Kristan Hawkins discussed the state of the pro-life movement and shared her thoughts on being a mother with Pregnancy Help News at the National Pro-Life Summit
The pro-life movement cannot back down in mobilizing and engaging youth to fight for life, a leading pro-life activist says, even among the current pro-life wins unfolding in the U.S.
Students for Life of America (SFLA) President Kristan Hawkins is concerned that the will to marshal youth in the fight for life could waning in the current post-Roe, Trump 2.0 era.
It is “transformational” and “mission critical” to continue bringing young pro-lifers to initiatives like the national March for Life and the subsequent SFLA National Pro-Life Summit, Hawkins said, because these events are instrumental in preparing youth to persist in the fight for life, and persistence is how social movements succeed.
Pregnancy Help News caught up with Hawkins at the recent SFLA National Pro-Life Summit, drawing more than 1,000 pro-life pilgrims the day following the March for Life with back-to-back, morning to night pro-life training content. Hawkins discussed the state of the movement and her thoughts on being a mother herself while leading one of the nation’s largest pro-life organizations.
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Hawkins started in the pro-life movement at 15 volunteering at a pregnancy help center in Stoneville, Ohio, because she wanted to graduate early from high school and needed volunteer hours. She dove in, sitting in on the counseling sessions, watching every video at the time, reading all the pamphlets and books.
She had gone to pro-life events as a child, her mom having volunteered for a local right to life group. She remembers taking part in a parade, handing out LifeSavers as part of a pro-life campaign and wondering why she was getting yelled at as she did, not fully understanding the issue at first.
It was the work at the pregnancy center that brought her to a defining moment.
“If you would've asked me before I walked in that pregnancy center how I felt about abortion, I would've been much like the majority of America, of, I don't like it. I don't think I'd probably have one, but if I were raped or my friend were raped or, I don't really know,” she said. “But walking into that pregnancy center, really learning the truth about abortion, about the abortion industry, about the development of the child, that changed my whole life, literally.”
Tweet This: Volunteering at pregnancy center brought Students for Life Pres. Kristan Hawkins to a defining moment in learning the truth about abortion.
Hawkins started a pro-life group for teens at her high school and continued to gain momentum, becoming involved with the local Republican party, working on political campaigns and heading a state-level pro-life group for teens. She worked for George W. Bush’s reelection campaign in college and later for the Republican National Committee. Conservative icon Phyllis Schlafly would also mentor her. Hawkins wanted to start a pregnancy center or maternity home, to really do something concrete for life. She worked for a faith-based community initiative in the Health and Human Services Department of the second Bush administration, before then getting an offer to head a fledgling national student pro-life group, and in August 2006 Students for Life was born.
The group reports more than 80 full-time staff members, over 213,000 pro-life advocates trained since 2006, and 1,500-plus middle, high school, college, university, medical, and law school campus groups served in all 50 states. SFLA also reports reaching more than 2 million people across social media platforms each week and engaging in roughly 100,000 digital conversations per month, and numurous nationwide campaigns and initiaitves centering on education, leadership development, and activism.
The summit has taken its place alongside the national march as a staple event, but amid the group’s magnitude Hawkins is frank about the need to keep at it.
“I think the biggest challenge we face in the movement right now is potentially lack of recruitment, mobilization,” she told Pregnancy Help News. “That is the thing I wake up in the morning worrying about.”
She noted Students for Life’s unique role in the movement, coming alongside others to showcase the entire pro-life movement and give young people training.
“But then also get them out to where they need to be and where God's called them to be,” she remarked. “The sign of any healthy movement is the size of the grassroots.”
Are we continuing to mobilize?
She has observed that some organizations that typically send groups of young people to Washington D.C. for the march believe that because of the Dobbs decision there is no longer reason to mobilize in the Nation’s Capital for life, and there are fewer people coming to the march. Hawkins acknowledges the cost and effort, and agrees that state marches have become important.
“But there's something very unique and special about coming to Washington D.C. about going to the march,” she said, reminiscing coming herself at age 15. “Coming to the summit is a transformational moment in the young person's life. It transformed my life.”
“I think that's what's really important is, are we continuing to mobilize?” Hawkins said. “And I think we're making a huge mistake, especially our diocese and our churches, by not bringing young people.”
She discussed how a high percentage of her staff came from attending these very events and learning there to be committed to fighting for life.
“That's how transformational this weekend is,” she said.
And, clarifying that it’s not just about any single event, but rather impressing commitment upon young people, she continued, “I think we as a whole entire movement need to understand, this is mission critical for all of us.”
“I think that is how all social movements win; you eventually wear them down,” Hawkins said. “You never go away. You always persist. But you need the people to do that.”
Hawkins is clear in conveying that despite the remarkable developments out of the gate of the new Trump administration there are going to be challenges. Trump has upheld his campaign promises, and “that's awesome,” she said, however there are rumors that he thinks he's done what he needs to do and that he's done and doesn't need to do anymore.
“You're going to have to be very loud,” she said of this.
“You're going to have to be very loud” in keeping after the Trump administration to protect life
Pointing to the pro-life movement’s conviction that defunding Planned Parenthood is the next big step, Hawkins said this is also in line with Trump’s claim that abortion is a state issue by eliminating federal taxpayer funding.
“It checks all of his boxes, and it would save a significant number of lives and set up the movement for continued success down the line,” she said. “So, we're on board with that, but now we're going to have to convince the president to be on board.”
“We're going to have to be louder than we've ever been before to do this,” said Hawkins. “I mean, there's a reason Planned Parenthood's gone radio silent. You haven't seen them on TV lately. They've been very quiet.”
“There's nothing greater than being a mom”
During her time at the helm of Students for Life Hawkins has gotten married and had four children. She’s been blessed with family support and flexibility with her role but is quick to agree that nothing worthwhile comes easy, including motherhood.
“But it is the best thing you'll ever do. Right?” she said. “I mean, there's nothing greater I'll do in my life.”
She does have a unique privilege in leading SFLA, she said, “because I feel like I'm a mother of thousands,” detailing how young people approach and share how they’ve changed their mind about life because of the groups’ work or similarly ask for help in starting a group.
“But there's nothing greater you ever do than becoming a mother,” Hawkins said. “And I think it's very clear.”
It is so sad to see young people today delaying or committing against motherhood, falling in with climate ideology sterility proscriptions, she said. Young people have often been convinced of lies, she said, echoing Vice President J.D. Vance from the March for Life Rally stage the day prior.
Vance had said the government had failed an entire generation of Americans by permitting a culture of abortion on demand and neglecting to help young parents achieve the ingredients they need to live a happy and meaningful life. The vice president pointed out that “a culture of radical individualism took root” which made the responsibilities and joys of family life into obstacles.
Hawkins sees this on campuses, asking one young woman she’d encountered recently if she thinks her life is for anybody else besides herself and whether there is any point to her life besides seeking her own pleasure and happiness.
“She looked at me like I had five heads,” Hawkins said. “Had never even pondered the question.”
This is terribly wrong and setting oneself up for a lifetime of regret and despair, said Hawkins.
She said she just hopes young people realize this sooner rather than later.
“There's nothing greater than being a mom,” Hawkins said. “Is being a mom and a working mom difficult? Yes. Is it stressful? Yes.”
She kidded how her kids ran low on food at home the day before, and with the local fast-food place in their small town also low on options she was hearing via text how her children were stuck eating frozen pizza without her there.
“It is very difficult,” she said in all seriousness, turning then to a statistic from SFLA’s research initiative touching on support for moms in unplanned pregnancy.
We've got to be better spokespersons for who we are and what we do
“When we asked a question, if every woman in America had the resources she needed to choose life, would you be more likely to vote for politicians that restrict abortion,” Hawkins said. “Over 70%. That makes ending abortion a 70% issue.”
See the Demetree Institute for Pro-Life Advancement report results HERE.
Hawkins emphasized the importance of raising awareness of pregnancy help centers and convincing the public that the pro-life movement cares about women facing unplanned pregnancy. The pregnancy help movement already does this, she said, and the pro-life movement could do more to this end.
“It's like we got to be better spokespersons for who we are and what we do,” she said. “We don't do that for ourselves, and we've got to be better at that.”
