{"id":115068,"date":"2022-10-11T00:03:40","date_gmt":"2022-10-11T04:03:40","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.thecollegefix.com\/?p=115068"},"modified":"2022-10-10T09:38:31","modified_gmt":"2022-10-10T13:38:31","slug":"no-proof-that-students-are-leaving-red-state-colleges-because-of-pro-life-laws","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.thecollegefix.com\/no-proof-that-students-are-leaving-red-state-colleges-because-of-pro-life-laws\/","title":{"rendered":"No proof students are leaving red state colleges because of pro-life laws"},"content":{"rendered":"

ANALYSIS:<\/strong> Proponents of the theory will not point to any follow-up proof<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

Nearly four months after the reversal of Roe v. Wade<\/em>, there is currently no proof to support the theory that college students would be leaving red state universities due to pro-life laws, according to an investigation by The College Fix<\/em>.<\/p>\n

The reversal of Roe v. Wade<\/em>, which returned the issue of abortion to the states, \u201cwas unpopular among Americans in general, but it was particularly unpopular among Americans in that demographic,\u201d University of California Los Angeles professor Cary Franklin told<\/a> U.S. News and World Report<\/em> in August.<\/p>\n

Franklin, director UCLA\u2019s Center on Reproductive Health, Law, and Policy, told the publication that \u201cit’s hard not to imagine that college students and potential college students won’t be making choices based on location.\u201d<\/p>\n

Yet, two months after making those comments, Franklin said the jury is still out on the effects of pro-life laws. \u201cSorry: no comments. Dobbs just came down this summer so it\u2019s too early,\u201d Franklin said, when asked by The Fix<\/em> for any evidence on the claims pro-choice students would be picking colleges differently due to pro-life laws.<\/p>\n

One July survey from the Intelligent polling company indicated<\/a> that \u201c55% of Democrat students and 41% of Republican students at schools in states with abortion bans are definitely or potentially transferring.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Fix<\/em> asked the survey company if it had evidence to support that students followed through with these claims or if it had conducted any other follow-up surveys on the topic. The company did not respond to two requests for comment sent in the past week.<\/p>\n

MORE<\/strong>: University welcomes pregnant and parenting students to campus<\/a><\/p>\n

States such as Texas, Oklahoma and Tennessee, which had bans on almost all abortions go into effect this summer<\/a>, are not suffering from a lack of students at major universities in the state.<\/p>\n

Nor is Indiana, which implemented a prohibition on 95 percent of abortions this summer, though the Hoosier State\u2019s pro-life law is currently facing legal challenges<\/a>. Purdue University set an \u201call-time student enrollment record\u201d this year, the Indiana school announced<\/a>. Its media team did not respond to further requests for comment.<\/p>\n

Rice University in Texas worried<\/a> that pro-life laws would create \u201cadded burdens\u201d especially for \u201cthe least economically advantaged\u201d and administrators would explore how to \u201cappropriately support the reproductive rights of our community, including access to abortion services,\u201d for its 4,000 students as well as faculty and staff.<\/p>\n

Students are still interested in the university in one of the reddest, most pro-life states in the country – it just recorded its second-largest incoming freshman class in history this year, according to an announcement<\/a> shared by its media team in response to a Fix<\/em> inquiry.<\/p>\n

A major Oklahoma university has not seen an issue with enrollment either.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe University of Oklahoma has not seen a decline in applications or admissions this year,\u201d\u00a0 spokesperson Mackenzie Scheer told The Fix<\/em> via email on September 29.<\/p>\n

\u201cLast month, OU welcomed its largest freshman class in school history, with 4,683 students. Overall enrollment numbers for fall 2022 are also up from the fall 2021 semester, with 31,655 students enrolled on all three campuses,\u201d Scheer said.<\/p>\n

\u201cAt OU, our top focus is supporting the needs, aspirations, and well-being of our students. While the university must and will comply with all applicable laws, we remain unwavering in our commitment to serve our students to the fullest extent possible,\u201d Scheer said.<\/p>\n

According to campus officials, the story is similar in Texas.<\/p>\n

\u201cWithin the next few days, we will be releasing final enrollment numbers, which will show more students than previous years, which has been the trend for the past decade or so,\u201d Texas A&M Associate Vice President Kelly Brown told The Fix<\/em> on September 21.<\/p>\n

Brown also said that the acceptance withdrawal rates at Texas\u2019 largest university had not increased despite the fact that abortion has been outlawed in the state since August 25.<\/p>\n

In Tennessee, abortion has also been illegal since August 25.<\/p>\n

When contacted, a spokesperson for the University of Tennessee referred The College Fix<\/em> to an article<\/a> on the increasing enrollment numbers at the state\u2019s largest school.<\/p>\n

Other universities contacted by The Fix<\/em> include Indiana University, University of Houston, University of Texas at Austin and University of Memphis.<\/p>\n

Pro-life laws might help enrollment, group suggests<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

The Fix<\/em> spoke to a pro-life group about the impact these claims have on universities and if school officials should be concerned about them.<\/p>\n

\u201cSpeaking as a parent, it can be a selling point that the laws of a state protect women and their children, born and preborn, rather than pushing the false narrative that abortion has no cost, no consequences, and no repercussions,\u201d Students For Life of America media representative Kristi Hamrick told The Fix<\/em> via email.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou would think that students are going into debt after selecting a school that offers them an education and a future, rather than one that pushes abortion,\u201d Hamrick said. \u201cIt’s hard to see how prioritizing abortion over education benefits a school.”<\/p>\n

When asked if the individual decisions of students to not attend schools in pro-life states affects state policy, Hamrick said that \u201cthis does not seem to be much of a factor in the debate that we are seeing, though it’s been a popular storyline for the media since the Dobbs’ decision ended Roe allowing voters to weigh in on abortion policy.\u201d<\/p>\n

Liberal politics may drive students away to red states too,\u00a0according to an October 2 article in Town & Country<\/em> magazine.<\/p>\n

The publication reported<\/a> that students are fleeing from liberal regions in the north and California to schools in the South.<\/p>\n

\u201cFifty-seven percent of the incoming freshman class at Texas Christian University, a midsize school in Fort Worth\u2026 are from out of state,\u201d Town & Country<\/em> reported. \u201cSeventeen percent of those hail from California.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cCompare that to 2008, when more than 70 percent of TCU\u2019s incoming freshmen were from Texas,\u201d the lifestyle magazine reported.<\/p>\n

According to the magazine, this migration appears to be part of the desires of many families for a \u201ctotal escape from so-called liberal thought pockets.”<\/p>\n

MORE<\/strong>: Med school director claims ‘quality’ of students will decrease due to pro-life laws<\/a><\/p>\n

IMAGE: Texas A&M University<\/p>\n

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