How abortion is impacting college decisions | Morning Newsletter
The ‘faith-based’ leader for Philly’s Moms for Liberty
/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/pmn/RTZLXZOUUBCEHP6PH44EBTQDJI.jpg)
The Morning Newsletter
Start your day with the Philly news you need and the stories you want all in one easy-to-read newsletter
Happy Monday.
It should be pretty chilly today with a high of 47.
Earlier this month, we saw how the issue of abortion rights impacts elections. The issue is now also impacting college campuses. On top of typical concerns regarding college like cost, distance from home, and program offerings, many prospective students are also now considering their access to abortion.
Our lead story focuses on the Philly-area high school students who are avoiding colleges in states that ban or severely restrict abortion.
— Taylor Allen (@TayImanAllen, morningnewsletter@inquirer.com)
If someone forwarded you this email, sign up for free here.
More young women in the Philly area and around the country are avoiding colleges in states that either ban or restrict abortion.
In her own words: “When I was cultivating my list of possible schools,” said a Montgomery County high school senior who asked that her name not to be used to protect her privacy. “I thought about attending Rice University [in Houston], but I crossed it off. I didn’t want to sacrifice my rights to an abortion by living in Texas. After that, I barely looked into schools in states where I thought my rights weren’t protected. I eliminated Florida, then Alabama, and Louisiana.”
Research published earlier this month in the scholarly journal Economics Letters shows that in 2021, there was a one percentage point decrease in the share of female undergraduates applying to colleges in states where abortion is banned or heavily restricted, compared with states in which abortion remained more accessible.
According to a July poll from Intelligent.com, a college-search website, 26% of prospective college students said they’d consider attending a school only in a state where abortion is legal. Other polls show similar trends.
Read more for extensive interviews with Philly-area students, their families, and college consultants.
Phillip Fisher Jr. is a local pastor and a Republican ward leader who coordinates faith-based outreach for Philly’s Moms for Liberty chapter.
He’s also a registered sex offender. He has a 2012 felony conviction for aggravated sexual abuse of a 14-year-old boy when he was 25.
Fisher insists he did nothing wrong, despite pleading guilty to one of 12 counts filed against him. He said the conviction is the result of a “railroad job” concocted by the political action committee for Lyndon LaRouche, a fringe conspiracy theorist who ran repeatedly for president. Fisher, who worked for LaRouche’s organization, called it “a cult” and said he was set up while trying to break free.
Vince Fenerty, the chair of Philadelphia Republican City Committee, said he was unaware of Fisher’s conviction until The Inquirer asked about it last week. On Friday, he demanded and received Fisher’s resignation as leader of the 42nd Ward.
Continue reading for an overview of Fisher’s involvement in local and national Republican politics.
What you should know today
SEPTA Transit Police union could strike Monday afternoon.
Phillies’ Aaron Nola will stay. The Inquirer confirmed on Sunday that Nola agreed to a seven-year $172 million contract. Columnist David Murphy called the decision a big but manageable risk for the Phillies.
Although Black Friday shoppers haven’t returned to Philly malls at pre-pandemic levels, mall executives are optimistic more consumers will take part in the tradition this year.
The Satanic Temple after-school club won a $200,000 settlement with the Saucon Valley School District.
After David Oh’s loss to Cherelle Parker in the Philly mayor’s race, he said he’s weighing his next steps. He isn’t ruling out another run.
Kenyan runners took home the win in the men’s and women’s categories in the Philadelphia Marathon Sunday. Also, two kidney donors ran the marathon to show potential kidney donors that they can continue to have a healthy life after a donation. Each is running 12 marathons in 12 months.
Rom, a K-9 that helped capture Chester County prison escapee Danilo Cavalcante, was honored at the National Dog Show.
Tonight will be a Super Bowl rematch on Monday Night Football between the Eagles and the Chiefs. Review predictions form our Inquirer beat reporters, national media, and other local writers.
🧠 Trivia time
For this year’s Eagles Christmas album, A Philly Special Christmas Special, Jason and Travis Kelce sang a duet together.
What is the name of the song?
A) “Fairytale of Philadelphia”
B) “This Christmas”
C) “All I Want for Christmas is You”
D) None of the above
Think you know? Check your answer.
What we’re...
💭Wondering: What’s the future of the vacant 107-year-old Center City apartment tower across from Monk’s?
🎉 Congratulating: Scientists Michael Mann of University of Pennsylvania and Robert Socolow of Princeton University have been named winners of the 2023 John Scott Awards for their climate change work.
🎧 Listening to: Our pop music critic Dan DeLuca’s latest Music Monday playlist. Get ready before Lil Uzi Vert brings The Pink Tape to the Wells Fargo Center on Wednesday.
🧩 Unscramble the anagram
Hint: “This Christmas” with the Birds 🦅
LATTE PLIABLE
Email us if you know the answer. We’ll select a reader at random to shout out here. Cheers to Kelly Armstrong, who correctly guessed Sunday’s answer: Quinta Brunson.
Photo of the day
Thanks for starting your week with The Inquirer. Let’s do this again tomorrow 📧.