Students for Life of America

History

SFLA was founded in 1988 as American Collegians for Life by students at Georgetown University. In the fall semester of 1976, prior to the inception of Students for Life, 77 California State University, Sacramento anti-abortion students formed United Students for Life. The faculty sponsor of the group was Edward MacKinnon, a Catholic priest who was also a Criminal Justice Professor at the University. The group was about 50% Mormon with the remaining members of the group Catholics, Protestants, and one self-described atheist. Existing from 1976 until 1980, they held numerous rallies, instigated a statewide initiative campaign, helped form other anti-abortion student groups, worked on Morton Downey, Jr.'s presidential campaign, and hosted the January 22, 1980 California State Rally for Life at the California state capitol.

Views and philosophy

The president of SFLA, Kristan Hawkins, argues that all abortion should be banned, with no exceptions for rape or incest. The organization's stance on their website emphasizes the importance of providing love and support to women violated in a sexual assault. They pose the question, "If that assault results in pregnancy, aren't there now two people affected by the assault? Two people in need of protection and care?"

Hawkins also opposes in vitro fertilization, calling it "literally a business model built on disposable children and treating children as commodities."

On March 10, 2024, Hawkins made the disproved claim that the abortion drug mifepristone contributes to the pollution of waterways with pharmaceuticals, and that the drug negatively affects humans and animals.

Post-''Roe''

In an interview with NBC News, Hawkins described the organization's future plans following the overturning of Roe v. Wade (1973). She said that the organization would continue to work towards overturning legal abortion in every state with "a trained army of 150,000 young people" which she described as the "Post-Roe generation."

The group has supported wastewater surveillance to track abortions citing "Concerns over the Potential Environmental Devastation Caused".

Legal issues

In 2015, Boise State University paid SFLA $20,000 to settle a freedom of speech lawsuit.

In 2022, two undergraduate students at Yale University were sent a cease-and-desist order by Kristan Hawkins's legal team. The order was delivered in response to an interview the students conducted with her that, without her knowledge, was a parody of anti-abortion college students. The order also claimed that they had wrongfully used the SFLA logo, which was copyrighted material.

When the students did not respond to the initial complaint, they were sent a second cease-and-desist order. They posted the interview on YouTube on November 5, 2022.

References

References

1. (22 June 2023). "She helped kill Roe v Wade - now she wants to end abortion in America". BBC.
2. "CSUS Students balk at abortion policy", Catholic Herald, Sacramento, California, September 29, 1977.
3. " 'Pro-Life' fights funded abortions: Voter initiative campaign greets campus with library rally", by: Brian Blomster, State Hornet, California State University, Sacrament, October 14, 1977, Pages 1 and 12
4. " Petition Drive will Seek Ban of Public Abortion Funding", by: United Press International, The Sacramento Bee, December 21, 1977, Page 11.
5. "Abortion foe declares March of Dimes boycott", by: Scott Reeves, The Sacramento Union, March 30, 1978, Page E3
6. "Abortion initiative nears deadline", by: Sister Carol Anne O'Marie, The Catholic Herald, Sacramento, California, April 20, 1978
7. "Pro-life Representatives Picket", by: Greg Welsh and Victoria Vierk, The Davis Enterprise, Davis California, February 15, 1979, Page 1
8. "Planned Parenthood draws protest", by: Mark Aulman, The Daily Democrat, Woodland Davis California, February 15, 1979, Page 1
9. "Rally for Life held in Capital", by: Times Herald, Vallejo, January 22, 1980, Page 16.
10. [https://www.washingtonpost.com/national/health-science/arguments-over-rape-and-incest-divide-abortion-opponents/2019/05/24/57cb0dd2-7e16-11e9-b1f3-b233fe5811ef_story.html Arguments over rape and incest divide abortion opponents] {{Webarchive. link. (2022-01-15 , ''[[Washington Post]]'')
11. What about rape?. Students For Life of America. (2022, June 14). https://studentsforlife.org/learn/what-about-rape/ {{Webarchive. link. (2024-02-02)
12. (February 24, 2024). "What Christian Traditions Say About I.V.F. Treatments". [[The New York Times]].
13. Hoard, Charis. (2024-03-12). "Students for Life promotes the debunked claim that medication abortion is polluting wastewater".
14. (June 24, 2022). "President of anti-abortion group Students for Life calls Roe v. Wade decision 'a historic moment'". NBC News.
15. (23 November 2022). "SFLAction & SFLA launch a Campus, State, & Federal Campaign asking, “What’s In the Water?”".
16. (December 14, 2022). "Conservatives complain abortion bans not enforced, want jail time for pill ‘trafficking’". [[The Washington Post]].
17. (October 10, 2025). "The E.P.A. Followed Up on an Unusual Request About Abortion Pills". [[The New York Times]].
18. [https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/morning-mix/wp/2015/06/04/university-pays-pro-life-student-group-20000-to-settle-free-speech-lawsuit/ University pays pro-life student group $20,000 to settle free speech lawsuit] {{Webarchive. link. (2020-01-17 , ''[[Washington Post]]'')
19. Wollen, Miranda. (November 9, 2022). "Yale spoofers threatened with legal action by Students for Life America". Yale Daily News.
20. (4 November 2022). "Conservative Women for Conservative Values Presents: Operation Save Yale Now, Our Movie".