life Weekly host Prudence Robertson about the difference the supportive staff and family environment made in her life. “I got to have a family that I never would have had the opportunity to even encounter [otherwise]. My mom came here from a way different place, from a low place, where she was definitely struggling and would have been struggling. I probably would have ended up on a same path as her, I’m sure. But coming here, getting to see everyone, and them really just teaching me how to live my life has really helped.”
A recent Fox News story additionally spotlighted Mary’s Shelter in Fredericksburg, Virginia; Bethlehem House (also featured by Live Action News in April), in Omaha, Nebraska; and the Paul Stefan Foundation home in Orange, Virginia. Over the years, Live Action News has also covered many, many other maternity homes like Harvest Home in Los Angeles, California; Esther’s Place of Grace in Newark, New Jersey; Lifehouse Crisis Maternity Homes in Missouri; The Haven at Clarity in Elizabethtown, Kentucky; and Good Counsel Homes in New York and New Jersey. From coast to coast, these maternity homes ensure moms receive the help they need to thrive personally and to parent their children well.
In a post-Roe America, the good work done by these homes and college campuses is increasingly necessary and immensely powerful. One mother-child pair at a time, these organizations are putting into action the pro-life movement’s perennial message: love them both.
