JFL Adds Special Rooms for Mothers to Nurse Their Children

The Jerry Falwell Library has long been a quiet place for students to study and get homework done by servicing students with a wide variety of books, computers and resources. Over the summer, the library added to its student resources with breastfeeding pods for new mothers.

For Liberty’s Pro-Life Club, the installation of the pod is a major victory, following years of lobbying in SGA for nursing areas on campus. Members of the club sit at the forefront of the pro-life movement, advocating for supportive services that will allow women to choose life. The pod was added to the bottom floor of the library, providing a private and comfortable place for students and faculty to nurse their children.

“We’re very passionate about providing whatever it is women need in order to feel equipped to go about being a mom and entering into parenting while continuing their degree,” Lauren Marlowe, president of the Pro-Life Club, said. 

The lactation pod in the library is now one of two on campus, with the other pod available for faculty use in Green Hall. Going forward, the Pro-Life Club plans to lobby for the installation of additional pods on campus in central locations, like DeMoss Hall. 

Members of the Pro-Life Club labor relentlessly to support pregnant Liberty students in their transition to parenthood. Over the years, the club has championed groundbreaking legislation in support of pregnant students, including a major change of housing policy in 2017 that allowed pregnant students to stay on campus.

One of the club’s largest services is their babysitting program, which is offered to any student or faculty parent on Liberty’s campus. Whether a sitter is needed during classes, meetings or sports practices, members of the pro-life club are willing to meet parents on campus and watch their kids for the amount of time needed free of charge.

While the club aims to provide support for pregnant students and faculty, their overall goal is to create a welcoming pro-life culture on Liberty’s campus.

Erin Corkrey, the supportive services coordinator for the club, works directly with pregnant students and faculty on campus. 

From speaking with expectant mothers over the years, Corkrey said many pregnant students have expressed feelings of shame brought on by a judgmental culture. This shame in Christian culture, Corkrey said, can sometimes lead some mothers to choose abortion over life.

“We need to embrace mothers who choose life for their children rather than shaming them into secrecy and into abortion,” Corkrey said. 

AJPH Research estimated that in 2008, 30 percent of women between the ages of 15 to 44 years old would have an abortion by age 45. With so many college-aged women choosing abortion over life, Marlowe said it is crucial that women feel acceptance over shame. Many women feel the pressure to choose between the life of their unborn child and their career, but the Pro-Life Club is working to help women see the possibility of having both. 

Currently, the club is lobbying for the installation of changing tables in men’s restrooms. Soon, they will begin petitioning among students, hoping to drum up enough support to get the legislation to pass. 

Though the process is not easy, members of the club find the motivation to keep going for the sake of mothers and children. 

“I am so passionately pro-life, and I just have such a burden for these people who don’t get spoken for enough,” Corkrey said. 

Madison Hirneisen is a News Reporter. Follow her on Twitter at @Madihirneisen.