Essay --

Fantasia Goodwin is junior at the University of Syracuse and a starter for the varsity women’s basketball team. Fantasia finds herself in a precarious situation upon learning she is pregnant during the 2007 basketball season. Faced with many uncertainties, Fantasia encounters what is undoubtedly one of the biggest ethical dilemmas she has faced thus far in her life. There are many layers to her dilemma and they all need to be carefully taken into consideration. In order to help Fantasia make an informed decision she must first identify all of the ethical issues surrounding her pregnancy and the cause-effect relationship they will certainly have. First and foremost if she remains silent and continues to play through the season she faces the consequences of potentially damaging her unborn baby to the extent of birth defects, injuring herself and/or miscarrying. On a tertiary level, Fantasia is also faced with the consequences that disclosing her pregnancy could bring, such as, losing her scholarship, losing her eligibility, losing her position on the team and/or being pressured to abort the baby. Stakeholders in which Fantasia must take into consideration before making an informed decision include Fantasia. As the mother of the baby she is the primary stakeholder in this situation. The decision she makes could potentially have profound effects on the outcome of her future. The Syracuse department of athletics, teammates, the University of Syracuse and other Universities team members should be taken into consideration. Finally, regardless whether or not the father is involved in the decision making process, consideration of his thoughts and feelings must be given proper attention in this matter. Before a final decision ... ...thletes that became pregnant. Syracuse University at the time did not have guidelines nor did they have their female athletes sign any formal documentation to the effect of mandatory disclosure or a promissory note indicating scholarship funding would be pulled as a result of pregnancy. However, also in 2007 a track and field star from Clemson University set the stage for many Universities to address and add provisions as it pertained to pregnancy. Clemson University did have their female athletes sign promissory notes indicating funding and eligibility would be suspended as a result of pregnancy. Upon learning that their track and field star was pregnant her scholarship funding ended immediately as did her place on the team. Interestingly enough, there are absolutely no guidelines for male athletes that are fathers and this disparity has yet to be addressed.