The Family Research Council reported yesterday on a little-known phenomenon – college athletes being forced into choosing between their athletic scholarships and giving their babies life.

The situation is so common and egregious that the NCAA Management Council has been driven into taking action. ESPN uncovered a scandal at Clemson University in which seven young women had been coerced into abortions from the Athletic Department – or face losing their scholarships, and their hopes for a degree. A similar situation was exposed at the University of Memphis.

On a 46-5 vote, the Council enacted a new rule, effective August 1, which will treat pregnancy as a "temporary disability", and allow recovery time from a pregnancy so that a student’s eligibility to play sports is not jeopardized.

This is certainly a step forward, but one wonders how many girls have faced this awful choice.

We believe that such coercion ought to be made illegal in this country. No woman should be driven into committing abortion, and we will be presenting groundbreaking legislation to the Idaho Legislature this week.