Here is the summary article:
Brittany Lovely, a Georgetown University Law Center student, is expecting her first child in early December. As her final exams are scheduled to take place during the same time, she asked the school if she could take the exams earlier. However, her request was denied by the school, citing its honor code and a policy prohibiting anyone from taking exams early.
Lovely, a Black student, was concerned about the university’s denial, given the striking Black maternal mortality rates in the city. She also pointed out that firstborn babies are often early or late, so her due date on December 2 leaves some flexibility.
Lovely was initially met with support from a Title IX official, who offered two options: taking the exam early or taking it from home a few days after giving birth. However, both options were denied by the registrar and Office of Academic Affairs.
Lovely then met with school officials, who cited the university’s honor code and policy prohibiting early exams. The officials suggested that she could have someone sit outside the exam room with her newborn to breastfeed or take breaks.
Undeterred, Lovely drafted a legal memo outlining her concerns and sent it to the law school dean, which was met with a response that he did not handle pregnancy adjustments and pointed her back to the Title IX official.
Lovely’s friends then launched a petition, which gained thousands of signatures, bringing attention to her situation. The school eventually agreed to open an extra deferral date in January, aligned with previous years’ deferral timelines.
Lovely hopes that the school will implement policy changes to support pregnant and parenting students in the future, citing the need for a more supportive environment.
