Georgetown Law Denies Pregnant Student’s Exam Request
Georgetown University Law Center has found itself at the center of controversy after denying a pregnant student’s request for exam accommodations. Brittany Lovely, a second-year law student who is due to give birth early this month, sought a modification to her upcoming Dec. 13 criminal law exam. Lovely had requested to take the exam earlier, on Dec. 6, or remotely due to her impending delivery. However, university administrators initially denied the request, citing concerns that such accommodations would be “unfair” to other students, even though her professor had no objections.
Despite having an existing policy within Title IX meant to accommodate pregnant students, Georgetown initially declined Lovely’s request, which she submitted in September, stating that the policy only allowed exam deferrals in cases of pregnancy-related medical emergencies. When Lovely pressed further, she was encouraged to withdraw from the course.
According to The Pillar, she was also told by a dean that “motherhood is not for the faint of heart.”
On Thursday, Nov. 21, several of her friends created a petition to advocate for her case. Fellow Georgetown law student Max Siegel II took to social media to urge students to sign the petition, saying:, “the administration’s actions fall short of basic human decency, especially given the severe impact this situation could have on Brittany and her newborn child.”
With widespread outcry from students, faculty, alumni, and the general public, Georgetown reversed its decision the next day, allowing Lovely to either take the exam early or defer it until January.
Additionally, all students have now been given the option to defer exams until the new year. A university spokesperson said that this “mutually agreeable solution” had been reached with Lovely.
Lovely told The Pillar that she had not received an apology and felt that the university had “narrowly addressed” her needs. She argued that Georgetown needed to make a public commitment to reform its accommodation policies to ensure that future pregnant students wouldn’t face the same treatment that she did.
"At some point this became so much more than me," she said in a Dec. 6th interview with TODAY. "I love my school, and I love my community, and I want to see it do better. I want to see it live the values it says it has."
In a letter to the community following the controversy, Georgetown officials noted:
"We have heard your concerns about barriers encountered by pregnant and parenting students and students with disabilities. In the new year, we will be gathering input from students, faculty, and staff to better understand the challenges experienced and develop proposals for changes to relevant policies and procedures. We will use your input to draft updates to the relevant policies and procedures in accordance with Title IX, the Americans with Disability Act, and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act and will invite you to offer further comments before the policies and procedures are finalized. We hope that this collaborative process will strengthen our community."
Notably, the law school’s website features a page focused on pregnancy and parenting related support. The page notes that pregnancy adjustments are handled “on a case-by-case basis and will depend on medical need and academic requirements.” It lists examples of accommodations, including “rescheduling tests or exams,” “submitting work after a deadline missed due to pregnancy or childbirth,” and “excusing absences due to pregnancy or related conditions.”
What do accommodations for pregnant students look like at other Catholic U.S. colleges?
In the wake of this situation, Georgetown law students have pointed to the broader issues in the school's accommodation policies, which many claim are vague and/or overly restrictive. The Disabled Law Students Association at the school noted that administration sets an unreasonably high bar for accommodations, more stringent than those for undergraduate students. Students have also highlighted the lack of transparency in how accommodations are approved or denied, and some believe that the university’s initial refusal to accommodate Lovely is part of a broader culture of skepticism toward such requests.
At the University of Notre Dame, the Office for Institutional Equity notes that the school is “committed to ensuring that individuals that are, have been, or could become pregnant, and those that have related conditions, are treated fair and equitably.” It directs requests for pregnancy-related accommodations to Sara Bea Accessibility Services, and includes a link to file any concerns or complaints with a “SpeakUp report.”Notre Dame also offers pregnancy support through its Family Resource Center, which provides counseling, free pregnancy tests and physician referrals for current students.
Meanwhile, Boston College, a private research university in Massachusetts, connects the pregnancy resources and accommodations listed on their website to the school’s Jesuit identity, saying they “hold the emotional, physical, and spiritual well-being of a woman, the child, and those who care about them, in a strong network of support.” It lists academic accommodations, pastoral support through Campus Ministry pregnancy support advocates, counseling and programs through the Center for Student Wellness as avenues for pregnant students’ holistic support.
Over on the West Coast, the University of San Diego has a similar section dedicated to pregnant and parenting students included on the Title IX page of their website. The page reads:“Pregnancy and parenthood are likely two of the most powerful experiences a person will face in her or his lifetime… Pregnancies offer the challenge of balancing preparation for childbirth with an academic schedule. It is not only our calling to support the pregnant woman and/or father and parenting student but our challenge to provide you with a positive community in which to live.”
USD’s resources for pregnant and parenting students include Title IX accommodations, spiritual support through University Ministry, childcare for students’ 2-5-year-old children through the Manchester Family Child Development Center, a Parenting Student Listserv, and more.
All three of these universities have accommodations and resources that appear promising, similar to the ones offered by Georgetown. These various accommodations are explicitly rooted in the Catholic identities of the institutions, particularly that of social teaching and “care for the whole person.”
Still, for many women throughout the U.S., Lovely’s struggle for basic accommodations has shed light on the challenges of ensuring that policies meant to promote equity and inclusion are effectively implemented, particularly at Catholic schools with missions rooted in upholding human dignity and emphasizing holistic care for all students.
Catholic Voices Weigh In
Feminists for Life of America (FFL) president Serrin Foster told FemCatholic that Lovely’s experiences struggling to gain proper accommodations at Georgetown highlight the ongoing challenges faced by women on college campuses, particularly those who are balancing education with the demands of parenthood.
FFL quickly supported the petition advocating for Lovely, publishing a press release on Nov. 22 encouraging people to sign.
“As you likely know, FFL has worked with Georgetown University since FFL President Serrin Foster moderated the first FFL Pregnancy and Parenting Resource Forum in 1997. It became a model for other schools across the country and inspired state and national legislation. Most recently, FFL Public Education Coordinator Joyce McCauley-Benner moderated the 29th Forum. Serrin has reached out to GU, however, our relationships are with the administrators who make up a safety net for pregnant students who are undergraduates, not the law school.”
Speaking with FemCatholic, Foster says the lack of accommodations emphasizes the prevailing attitude that pregnancy and motherhood should be sidelined in favor of academic success. As Foster recounted, a pivotal moment in the organization’s advocacy began with a personal story of a woman who, while pregnant and struggling with a lack of support, realized that her college health center was offering no resources beyond abortion.
“It didn’t occur to them that a collegian would want to have a baby,” Foster said. “As far as the intersection of feminist advocacy and institutional resistance, I have rarely seen it once we approach people with the question, ‘Do you really have a free choice on campus to have a child and stay in school?’”
"Foster says the aftermath of the Dobbs decision has spurred a renewed focus on abortion policies rather than expanding resources for potential parents. She observes that this creates an environment where women feel pressured to seek abortions instead of receiving support for either choice, adding, 'For too long, the debate has been, 'What about the woman?' by the women's movement, while pro-lifers reply, 'What about the baby?' We answer: Women deserve better.'"
Meanwhile, Leah Libresco Sargeant, a Catholic freelance writer and the voice behind the popular Substack newsletter “Other Feminisms”, tweeted a link to the petition on Nov. 22. This tweet racked up over 2,000 reposts and 3.8 million views. She went on to write about the controversy on “Other Feminisms” on Nov. 27, linking readers to her piece in The Pillar.
Discussing the Georgetown controversy, Libresco Sargeant told FemCatholic that “it's obvious Georgetown Law put Brittany in an impossible position, trying to negotiate for a reasonable accommodation until she was within a week of her due date. Unless they make a change to their policy for the future, I don't think the next student to become pregnant will be encouraged by Brittany's victory, I think she'll be worried she won't squeak out a win in time.”
She also noted that gender-neutral policies can pose a potential threat to holistic care for both pregnant and parenting women.
“I think it's always unjust when women's equality with men is premised on our being interchangeable with men,” Libresco Sargeant said, observing that gender-neutral policies can easily become ‘male-normed’ and leave women struggling for help.
