Post Continues

Marjorie Campbell, marjorie@marjoriecampbell.com

On December 6,  I posted the letter of Chaunie Shaelens to Serrin Foster of Feminists for Life about her unplanned pregnancy and the reaction she received at her student health center.  Chaunie has sent another letter which I post here, as she bravely shares her unexpected  her journey - in all its humanity. 

Dear Serrin,  

A week after I discovered I was pregnant, I went to meet with our club's advisor. After my experience at the campus Health Center, I decided I needed to address the issue of how our school responds to pregnant women. I spoke with my club advisor, and together we made an appointment with the Director of Health Services to discuss what had happened and broach the issue of bringing the proper resources to campus.

I was incredibly nervous about the meeting. It's one thing to stand in front of fellow students and hand out pamphlets. It's another to bring your concerns to those in your administration who have the power to make change. The stakes were heightened by the fact that the Director's decisions were directly impacting my decisions about how I would proceed in my education, my work, and my pregnancy—and how it would affect other women facing similar decisions.

My advisor and I walked into the office of the Director of Health Services for our meeting. Much to my dismay, I discovered that the Director of Health Services was actually the nurse practitioner that had done my pregnancy test. I could feel my face turning red from embarrassment, and I steeled my spine to address the issues we had come to talk about. So, I began one of the hardest conversations of my life.

The Director remembered me and told me how busy she was that day, that she was rushed because I was a walk-in. She told me that I should have made an appointment, rather than just drop in.

I told her that I didn't know you could schedule an unplanned pregnancy.

I remember pacing the hallways of school for an hour before I worked up the nerve to go into Health Services that day. It was hard enough to walk in, let alone actually call and schedule an appointment! I probably never would have kept the appointment. She should have recognized the courage it takes for a woman to reach out for help. The fact that I walked in for help should have been, for her, an opportunity, not an inconvenience.

The Director told me that she had felt badly about what happened. She said she was new to her position and she didn't have much support herself. Though she was defensive at first, the more we discussed my experience, the more she seemed to take my message to heart.

Put simply, the Director of Health Services had no resources to offer me.

At the end of the meeting, the Director was in complete agreement that something needed to change and resources needed to be made available for other women like me!

I was thrilled that she was so open to working together, and surprised that I had made a difference. We scheduled a follow up meeting with her boss to continue up the chain of command, working for resources and support for pregnant and parenting students.

I'll write again soon to update you on my journey! Meanwhile, I encourage you and others at Feminists for Life to continue your work for pregnant and parenting students like me.

For women,

Chaunie Saelens
Former Feminists for Life Intern
President of campus Students for Life

P.S. Please feel free to forward this on to others.