A pregnant student at Georgetown University was reportedly told by university officials that she must take a personal exam a few days after giving birth.
On Friday (November 22), students at a private university in Washington, DC organized a petition on behalf of fellow sophomore Brittany Lovely, who is preparing to welcome her first child in early December.
According to the petition, Georgetown Law’s administration allegedly “denied Brittany’s request for reasonable accommodation in violation of Title IX,” a key federal law that prohibits educational institutions from discriminating against students based on sex.
Lovely, whose final exam is scheduled for December 13, had requested accommodation to take the exam early or take the exam from home after giving birth. He had competed to take the exam at the same time as his classmates in person on the same day, or on the university’s dismissal days starting three days later.
“Georgetown Law rejected her proposal, saying it would be unfair to all the other non-fertile students in her class,” the petition read.
Organizers said the management encouraged Lovely to “bring her newborn to school a few days after birth, with minimal recovery, to take the test in plenty of time so that she can breastfeed her newborn during the test.”
Georgetown University Law Center, located in Washington, DC, reportedly denied a pregnant student’s request for accommodation until her final exam (Getty Images)
Although Lovely’s professor agreed to let her write her exam early, Georgetown Law student Divya Goel confirmed on X/Twitter, that the school allegedly told the pregnant law student: “Being a mother is not for the faint of heart.”
Lovely’s classmates argued that her request for accommodations violated Title IX because that law protects students from discrimination based on “current, potential, or past pregnancy or related conditions.”
“The accommodations requested by Brittany (writing the exam as soon as finals period begins and/or leaving home a few days after giving birth) are reasonable and not disproportionate in any way, nor do they harm my education at Georgetown,” he said.
“We encourage the management of the Georgetown University Law Center to allow the accommodation and to have Georgetown Law’s promise to support every student, including pregnant women.”
The Independent contacted Goel and the petition organizers for comment.
As written on the Georgetown Law website, the university’s Title IX policy “prohibits sexual harassment, including sexual harassment, sexual assault, domestic violence, dating violence, stalking, and discrimination based on pregnancy or parenthood.”
The school also advises students to “request adjustments based on pregnancy-related needs or accommodations based on pregnancy-related circumstances.” These adjustments include larger desks, breaking class, excusing absences due to pregnancy or a related condition, rescheduling exams or tests, submitting work after a missed period due to pregnancy or childbirth, or providing other ways to make up for missed work.
Placements at Georgetown Law are directed to the school’s Accessibility Services, which requires students to fill out an application form and speak with the Law Center’s Title IX assistant coordinator.
In speaking to The IndependentA university spokesperson said: “Georgetown is committed to providing a caring, supportive environment for pregnant and parenting students. We have reached a solution that is compatible with the student who expressed the problem.”
Recently, efforts to expand protections for LGBT+ students under Title IX have been blocked by courts and grassroots organizations, such as Moms For Liberty.
In August, the US Supreme Court upheld a ruling by lower courts in Louisiana and Kentucky that allowed 26 states to temporarily block President Joe Biden’s efforts to protect transgender students from discrimination.
The Biden administration unveiled new rules in 2021, which aimed to redefine “sex discrimination” under Title IX to include “sex attitudes, sexual behavior, pregnancy or related conditions, sexual orientation, and gender identity.”