From the SFLA Blog

Students for Life of America Team Members Sign Letter in Opposition of Abortion Lobby’s Targeting of Black Community in the Atlanta Airport

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Kristi Hamrick - 14 Feb 2024

This news release was reposted from our sister organization, Students for Life Action.

It is “Troubling & Disturbing” That Pro-Abortion Advertising Frequently Features Black Women 

“As a Black woman, the abortion industry’s transparent targeting of my community is deeply offensive. Why are Black women being singled out as unfit for motherhood? Why are Black babies’ intrinsic value being denied? The abortion lobby needs to stop acting like they’re doing us a favor as they promote the narrative that our community, more so than any other, ‘needs’ abortion. The only thing we need is for abortion to be abolished,” said Students for Life of America Northeast Field Operations Coordinator Savannah Craven. 

ATLANTA, Ga. and WASHINGTON D.C. (02-14-2024) –With nearly 80% of Planned Parenthood’s abortion facilities located in minority neighborhoods and much of pro-abortion advertising intentionally featuring Black women, Students for Life of America (SFLA) team members Savannah Craven and Faith Elwonger recently signed a letter put forth by the Restoration Project in opposition to such targeting of the Black community. Directed to the governor of Georgia, mayor of Atlanta, Ga., and other elected officials in the Atlanta area, the letter specifically notes the over-saturation of pro-abortion advertisements in the Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport (ATL) and requests a prioritization of life-affirming resources within the city and state to fairly encompass the views of a diverse community. It reads in part: 

“The intentional targeting of Black women with pro-abortion messages is disheartening. This is especially true since historically, our community has faced systemic challenges in healthcare. It is crucial that an environment that empowers women with informed choices rather than reinforcing divisive narratives is promoted. The advertisements in question intentionally overlook the diversity of perspectives within the Black community on the issue of abortion, and they intentionally marginalize those who hold anti-abortion views.”

To read the letter in full, CLICK HERE

SFLA Texas Regional Coordinator Faith Elwonger stated, “Racism is unfortunately alive and well within the abortion lobby as they specifically market to women like me, but mothers and babies of every skin color deserve better than abortion. They deserve life, love, and community support. The pro-life movement will never stop fighting to give them that.”  

Restoration Project Founder and President Catherine Davis said, “In 2020, Planned Parenthood acknowledged they are a systemically racist/white supremacist organization that has caused reproductive harm to women of color. Once again, their messaging at the airport  used black and brown images to promote abortion, the leading cause of death in the Black community. This ongoing targeting of black women and their babies must stop.”

To learn more about what inspired this letter from Black pro-life women, CLICK HERE to view to an episode of the SFLA-powered podcast Unapologetic with Senior Ambassador Autumn Higashi. 

To understand further why Black pro-lifers reject the abortion narrative, you can read a Newsweek op-ed Elwonger co-published entitled “13th Amendment Was Meant to Protect Black People, Not the Abortion Lobby.” She powerfully stated:

“If our slavery-era ancestors were alive today, they would say the abortion lobby is the modern plantation master, and that we are once again being subjected to the lie of Black helplessness as our people are used and abused through abortion.”  

Another SFLA staffer also wrote on how Planned Parenthood is specifically embroiled in racism from past to present in a Townhall op-ed entitled “Anti-Racist? Then Defund Planned Parenthood.” She wrote:  

“Systemic racism persists in this country through abortion’s public funding, but to dismantle it, we must first acknowledge the abortion industry’s exploitation of women, particularly women of color. Instead of allowing the abortion industry to profit from abusing the most vulnerable Black and Brown bodies, fight for racial justice by defunding the abortion industry and empowering women to choose life.” 

For interview opportunities or comment, contact  [email protected]

 For interviews, contact  [email protected]  

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The Pro-Life Generation (PLG) is an umbrella organization encompassing the most-cutting edge engagement opportunities for a Vote Pro-Life First Community. PLG includes Students for Life Action (SFLAction), a 501c4, along with its 501c3 sister organization, Students for Life of America (SFLA), that together make up the nation’s largest, pro-life youth organization, managing a grassroots political and policy operation engaging Americans of all ages but with a special emphasis on the largest segment of voters — the Youth Vote. Headquartered in Fredericksburg, VA, PLG/SFLA/SFLAction serves more than 1,400 groups on middle, high school, college, medical, and law school campuses in all 50 states. Our team has more conversations with this generation targeted by the abortion lobby than any other pro-life operation in the world, each week reaching more than 4 million across social media platforms and averaging 1.3 million video views. In addition to SFLA/SFLAction, PLG leads multiple initiatives to lead and serve  the future of the pro-life movement including the Campaign for Abortion Free CitiesStanding With You, and the Demetree Institute for Pro-Life Advancement . Over more than 17 years, PLG CEO Kristan Hawkins has grown the operation into a nearly $20M organization, now preparing for an abortion-free America.

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