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Pima Community College trying to support students with unplanned pregnancies

By: Perla Shaheen

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TUCSON, Ariz. (KGUN) — Female students are not happy with the new abortion ban in Arizona.

“I was really shocked and actually disgusted, I was really angry,” said Sarah Widmer, a student at Pima Community College.

Many say they wouldn’t be able to afford an unplanned pregnancy.

“Especially tuition is going up, interest rates, apartments going up, so adding another human being that costs a lot to even give birth to, it’s a lot to handle,” said Kendra Johnson, a student at Pima Community College.

They’re also worried about keeping up with their studies. According to the National Conference of State Legislators, one in ten women in community college will dropout due to unplanned pregnancy. That would be more than 1,700 women at PCC.

“It’s going to be difficult for women my age to get time off work or school and to have exceptions made for that,” Widmer said.

Employees at Pima Community College agree. Leaders of the faculty senate are already looking to improve resources for those with unplanned pregnancies.

“We’re asking our faculty to be more flexible," said Rita Lennon, PCC Faculty Senate President. "If we can be flexible with due dates, do that. If we can express concern or supply resources online or in person, be prepared to do so.”

Two out of PCC’s six campuses offer daycare. Lennon says they’re hoping to expand those services. Each campus also has lactation rooms, but the College wants to provide better signage so women know where they are. Lennon also wants to offer information on reproductive health at all libraries.

“We were looking at ways we could centralize our information so students are aware of the resources they have,” Lennon said.

The Faculty Senate is asking anyone at PCC to give feedback at their meeting on Friday. They will also organize community discussions on this topic in the coming months.

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