1. United States
2. Calif.
3. Letter

Pregnant and parenting students should be afforded every opportunity to pursue their academic goals and be protected from any bias or discrimination based on their pregnancy or pregnancy-related conditions. In an era in which misinformation abounds, AB 1098 improves essential compliance and information sharing measures that protect pregnant and parenting students. The bill provides important guidance for colleges and universities to ensure that they are offering equal access under the law for pregnant students and for those who are experiencing pregnancy-related conditions.The bill also requires colleges and universities to have more robust and effective means of informing students about their rights under federal and state law, increasing the likelihood that they will seek the assistance of the Title IX coordinator to pursue those rights.   AB 1098 also ensures that undergraduates are provided the same rights and accommodations that are presently provided only to graduate students, while simultaneously strengthening protections for both groups. For instance, AB 1098 provides greater certainty for students by prohibiting a college from requiring an undergraduate or graduate student to take a leave of absence or withdraw from an undergraduate or graduate program because of their pregnancy, or otherwise limit the student’s studies, because the student is pregnant or experiencing pregnancy-related conditions. While students may request accommodation for bonding with a newborn or adopted infant or child, women are most susceptible to unjust conditions and the lack of accommodations that may ultimately drive them to withdraw from their studies and forgo their higher education goals. For all of these reasons, we respectfully ask that you vote YES on AB 1098.