Should colleges, and/or the NCAA be able to take away a woman’s athletic scholarship if she becomes pregnant?

Some argue that this is a violation of Title 9, which guarantees equal rights to both male and female athletes.  Others feel pregnancy falls under the umbrella “injury” which means the athletes scholarship remains. Meanwhile, others argue the pregnant athlete has no right to keep her scholarship. Fingers tend to point to NCAA, pressuring them to clearly spell out whether the scholarship should be revoked or not, a matter (and one of the very few) that has been left up to the colleges themselves.

Personally, thinking of pregnancy as an injury makes me cringe. Bringing life into the world hardly compares to tearing a hamstring, though both should be unwanted happenstances for a female athlete on scholarship. Gender inequality cannot be involved for the sole reason that men, obiously, cannot become pregnant.  However, it’s difficult to feel comfortable with pressuring young women to get abortions if the pregnancy is unplanned, which, if they can’t pay for their education, could be their only option. This forces some young women to make a choice their male counterparts would never be forced to consider- practice complete abstinence or have an abortion.

The root of the problem here could be “priority.” A University whose priorities include having an outstanding athletic reputation may search for a student whose major priority has been sports all through high school. That university might offer to pay for that student-athletes education in return for their devotion to their team, their school, and their sport. To many, having a child, planned or otherwise, would naturally come before most things. I do not think it unfair that if the student-athlete’s priority shifts, she should no longer receive the scholarship, as this would be a violation of the aforementioned contract. Deciding to have a baby would most definitely shift an athlete’s priorities. After all, she now has two identities: star basketball player and mom.
However, priorities are tricky little things, as they tend to vary from person to person. NCAA could not possibly take the time to get to know each pregnant athlete, what is most important to her, and her devotion level to her team half as well as her own coach does. If one young woman becomes pregnant, and will not have an abortion, but social and familial support would enable her to return to her team after the pregnancy, it seems grossly unfair that she should be penalized for that. And I think those who might support such penalties could only be motivated by personal or religious prejudices against young or unmarried mothers- neither of which should be influences in an educational governing body, especially at public institutions.

Historically women with unwanted pregnancies have been forced, by the very nature of their bodies to bear the consequences in their entirety, not only the child but all the social stigma and personal sacrifice that comes with bringing a child into the world, while their partners can choose to share in the responsibility or not. This is innately unfair and while obviously it was no fault of the NCAA or any other governing body that women would be the only gender to carry children, the notion of equal opportunity for women deals with trying to “even the playing field” so to speak, To make sure women are not at a disadvantage despite certain unique aspects of their bodies. A good example would be the common practice of “maternity leave” in the workplace: if a woman is willing and able, she may return to her job after a pregnancy without penalty for this natural human cycle.
I think women athletes should be given the same, if not more consideration, as education is probably the single most important factor in a young person’s future. Women athletes should not be penalized, at such detriment to the rest of their lives for bearing a child. Whether or not this means maintaining a scholarship through the entirety of a pregnancy, while participation in a sport may not be possible, or whether this only ensures the athlete a fair chance at regaining her scholarship after the pregnancy I do not know, but to deny support generally and entirely seems rather tasteless.
But take a minute and ask yourself, what do you think?

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