Sending a kid to college in a state that is trying to ban abortions

Sue22

For me it's less about the specific medical service (abortion), which if God forbid my child were ever to need it she'd have the resources to go to another state.

bamamom2021

I love UA and my DD17 is receiving a wonderful education. However, if this were going on a few years ago she would have never considered UA and I am hesitant to recommend the school to others now. The disregard for health and well being along with the bad press nationally will impact her while job hunting. People are already talking about it at her internship. I am pretty confident that any thoughts about staying in Alabama after graduation are out. She loves the school but she would not encourage her siblings to attend.

One clarification to the OP. UA did not return the Culverhouse $ and remove his name from the law school due to his stance on abortion or his call for students to boycott (mentioned in the OP). This is all a convenient spin that he has created and perpetuated to protect himself from the embarrassment of the actual reason. These actions by the university were initiated prior to any discussions about abortion. The donor leveraged his donation to be a part of university decisions on hiring and firing. He wanted to put his own people in key positions. He wanted unrestricted access to the campus at will (sit in on classes and meetings unannounced and without restrictions). He called for the firing of 10 professors. He held a large family donation in his father's estate to the business school hostage a few years earlier. He insulted and tried to undermine the dean of the law school. He tried to manipulate the dean and president of the school and they stood up for academic integrity. This is all outlined in a series of emails going back that have been released.

Leigh22

^^It’s a sad state of affairs if the job market discriminates against graduates of schools such as the U if Alabama.

Lindagaf

Parents in my area are definitely talking about this. And frankly, I did not consider Southern states at all for my two. My daughter was definitely not going to the south, and while my son thought about a few southern schools, he decided against them.

lvvcsf

"For me it's less about the specific medical service (abortion), which if God forbid my child were ever to need it she'd have the resources to go to another state. It's more about the signal it sends about women's autonomy and whether lawmakers in these states feel women, in conjunction with their doctors, should be trusted to make their own medical decisions."

Here lies the danger of this topic. If one were to express an opposing view to this poster then the subject would become political and would likely be shut down. I am sure there are those who might have a rebuttal to this statement but to make it sends this discussion in a very different direction.

cptofthehouse

The states doing this tend to be, though not all, states that raise flags on all sorts of social issues. Frankly, it was an issue that came to mind when my son was looking at a very generous award package at Alabama. Many parents in my state, NY would not consider sending their kids to that state, particularly those of color.

But these are decisions some of us can make from a place of privilege. The college deals in such states can be the best for certain students. NY pretty much covers college tuition for a large number of students but not the very hefty room and board prices. Also, parents with the money who just won’t cough it up for their kids college, are problematic for their kids. A in Full ride, in such cases to Alabama or Mississippi can be a life changer.

skieurope

MODERATOR'S NOTE:
Reopening thread after having deleted/edited several posts. The OP started with a very valid question, "Have you considered this in deciding which colleges are a good fit for your kids? Should you?"

Per Terms of Service:"Politics, religion, and similar controversial topics should be discussed only as directly applicable to college matters. College Confidential is not a debating society. Hence, "Would a Catholic be comfortable at BYU?" or "What is the political environment at Grinnell?" are fine. "Democrats (or Republicans) are evil!" and other opinions unrelated to the college process are not allowed. "
https://www.collegeconfidential.com/policies/rules/

To that end, the following (which is not exhaustive) are examples of what is prohibited, and which I deleted:

• Comparison of US or [insert state here] policies with any foreign state
• Abortion rates over time/by stage/by age group/by ethnicity, etc.
• Opinions about what abortion laws should be (as opposed to statements of fact, which is OK)
• Value judgments against individuals and/or institutions
• Opinions about SCOTUS will do, or Roe v Wade in general
• What the entertainment industry (or any other group) is planning in support or dissent
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• Irresponsible journalism
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Any further violations of ToS may result in further comments being deleted/edited without comment, individual warnings,and/or thread closure.

Groundwork2022

I am conflicted about this as well.

I know this sounds really, really bad, but from a financial standpoint, isn't one better off taking Alabama's scholarship money and, if necessary, sending daughter on a hopefully-one-time trip to another state if drastic measures are needed? Exactly how many abortions are we expecting our daughters to have while attending college? Zero, hopefully. One, an emergency? More than one is fairly unusual for college age women.

I guess I am saying that, at this time, it likely wouldn't be a factor for this family's college choice. Things could change. Getting to another state and back is not a financial hardship for us at this time. We have mixed feelings on abortion, but we all agree that, if you're going to do it, the earlier in the pregnancy the better. Again, finances could change, political viewpoints can change. As long as 'Bama is giving out generous scholarships to OOS students, though, the finances don't change.

doschicos

"I know this sounds really, really bad, but from a financial standpoint, isn't one better off taking Alabama's scholarship money and, if necessary, sending daughter on a hopefully-one-time trip to another state if drastic measures are needed?"

If I'm taking a stance on the issue, it's not just for my own family but all who are affected, especially those who can't afford to travel out of state.

Midwest67

One kid is looking at which grad schools to apply to and this topic has not been a consideration for her or us parents.

3scoutsmom

My kids look at schools that offer the academic program they are looking for and could care less about the whims of the state legislatures. I know many kids in our high school would be thrilled if less people applied to UT-Austin for what ever reason.

techmom99

We have no more kids to send to college, but H and I have removed these states from consideration as a retirement home.

NJWrestlingmom

Fit to us is huge, and I don’t see a fit in a state where the values are so clearly not aligned with my child’s.

VickiSoCal

D20 will not so much as look at literature from schools in any of these states.
My opinion carries no weight.

sylvan8798

That didn't take long.

vpa2019

These types of laws wouldn’t and didn’t affect my kids choice of schools.

Sue22

I think it may exacerbate the already existing hesitance of kids from the NE and West to attend Deep South schools outside of major urban centers like Atlanta aside from a few top schools like Duke or Vandy. I've had quite a few parents look at me askance and say "Your kid's going to school where?"

momofsenior1

We are past the decision on college, but D will not work in Alabama for her co-op or any future employers.

privatebanker

I am pro choice and have a daughter. She wouldn't step foot in one of these states right now for college. We’ve discussed it.

But to blanket condemn a state as hating women or all disrespecting women is too hyperbolic.

Kay Ivey is a woman.

It seems misguided to me but they may love women.

Twins2018

Should add both our kids, one male and one female, feel equally if not more strongly than we do as parents. For our family it’s a resounding no.