November 19, 2024
Last week, Students for Life Action (SFLAction) launched our Make America Pro-Life Again Roadmap, which outlines our newest legal and legislative strategy to take down abortion at the state and federal level.
Before the launch, Politico was given exclusive access to the plan and interviewed SFLAction leadership. In their write up, Politico said, “Drawing on the playbook they successfully used under Roe v. Wade to regulate clinics out of existence and outlaw particular methods of abortion, conservative groups plan next year to file lawsuits targeting federal regulation of abortion pills and push legislation in Congress and in at least 15 states they believe can circumvent constitutional amendments and court rulings protecting the procedure.”
READ THE FULL ARTICLE HERE: Abortion opponents prepare to undermine just-passed ballot measures
In the days since that announcement, SFLAction has seen multiple major media pickups about our strategy and the announcement livestream.
Below is a recap of the coverage, thus far:
THE GUARDIAN: Emboldened anti-abortion groups create wishlist for second Trump term
“Earlier this week, the powerful Students for Life of America released its wishlist of federal legislation, entitled “Make America Pro-Life Again”, which takes direct aim at access to abortion pills. The group is backing federal bills that would ban abortion pills entirely, outlaw telehealth abortions and require medical-grade cleanup of the pregnancy remains left behind by medication abortions. (Students for Life argues that the pills pose a threat to the US water supply because people may pass the remains of their pregnancy into the toilet.) Currently, abortion pills account for roughly two-thirds of US abortions… “
FOX NEWS: Top pro-life groups reveal agenda for second Trump administration amid ‘abortion fearmongering’
“Kristan Hawkins, president of Students for Life of America (SFLA), told Fox News Digital that her group has also developed a plan titled ‘Make America Pro-Life Again’ that ‘encompasses both federal action as well as state actions.’
For the early days of the administration, Hawkins said SFLA would prioritize four main policies: 1) Appointing pro-life officials to federal agencies such as the Department of Health and Human Services, FDA and DOJ, 2) Releasing pro-life activists imprisoned under the Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances (FACE) Act, completely defunding Planned Parenthood and to investigate the harmful chemicals used by chemical abortion pills.
Hawkins also said that she will continue to advocate for abortion restrictions on the federal level, but like Dannenfelser, she granted that will not be likely to happen soon.
For now, she said that Trump’s ‘day one’ priority should be defunding Planned Parenthood.”
FOX NEWS: Major pro-life group releases ‘Make America Pro-Life Again Roadmap’
“Students for Life of Action, the legislative arm of one of the largest pro-life groups in the country, released a “Make America Pro-Life Again Roadmap” this week signaling their plans to combat abortion during the new Trump administration.
In a press call on Tuesday, Students for Life President Kristan Hawkins said that despite abortion ballots being passed in seven states, the election showed that there are significant opportunities for pro-life victories in the next few years.
‘America had the option of choosing the most radical pro-abortion ticket in world history and soundly rejected it,” she said. “We’ve been working on this for months leading up until the election. Now that the election is over, now that we have a Republican trifecta in Washington, D.C., [and] Republican majority control of legislatures, it’s going to be time to get to work.’”
NPR: Anti-abortion groups have a to-do list for Trump
“All of that is good, what we saw in the first Trump administration. But we can do better,” said Kristan Hawkins, president of Students for Life of America.
Her organization recently unveiled a plan called “Make America Pro-Life Again.”
Hawkins was among anti-abortion activists who criticized some of Trump’s statements during the campaign, such as the idea that abortion policy should be left up to the states. Many anti-abortion rights activists, including Hawkins, would like federal restrictions on abortion.
But she still sees an opening.
“We are taking President Trump at his word, and we can work with what he said and his promises he made to the American people on the campaign trail,” Hawkins said. “But if he’s serious about ending the federal role in abortion policy, then we need to cut federal taxpayer money.”
YAHOO NEWS: Major pro-life group releases ‘Make America Pro-Life Again Roadmap’
“Students for Life of Action, the legislative arm of one of the largest pro-life groups in the country, released a “Make America Pro-Life Again Roadmap” this week signaling their plans to combat abortion during the new Trump administration.
In a press call on Tuesday, Students for Life President Kristan Hawkins said that despite abortion ballots being passed in seven states, the election showed that there are significant opportunities for pro-life victories in the next few years.
‘America had the option of choosing the most radical pro-abortion ticket in world history and soundly rejected it,” she said. “We’ve been working on this for months leading up until the election. Now that the election is over, now that we have a Republican trifecta in Washington, D.C., [and] Republican majority control of legislatures, it’s going to be time to get to work.’”
THE HILL: Abortion opponents unveil strategy to undermine state protections
“The strategy outlined in Students for Life’s ‘Make America Pro-Life Again Roadmap’ includes filing lawsuits challenging the federal regulation of the abortion pill and pushing for the passage of legislation in states that target the use, sale and distribution of abortion medication.
The effort will kick off in earnest next year. The group believes their strategy of lawsuits and legislation will be able to successfully circumvent the states that have enshrined abortion protections in their constitutions
‘We have a siege engine ready for these legal walls that we’ll face at some state legislatures and legislative levels and also the federal level,” said Kristan Hawkins, president of Students for Life. “Even if your state has said abortion is now constitutionally protected, that doesn’t mean every action of abortion, every type of abortion.’”
CATHOLIC VOTE: SFL Action releases ‘Make America Pro-Life Again’ plan
“SFL Action President Kristan Hawkins unveiled the ‘Make America Pro-Life Again’ roadmap during a virtual meeting and outlined the pro-life organization’s plan. According to Fox News, the roadmap focuses on “appointing pro-life officials to federal agencies … releasing pro-life activists imprisoned under the Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances (FACE) Act, completely defunding Planned Parenthood, and [investigating] the harmful chemicals used by chemical abortion pills.”
The roadmap also includes a legislative package containing a slew of challenges to several pro-abortion laws across the country.
‘We have a siege engine ready for these legal walls that we’ll face at some state legislatures and legislative levels and also the federal level,’ Hawkins said, according to The Hill. ‘Even if your state has said abortion is now constitutionally protected, that doesn’t mean every action of abortion, every type of abortion.’”
THE GUARDIAN: Emboldened anti-abortion groups create wishlist for second Trump term
“Earlier this week, the powerful Students for Life of America released its wishlist of federal legislation, entitled “Make America Pro-Life Again”, which takes direct aim at access to abortion pills. The group is backing federal bills that would ban abortion pills entirely, outlaw telehealth abortions and require medical-grade cleanup of the pregnancy remains left behind by medication abortions. (Students for Life argues that the pills pose a threat to the US water supply because people may pass the remains of their pregnancy into the toilet.) Currently, abortion pills account for roughly two-thirds of US abortions.
‘There’s going to be a willingness to listen, there’s going to be a willingness to have conversation,’ Kristan Hawkins, president of Students for Life, said of the incoming Trump administration.”
POLITICO: RFK Jr.’s abortion record riles the right
“Students for Life of America hopes to seize that opportunity by pitching Kennedy on its theory that abortion pills are contaminating the U.S. water supply, and the group is working to set up a meeting to argue to the former environmental advocate that its efforts to cut off patient access to the drugs fit into his broader vision.
‘We look forward to talking with RFK Jr. about our ‘Make America Healthy Again’ plans to address abortion water pollution,’ said Kristan Hawkins, president of Students for Life, adding: ‘RFK Jr. has a proven track record of holding healthcare bureaucrats accountable for putting public health first, over political interests.’”
POLITICO (Reposted, Yahoo): Abortion opponents prepare to undermine just-passed ballot measures
“Students for Life is pitching its strategy to influential and deep-pocketed conservative groups including the Heritage Foundation and Family Research Council: a plan modeled after the decades-long effort to chip away at abortion access when Roe v. Wade was still in effect. Specifically, they hope to replicate the state and federal laws and lawsuits that led to the 2007 Supreme Court decision Gonzales v. Carhart, which outlawed a common method of second-trimester abortion and paved the way for further restrictions. This time, the target will be abortion pills rather than a surgical procedure as the drugs have recently become the predominant method of terminating a pregnancy.”
POLITICO: The post-election anti-abortion plan
“The strategy, drafted by the group Students for Life of America, draws on the playbook the movement successfully used under Roe v. Wade to regulate clinics out of existence and outlaw particular methods of abortion, POLITICO’s Alice Miranda Ollstein reports.
Beginning next year, they plan to file lawsuits targeting federal regulation of abortion pills and push legislation in Congress and in at least 15 states that they believe can circumvent constitutional amendments and court rulings protecting the procedure.
The state legislative blitz will kick off in January — in swing states like Arizona that have recently passed abortion rights constitutional amendments and conservative strongholds like Wyoming where court decisions protect access.”
THE HILL (Reposted MSN): Abortion opponents unveil strategy to undermine state protections
“The strategy outlined in Students for Life’s ‘Make America Pro-Life Again Roadmap’ includes filing lawsuits challenging the federal regulation of the abortion pill and pushing for the passage of legislation in states that target the use, sale and distribution of abortion medication.
The effort will kick off in earnest next year. The group believes their strategy of lawsuits and legislation will be able to successfully circumvent the states that have enshrined abortion protections in their constitutions
‘We have a siege engine ready for these legal walls that we’ll face at some state legislatures and legislative levels and also the federal level,’ said Kristan Hawkins, president of Students for Life. “Even if your state has said abortion is now constitutionally protected, that doesn’t mean every action of abortion, every type of abortion.’”