So suddenly they want to make sure certain students with a pregnancy “issue” know their rights and resources. Why dont they just do a better job of informing all students of their rights and resources without singling out those who might be pregnant? Sorry, but I do not trust Iowa government on this.
Agreed. Students (and people in general) get a lot of information that may not be personally relevant because communicating it is a requirement of whatever institution they are involved with.
I came to say the same thing! It's BS that they need to know about individual students. You make sure everyone knows their rights, that all staff are ensuring people's rights and that's it. Scary times in the US
That was my thought: why not just make sure everybody knows about these rights? The same goes for LGBTQ+ students--if a similar logic to the pregnancy issue applied here, professors would have to report students' sexual or gender identities, and that's not safe either. It's one thing if a student approaches a professor/admin/mentor *asking* about their Title IX rights apropos of their pregnancy, queer identity, etc., but otherwise singling students out even for self-reported pregnancies (etc.) definitely seems dangerous.
Okay, so I'm a professor, but not in Iowa. I went through the same training, and we all thought the same thing (we being professors): that we were being told to report to HR any pregnant student. We all (for the most part) were appalled. HR came back a few days later and said they had it backwards. We should tell a student who reveals they are pregnant that Title IX protections specifically protect them, and that HR is where they can find out about what those look like. We should tell students to reach out to HR if they wanted/needed to.
Now, that is way different than reporting on students. BUT I still would be super wary of encouraging students to reveal their status. Right now (and maybe only for awhile) where I live doesn't have the scary laws we're seeing in some places (and not for want of trying).
I will say, that I am a mandated reporter of Title IX violations at my school. All employees are (unless designated otherwise specifically, like, for example medical staff and chaplains). I tell my students this because if one of them comes to me and reveals sexual assault, I HAVE TO report it. Even if the student doesn't want me to. Even if it happened off campus. Even if she is reporting a rumor. I try to be as confidential as possible with my students, and students should understand what responsibilities and requirements faculty and staff have. I did have a friend at a college who wanted faculty to report on their students if they were doing anything against the code of conduct (like potentially being queer, as this was a conservative school). That was one of the reasons she left.
I'm glad your school made a shift. I am curious how many schools are like Kirkwood. I am guessing not many? I'm planning a follow up to this piece reaching out to other universities and colleges in the area.
It felt at the time, and it still feels, like HR didn't quite know what it was supposed to be doing with/for the faculty in regard to Title IX. Honestly, even before the new post-Roe horror machine, certain parts of Title IX weren't helping. I've known too many young women who have been sexually assaulted and the schools either didn't help at all or made it worse. Even when they're trying to help, it's hard. For example, a student is sexually assaulted. The guy leaves the school, and there's no way to tell his future school that he's got this record. No mark on transfer transcript, etc. Or, the process takes forever, and the girl is stuck in class with the guy and, sometimes, his friends who don't quite harass her, but, well, she's not comfortable there. Guess who stops coming to class? The whole thing is a massive mess with a number of folks whose hearts are in the right place, but that doesn't always (or even often?) help!
A legislator that signs on to a bill that dictates what medical care a woman can or cannot receive should be subject to the same medical malpractice laws as doctors and nurses. They are, in most cases, practicing medicine without a license and should face felony charges.
As it turns out in most states and definitely in the US Congress, legislators are either immune or protected by law from prosecution for their actions on passing laws. This is necessary or legislators might be subject to all sorts of charges and lawsuits based on their performance of their jobs. So this argument really wouldn't hold much water.
Tracking pregnancies is most definitely part of their strategy. They are frustrated that they can't achieve the level of control they believe their god demands of them simply by intimidating health care providers into not providing care. The record shows that they will keep escalating, because that is what abusers do. Every step they've taken so far we were told would never happen, that it was crazy talk, while those of us who understand who these people are knew that was gaslighting. Birth control and no-fault divorce (or more accurately any divorce initiated by the wife) are on the chopping block, not to even mention what they'll do to LGBT people.
We're in trouble no matter what, but if Americans decide this election is about their frustration with the cost of living, rather than blocking the completion of a fascist takeover of the government, it will be one of the gravest mistakes in human history.
Holy shit!!!! This Title IX info couldn’t be communicated clearly to students who are in college via email, a flyer, or newsletter??? I’m an Iowan, now retired after working in an AEA for 34 years who is mortified at what a mess the educational systems in this state have become. (And that includes PK through college age). I’m a grandmother of 3, two of whom are girls and it makes me sick to know they have less rights to their little bodies than I did. We must do better in this state and in this country.
I am also quite baffled by the women (looking at you Reynolds) who choose to subvert their own gender. I need someone to help me understand that phenomenon. It’s as confusing as the Christians who are all in on Trump.
I seem to remember signage on bulletin boards and in restroom stalls when I was in college in the dark ages (80s). How hard is that? Do colleges even have printing budgets anymore?
As the parent of two college-aged kids with uteruses, this is fucking terrifying. Are they both very careful about birth control? Yes. Is any birth control out there 100% effective? No.
I hate that when/if they contemplate college I have to advise them not to attend any school in a state that has abortion restrictions.
While I am absolutely outraged by what you report and don’t wish to undermine its power, I have a correction. Amber Thurman is not the woman who bled out in the parking lot, she was undergoing delayed surgery, a needless delay that killed her. I can’t this minute find the name of the woman who bled out. Anyway, sharing this with my faculty friends.
The truth of Amber Thurman's death is even worse: she died in the hospital, undergoing a D&C 20 hours too late while doctors stood by and watched her go septic and her organs fail, afraid of being prosecuted for providing life-saving care. Not that I'm trying to rank these stories. They're all horrifying and these women all mattered.
Maybe some industrious student can get a company to manufacture a bunch of baby bumps and college students, male and female, could wear them around campus. And march on Washington.
A similar policy was almost enacted at Wesleyan College in Lincoln, NE, but staff immediately pushed back. The new policy requires staff and faculty to provide pregnant students with the contact info for the Title IX coordinator.
So what if it’s not self disclosed. What if the staff member sees obvious signs of morning sickness and the girl say a word - you they report you anyway?
So suddenly they want to make sure certain students with a pregnancy “issue” know their rights and resources. Why dont they just do a better job of informing all students of their rights and resources without singling out those who might be pregnant? Sorry, but I do not trust Iowa government on this.
Agreed. Students (and people in general) get a lot of information that may not be personally relevant because communicating it is a requirement of whatever institution they are involved with.
I came to say the same thing! It's BS that they need to know about individual students. You make sure everyone knows their rights, that all staff are ensuring people's rights and that's it. Scary times in the US
That was my thought: why not just make sure everybody knows about these rights? The same goes for LGBTQ+ students--if a similar logic to the pregnancy issue applied here, professors would have to report students' sexual or gender identities, and that's not safe either. It's one thing if a student approaches a professor/admin/mentor *asking* about their Title IX rights apropos of their pregnancy, queer identity, etc., but otherwise singling students out even for self-reported pregnancies (etc.) definitely seems dangerous.
Exactly!
Okay, so I'm a professor, but not in Iowa. I went through the same training, and we all thought the same thing (we being professors): that we were being told to report to HR any pregnant student. We all (for the most part) were appalled. HR came back a few days later and said they had it backwards. We should tell a student who reveals they are pregnant that Title IX protections specifically protect them, and that HR is where they can find out about what those look like. We should tell students to reach out to HR if they wanted/needed to.
Now, that is way different than reporting on students. BUT I still would be super wary of encouraging students to reveal their status. Right now (and maybe only for awhile) where I live doesn't have the scary laws we're seeing in some places (and not for want of trying).
I will say, that I am a mandated reporter of Title IX violations at my school. All employees are (unless designated otherwise specifically, like, for example medical staff and chaplains). I tell my students this because if one of them comes to me and reveals sexual assault, I HAVE TO report it. Even if the student doesn't want me to. Even if it happened off campus. Even if she is reporting a rumor. I try to be as confidential as possible with my students, and students should understand what responsibilities and requirements faculty and staff have. I did have a friend at a college who wanted faculty to report on their students if they were doing anything against the code of conduct (like potentially being queer, as this was a conservative school). That was one of the reasons she left.
I'm glad your school made a shift. I am curious how many schools are like Kirkwood. I am guessing not many? I'm planning a follow up to this piece reaching out to other universities and colleges in the area.
It felt at the time, and it still feels, like HR didn't quite know what it was supposed to be doing with/for the faculty in regard to Title IX. Honestly, even before the new post-Roe horror machine, certain parts of Title IX weren't helping. I've known too many young women who have been sexually assaulted and the schools either didn't help at all or made it worse. Even when they're trying to help, it's hard. For example, a student is sexually assaulted. The guy leaves the school, and there's no way to tell his future school that he's got this record. No mark on transfer transcript, etc. Or, the process takes forever, and the girl is stuck in class with the guy and, sometimes, his friends who don't quite harass her, but, well, she's not comfortable there. Guess who stops coming to class? The whole thing is a massive mess with a number of folks whose hearts are in the right place, but that doesn't always (or even often?) help!
A legislator that signs on to a bill that dictates what medical care a woman can or cannot receive should be subject to the same medical malpractice laws as doctors and nurses. They are, in most cases, practicing medicine without a license and should face felony charges.
As it turns out in most states and definitely in the US Congress, legislators are either immune or protected by law from prosecution for their actions on passing laws. This is necessary or legislators might be subject to all sorts of charges and lawsuits based on their performance of their jobs. So this argument really wouldn't hold much water.
Tracking pregnancies is most definitely part of their strategy. They are frustrated that they can't achieve the level of control they believe their god demands of them simply by intimidating health care providers into not providing care. The record shows that they will keep escalating, because that is what abusers do. Every step they've taken so far we were told would never happen, that it was crazy talk, while those of us who understand who these people are knew that was gaslighting. Birth control and no-fault divorce (or more accurately any divorce initiated by the wife) are on the chopping block, not to even mention what they'll do to LGBT people.
We're in trouble no matter what, but if Americans decide this election is about their frustration with the cost of living, rather than blocking the completion of a fascist takeover of the government, it will be one of the gravest mistakes in human history.
Holy shit!!!! This Title IX info couldn’t be communicated clearly to students who are in college via email, a flyer, or newsletter??? I’m an Iowan, now retired after working in an AEA for 34 years who is mortified at what a mess the educational systems in this state have become. (And that includes PK through college age). I’m a grandmother of 3, two of whom are girls and it makes me sick to know they have less rights to their little bodies than I did. We must do better in this state and in this country.
I am also quite baffled by the women (looking at you Reynolds) who choose to subvert their own gender. I need someone to help me understand that phenomenon. It’s as confusing as the Christians who are all in on Trump.
I seem to remember signage on bulletin boards and in restroom stalls when I was in college in the dark ages (80s). How hard is that? Do colleges even have printing budgets anymore?
As the parent of two college-aged kids with uteruses, this is fucking terrifying. Are they both very careful about birth control? Yes. Is any birth control out there 100% effective? No.
I hate that when/if they contemplate college I have to advise them not to attend any school in a state that has abortion restrictions.
While I am absolutely outraged by what you report and don’t wish to undermine its power, I have a correction. Amber Thurman is not the woman who bled out in the parking lot, she was undergoing delayed surgery, a needless delay that killed her. I can’t this minute find the name of the woman who bled out. Anyway, sharing this with my faculty friends.
Correction made. Thank you.
The truth of Amber Thurman's death is even worse: she died in the hospital, undergoing a D&C 20 hours too late while doctors stood by and watched her go septic and her organs fail, afraid of being prosecuted for providing life-saving care. Not that I'm trying to rank these stories. They're all horrifying and these women all mattered.
Like college students need another thing to worry about
The approach is a real "guilty until proven innocent" vibe.
Well this is totally asinine.
Maybe some industrious student can get a company to manufacture a bunch of baby bumps and college students, male and female, could wear them around campus. And march on Washington.
A similar policy was almost enacted at Wesleyan College in Lincoln, NE, but staff immediately pushed back. The new policy requires staff and faculty to provide pregnant students with the contact info for the Title IX coordinator.
So what if it’s not self disclosed. What if the staff member sees obvious signs of morning sickness and the girl say a word - you they report you anyway?
JESUS FUCKING CHRIST
OMG! This seems like a pretty clear-cut violation of personal privacy! The world has gone mad!