Late Night Rounds...

Tonight I decided to wait until really late to do my last rounds in the hall. I was walking on one of the floors when I noticed a piece of scrap paper on one of the couches in the common areas. Usually I am oblivious to these kinds of trivial details; but the silence and stillness of the hall because everyone’s gone for Thanksgiving Break makes me notice things that I otherwise normally would not notice. As I looked at it more closely, I realized that it was the instructions insert for an over the counter pregnancy test. My first thought was shock, thinking, “Maybe it is old, belongs to someone else… not one of our girls!” My nosy-ness immediately kicked in… Yes, I immediately went snooping in the bathroom – and sure enough, I found the discarded box in the trash can, right in plain sight. No luck, however, finding the student or the used pregnancy test.

While my job is usually a fun one, it’s moments like this that I realize the big responsibility that has been entrusted to me. We might have a new mother in the hall tonight. I am filled with worry, concern, and fear – for her and potentially for her unborn child. Part of me wonders – did she wait until this break – when no one would be around – to take this test? Has she been potentially pregnant for some time now? Is she getting the help she needs – if she is pregnant? Or is she going through this alone, afraid and overwhelmed? More than anything I wanted to know who she is, so that I could be a support to her in this difficult time.

And then there are even more serious worries. While the University as a whole is institutionally committed to life and provides excellent resources to support pregnant students who choose to carry their pregnancies to term (http://osa.nd.edu/health-safety/assistance-for-pregnant-students), the fact of the matter is that Notre Dame is no different from any other university. There are as many young women who have abortions here as at any other university. Part of that is because Notre Dame is such a competitive academic environment. I’d imagine that most students who do get pregnant abort because of the pressure from their families, from their peers to perform, to be successful. And to many of them, an unplanned pregnancy is one obstacle too large to face.

Please say a prayer for this young woman – whoever she is: that if she is pregnant, she will choose life, and if she is not, that she will have a conversion of heart to embrace a more chaste lifestyle; finally, pray for our staff, who will need to work to reach out to our residents, and hopefully assist this young woman whatever the situation be.