Bill Would Require Public Colleges to Post Support Policies for Pregnant and Parenting Students

House Bill 840, sponsored by Delegate Alethia McCaskill, would require certain public senior higher-education institutions to adopt and post policies that refer pregnant and parenting students to on- or off-campus services and provide accommodations. McCaskill told the committee the requirement would reinforce Title IX protections and help retain students who face barriers to completing degrees, including lack of lactation spaces, childcare and other supports.

McCaskill cited research on college dropout causes and national statistics about young women’s pregnancies and degree completion to argue for the policy’s benefits. “This bill is to support students who are already parents and for those parents of all genders who are expecting,” she said, noting the policy would list programs such as SNAP, the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children (WIC), child-care scholarships and Medicaid-related programs.

Opponents appeared at the hearing. Laura Bogley of Maryland Right to Life said the bill, as drafted, could expand abortion access in campus settings by shifting Title IX language; she urged an unfavorable report. McCaskill responded that the bill is meant to inform students about supportive services, and said she was willing to consider amendments related to sonogram access and other language.

Committee members asked clarifying questions about whether the policy would include sonogram access and how it would interact with federal Title IX obligations. McCaskill said she would work with colleagues on potential technical amendments. No final committee vote was recorded in the transcript.