August 14, 2011

Pregnant Woman Finishes Law Bar Exam While In Active Labor

Kudos to perhaps one of the gutsiest man or woman of sheer intellectual will-power that I know of past or present... and that includes ENT surgeons  ;-)

An Illinois lawyer, Elana Nightingale Dawson, in July 27, 2011 was taking the notoriously difficult Law Bar Exam when she went into active labor halfway thru the second day of the exam.

Apparently, she went into active labor around 1PM and finished the test early at 4PM after which she was escorted by a test proctor to a hospital across the street and delivered a healthy baby boy via C-section at 5:58PM.

Of note, her contractions were about 10 minutes apart by the time she finished her exam.

Her sheer will-power and determination is further demonstrated by the fact that this was:

- Her first child
- Did not take any break at all
- Did not receive any special accomodations
- Did not make any noise throughout her ordeal

However, her determination is perhaps not surprising when considering she was:

- One of the top ranked students at Northwestern Law
- Completed her JD program in 2 rather than the normal 3 years

In early October 2011, she will find out if she passed the test.

All I can say is if this lady can go into active labor and finish a bar exam one hour early, there should be NO special exemptions of any kind for anybody during a test regardless of any medical condition or environmental disturbance.

I also hope she pursues a career in medical defense.

Read more in this article here as well as her interview here.
Fauquier blog
Fauquier ENT

Dr. Christopher Chang is a private practice otolaryngology, head & neck surgeon specializing in the treatment of problems related to the ear, nose, and throat. Located in Warrenton, VA about 45 minutes west of Washington DC, he also provides inhalant allergy testing/treatment, hearing tests, and dispenses hearing aids.


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