As the 2024-2025 academic year comes to a close, Students for Life of America (SFLA) will be awarding several outstanding Students for Life groups with Best New Group, Best High School Group, Best College Group, and Best Standing With You (SWY) Group distinctions – and you get to help us choose which groups deserve these awards! UM Students for Life at the University of Montana has been nominated for the best College Group of the Year. 

The winning group from each category, selected by the Pro-Life Generation (PLG), will receive a certificate, a shoutout on our national social media accounts, and a $300 donation to help expand the group’s efforts further next school year. 

 About the Group  

UM Students for Life at the University of Montana is one of SFLA’s most active groups in the Pacific Northwest. They began in September 2021 with one person running the group from scratch. Now, the group contains 20-30 active members who participate in diverse activities. They hosted nearly 20 events this year, many of them revolving around efforts to encourage voters to reject the radical abortion expansion that would threaten Montana babies, which unfortunately passed.   

They have been nominated for the best College Group of the Year for testifying on behalf of House Bill 555, Students for Life Action’s (SFLAction) Clean Water for All Act, at the State Capitol, participating in the Montana deployment for the 2024 election, and many more Abortion on the Ballot election efforts!  

Groups are nominated for the College Group of the Year award for going above and beyond in the Five Pillars of Pro-Life Activism in the 2024-2025 academic year.   

Read about their accomplishments below to decide if they will receive your vote!   

UM Students for Life’s Top Accomplishments in the 2024-2025 Academic Year 

Abortion on the Ballot Efforts 

UM Students for Life often puts themselves out there because they are not afraid to stand for Life. The robust list of election-based events includes the following:   

• “Vote no” flyering and ballot initiative flyering in August  

• The Montana SFLAction deployment in September  

• A member doing “Vote No “chalking and flyering in October  

• “Vote No” election polling in November, & anti-CI-128 tabling in November  

Constitutional Initiative 128 (CI-128) was a bill allowing abortion up to the moment of birth if the mother’s health or wellbeing was at risk, opening the door for myriad justifications to end the life of a third-trimester baby. Despite their efforts, CI-128 passed the Montana vote during the fall election. 

Controversy on Campus 

This group fought hard and bravely faced controversy throughout the whole school year.  

Controversies that students face on campus include a wide range of unpleasantness as they experience name-calling, insults, washing away chalk drawings, spitting on the ground, plus a middle finger here and there.   

In addition to the disrespect that male group members experienced, other hurdles included the ideologies of liberalism and libertarianism, positions held by college students and Montanans, respectively. Due to this climate, many of the group’s potential members felt a great deal of fear in openly expressing support for the pro-life cause and participating in group activities. However, many in the group still recognize a need to provide a voice for the voiceless, and they will not be silenced. 

On-Campus Activism 

Despite the controversy on campus, UM Students for Life has continued their activism. During the year, two speakers came to campus, including SFLA’s Kristan Hawkins. A crowd gathered to view her rebuttals to student questions, comments, and opinions. After talking to students on campus, Hawkins rejoined that night to give a speech about Planned Parenthood. Many came to hear her speech and debate her on abortion.   

UM Students for Life also took 11 members to Washington, D.C. for the National Pro-Life March after raising nearly $5,000 by raking leaves and selling homemade cookies. 

Clean Water for All Life Act 

Five members of their group’s board received training from their SFLA Regional Coordinator to support the passage of the Clean Water for All Act. The vice president testified before the Montana Congress, saying that, since he has experience with toxic wastewater from his hometown, he would advise the representatives to consider taking measures to protect Montanans’ clean water. The group also tabled in support of the bill on the UM campus, where many students found common ground with the cause. While the group’s campaigning and tabling were unsuccessful, many students on campus gained a new appreciation for the pro-life cause.   

COMING SOON IN 2025-2026…  

In 2025-2026, UM Students for Life hopes to collaborate with CareNet and Montanans for Life to enhance the group’s activities by hosting events, bringing in speakers, and providing more resources for young women on campus who desperately need help and another option besides Planned Parenthood.