Tag Archives: sfla

Religious Liberty Thrown in the Trash

Posted on by Kristan Hawkins

A letter by SFLA Executive Director, Kristan Hawkins

Dear Friends,

Today marks the beginning of the end of religious and conscience rights in America.

As of today, employers, just like myself, will be forced to make a false choice between providing a vital service to their employees and violating their consciences and values.

No matter what your faith or view of abortion may be, the HHS Abortion Pill Mandate is an egregious attack upon the rights of all people of values and faith in America.

Today, the religious liberties of all Americans have been thrown in the trash. And it’s the same trash can where the 3,300 precious babies that will be legally aborted today will be thrown.

While the courts have given a momentary reprieve to one family business in Colorado, today, all other businesses that employ more than 25 employees across America have been given the false choice of abandoning their conscience or religious beliefs or being taxed and fined out of business. And the clock has started ticking for Houses of Worships and other religious institutions to apply for an exemption before their deadline on August 1, 2013. Unfortunately, the requirements are so narrow that many who will apply will be not be exempt. Even Mother Theresa’s Order, the Missionaries of Charity, will not qualify for an exemption.

How many times have you heard news pundits and policy experts talk about how abortion and other social issues aren’t important when it comes to elections and the happenings here in Washington, D.C.?

Yet, time and time again, here we are – when abortion has become a fundamental issue and division line for our nation.

Friends, polls show that the majority of Americans are now pro-life and understand the importance of religious liberty and conscience rights.

And we know that HHS Abortion Pill Mandate isn’t about equality for women, and those of use who oppose it aren’t waging a war on women.

We are waging a war for the soul of our nation, for the very beliefs that this nation was founded upon.

Congressman Jeff Fortenberry has proposed the Respect for Rights of Conscience Act. If passed, this simple piece of legislation will stop the HHS Abortion-Pill Mandate and any other mandates like it “dead in its tracks.”

Congress is leaving Washington this Friday for their August recess and will be returning to their districts until Labor Day. Because it’s an election year, I guarantee you that your Members of Congress will be out and about during this month of August campaigning for job in Washington.

Today, please take 3 minutes and click the above image to personally email your Members of Congress and tell them to pass the Respect for Rights of Conscience Act.Then tomorrow, please work on these important action steps:

  • Call your House of Representatives Member and Senators’ District Offices (You can find their phone numbers at House.gov and Senate.gov) and ask if there will be any town hall meetings or public events you can attend.
  • Attend an event this August and encourage them to support the Respect for Rights of Conscience Act.
  • If they are already supporting the legislation, thank them immediately and ask them to ask House and Senate leadership to allow it to come to the “floor” for a vote.
  • If they are not supporting the legislation, ask them why and share your concerns.
  • If there are no events you can attend, ask for a meeting with your House of Representatives Member and Senators and organize a group to join you.

And don’t be afraid to email me personally if you have any questions during this process!

America was built on the idea of preserving and protecting our deeply-held beliefs. We must not comply with this direct affront to our liberty. Please take a stand today and let your Members of Congress know that you will not stand for this injustice!

Learning to Run All Those Cylinders

Posted on by Kristan Hawkins

Learning to Run All Those Cylinders

By: Shara Guengerich, Students for Life’s 2012 Missionary for Life

There is a tendency for those involved in the pro-life movement to become so focused on the task at hand that it can be difficult to remember the bigger picture. I’ve done this myself at times, and while being focused can be an attribute, it can also be the downfall of both the individual pro-life advocate and the pro-life organization. It can lead to petty disputes about who is doing more or who is doing a better job, but beyond that, forgetting the larger picture can also lead to becoming blind to an advantage the pro-life movement has over Goliath organizations like Planned Parenthood: diversity.

Planned Parenthood is increasingly struggling to find people at the grassroots level to keep up support for the pro-abortion movement. Since their die-hard fans are aging, they must settle for clueless interns to do their bidding, who are certainly not as well versed as the PP, NARAL, and NOW advocates whose golden age was in the 60s. In contrast, the pro-life movement is seeing a growth in young people who are not only pro-life, but will put their time and effort into seeing an end to abortion. This is something I’ve observed in my personal life, in my time as a Students for Life club President, and during my time interning for SFLA. The diversity in ages in the pro-life movement is not only an advantage, it is an essential component of our path to victory.

The diversity advantage does not end there, however. We also have great diversity in national organizations, grassroots and regional organizations, and passionate individuals across the nation. The value in being able to specialize and to partner with each other makes us a stronger movement, a strength which Planned Parenthood does not possess. While they lose their support base, they must become increasingly reliant on the government for taxpayer support. What will you do, PP, if that support is suddenly taken away?

If abortion advocates continue to be a one trick pony, relying on the almighty dollar to keep them going, they are going to be in for a sad surprise when their money flow is cut off. They don’t have the mass support they once had, and the other side is becoming increasingly diversified. While they continue to run on fumes, the pro-life movement must continue to support diversity and growth within our movement, and remind ourselves that this is, indeed, a key advantage.

Fear is Easy, Love is Hard

Posted on by Kristan Hawkins

Fear is Easy, Love is Hard

By: Catherine Phillips, Students for Life of America’s 2012 Missionary for Lif

I’m standing here (well sitting, in reality), at the end of 9 weeks spent in DC working for the pro-life cause.

I’m wondering, how can I write a post that can justly put a concluding thought on this experience?

I’m realizing, that only a post about love will do it. So bear with me.

Martin Luther King Jr. once said during the fight for civil rights: “Whom you would change, you must first love. And they must know that you love them.”

By love here, I am not talking about the fleeting feeling. I’m talking the true, intense, know-it-when-you-experience type of love that desires the best for someone without expecting anything in return. As Aquinas defined it, love is “willing the good of the other.”

This conviction to “will the good of the other” is where being pro-life starts. We are against abortion because we will the good of all people. We will the good of pregnant women, knowing that abortion is never a choice that brings peace or solution to their crisis; we will the good of the unborn, recognizing their humanity and refusing to end their lives for the sake of our own; and we will the good of our friends both pro-life and pro-choice, wanting to spread the truth we have found in the message of life.

We know that abortion is not the answer to our society’s problems. What a woman in a crisis pregnancy needs is love and support; she needs to be empowered to continue living her life as she desires without submitting to an abortion, the killing of her child, as her best choice. The preborn that are not “wanted” children by their mothers do not need to be killed out of mercy; they need to be protected and cared for. And your compassionate friend concerned for social issues needs to keep probing the issues until she sees that supporting women and supporting abortion are inconsistent ideologies.

“Fear is easy, love is hard” is a lyric from a song by Jason Gray. I think this phrase applies perfectly to the pro-life movement. It’s arguably way easier to submit to an abortion out of fear than to courageously choose life in perhaps a situation more difficult than most of us could imagine. It’s easier to ignore the realities about abortion out of fear that we can’t make a difference, than to take action out of love and remain hopeful. It’s easier to shrink in fear than to defend being pro-life.

But being pro-life is rooted in love for the other, both the woman and the child. It is about reawakening our society to the rights of the preborn, and embracing, instead of rejecting, the sacredness of motherhood. And truly, our generation needs an awakening. We need to be convicted that the taking of over 3,000 lives every day is something to be concerned about.

A fellow Missionary, Anne, authored this statement: “I will not go back to coat hanger abortions. I will not stay here with no other choice but to abort my own child. I will go forward to a society where both I and my child receive full rights and respect.”

So what do I do from here, after a summer of pro-life activism?

I will go forward in love, despite any fear. I hope you will too.

Memo to the Pro-Life Movement

Posted on by Kristan Hawkins

By: Kristan Hawkins, Executive Director, Students for Life of America

This June, Students for Life of America released the results of a nationwide study, in which we surveyed 805 18-24 year olds about the upcoming 2012 election, unconstitutional HHS Mandate, and abortion. We knew that a lot of folks tend to try to put young people in a neat little box when it comes to the issue of abortion, but, with this rising generation, we knew we had to shed some light into how they are really thinking and the changing of this debate.
The Good News…
Their whole lives this generation has been told that identifying themselves as “pro-life” is judgmental, extremist, and wrong. Yet, when asked questions about their beliefs on the legality of abortion: 44% were pro-life and 45% pro-choice, and they were more likely to view abortion as a “bad thing” (31%) rather than a “good thing” (17%).  In the addition, the plurality, 27%, selected “abortion should only be legal in the cases of rape, incest, or to save the life of the mother” as the position most similar to own position on abortion.
This generation is not radical in their support of abortion and takes much more of a common sense approach to the issue than President Obama and Planned Parenthood with an overwhelming majority favoring common sense abortion regulations:
  • 89% favored requiring abortionists to follow the same medical and safety protocols as other surgical clinics
  • 84% favored requiring abortion facilities to warn women of seeking abortions of potential health risks
  • 76% favored allowing pregnant women to view sonograms before undergoing an abortion
  • 74% support making sex-selection abortions illegal in United States
  • 70% agreed with offering a woman the opportunity to anesthetize her child before the abortion procedure
We are winning the HHS Mandate issue. When young Americans were asked whether the federal government should force institutions to pay for procedures that offend their religious beliefs, the plurality (44%) disagreed with the Obama’s administration’s move.
The Bad News…
We need to educate this generation more on what conscience protections are and who is permitted to have them. The youth surveyed were split on whether medical students should be permitted to object to procedures or drugs for conscience reasons, although this age group was 8 points more likely to agree (44%) than disagree (36%).
What they don’t know is literally killing this generation as 58% admitted that they didn’t know where resources were in their community or campus to support a woman facing an unplanned pregnancy who didn’t want to undergo an abortion.
Planned Parenthood still has the upper-hand when it comes to targeting and deceiving this generation. Our study found that young people supported Planned Parenthood by a ratio of six to one (66% “favorable” vs. 11% “unfavorable”), with two in five (40%) calling themselves “strongly favorable.” The plurality of even those who identify as Conservative (44%) and Pro-Life (46%) were even “favorable” towards Planned Parenthood. Even more shocking for those of in the pro-life movement is that fact that 48% said they did not know whether or not Planned Parenthood offered abortions.
The controversial “morning-after” pill appears to have been accepted by the majority of 18-24 year olds. Three in five (60% ) even believe that the medication should be available via vending machines, meaning no human interaction or counseling would be needed before obtaining it.  Support for Plan B in vending machines and the high percentage of Planned Parenthood supporters who are unaware of the organization’s abortion services suggest that this generation is “Pro-Contraception,” but not necessarily “Pro-Abortion.”
Where we Must Focus our Attention….
Expose
In the study, respondents’ favorability towards Planned Parenthood was a strong indicator of whether they believed the organization to be an abortion provider. Those who were unfavorable towards Planned Parenthood were much more likely than its supporters to know about their abortion services (69% to 40%). If we are going to succeed in putting the abortion Goliath out of business, defunding taxpayer money and reducing market demand, we must step up our efforts to educate Planned Parenthood’s clientele about their deceptive business model.

Only 9% of survey respondents selected President Obama’s and Planned Parenthood’s position on abortion as their own stating that “abortion should be allowed at any time during a woman’s pregnancy and for any reason.”  We must expose the President’s radical view on abortion, as simply that…before November.

Promote
When asked what resources would compel pregnant women to carry their unintended pregnancies to term, support from families, support from the child’s father, ability to continue to work or go to school, help with child care, information about adoption, and scholarships to help with financial demands were all chosen more than 50% of the time by study respondents. These figures along with the fact that 58% of young people admitted that they didn’t know where resources where in their community or campus to support a woman facing an unplanned pregnancy who didn’t want an abortion tells us we must do a better job of reaching out to the most vulnerable demographic, college-aged women, and telling them what resources and support structures exist for them and their children.


Educate
In order to abolish abortion in our lifetime, we need to make sure the trend towards becoming pro-life continues for this generation, making sure they understand current abortion laws, continue to see ultrasound images bringing the humanity of the pre-born front and center, and raising up the voices of those who regret their abortions.
The pro-abortion movement sees this generational shift away from tolerating surgical abortion and has increasingly been investing their time into promoting abortions earlier in pregnancy and pills to end the life of the pre-born child. We must step up our work talking about the abortion-causing mechanisms and serious health risks to women in drugs like Plan B and Ella that the FDA has falsely labeled as mere contraception.

The plurality (42%) of those interviewed, including every major demographic and geographic groups, said they would be less likely to vote for a candidate who supports forcing institutions to pay for procedures that violate their conscience or religious beliefs.  And when talking to young people about the HHS mandate, raising the unintended consequences of the mandate – such as religious organizations dropping healthcare entirely or being able to only hire only employees of a particular faith – were persuasive in changing the minds of young Americans on this constitutional issue. Hispanics and political moderates, groups that usually favor the political left, show real hesitation toward the HHS Mandate.  We must educate this generation about the Obama administration’s unconstitutional HHS Mandate and how it effects real Americans.
In 2010, NARAL/Pro-Choice America’s own poll of 700 youth found that 51% of pro-lifers under 30 called abortion a “very important” voting issue, compared with only 26% of those in the same age group who were pro-abortion. When announcing her retirement in 2012 as NARAL/Pro-Choice America’s President, Nancy Keenan cited this important study saying her departure from the pro-abortion organization will help foster a new generation of pro-abortion young leaders.
I’ve got news for Nancy Kennan, she can retire and so can Cecile Richards and every other pro-abortion leader, because that won’t raise a new generation of pro-abortion leaders. The humanity of the pre-born child has been brought to the forefront of the debate. And while we still have a long way to go to expose, promote, and educate in our movement,  the simple fact is that being pro-abortion is going out of style, being pro-life is in. And if Students for Life of America has anything to do it with it, Nancy’s organization and others like it won’t be around for too much longer.

SFLA Successfully Launches 3rd Annual Wilberforce Leadership Fellowship

Posted on by Kristan Hawkins
This weekend, Students for Life of America kicked off our 3rd Wilberforce Leadership Fellowship by flying our 2012-2013 Fellows to Washington, D.C. for the kick-off Leadership Training Retreat. Kristan Hawkins, SFLA Executive Director commented, ” The mission of the Students for Life of America Wilberforce Leadership Fellowship is to raise up the next generation of pro-life leaders. We want to train student pro-life activists to be leaders on campus and beyond and network those student leaders with their counterparts in the national pro-life movement to help further develop their leadership potential.” The SFLA Fellows participated in 3 days of leadership presentations, most notably a full-day training with Scott Klusendorf of Life Training Institute who educated the Fellows on pro-life apologetics, fundraising, speaking, and the importance of the 2012 election.
Ashley Price, Fellow from Mercer University, remarked, “I want to pass this on to my group members back on my campus.” “The fact that youth can really make a difference on the local and national scale shows me that the tide truly is turning.” Christian Andzel, from the University of Buffalo, said, “The fact that the prolife leaders of this generation are in this building have reminded me that our movement must keep our eye on the prize, which is to change minds and hearts on how we view human life from the moment of fertilization to natural death. Once we are able to change the culture, we’ll be able to change the law, and then we will restore the dignity of all human life.”

Throughout the 2012-13 school year, the SFLA Wilberforce Leadership Fellows will be applying the leadership skills they learn on their campus and throughout their communities by organizing events, assisting Students for Life of America in its mission of equipping the pro-life generation, and working with their National Wilberforce Mentor (a leader of an existing national pro-life organization) who will help network them with the national pro-life movement and assist in completion on their Fellowship Projects.

Announcing the 2012-13 Wilberforce Leadership Fellowship Class:

Michael Acquilano, Ave Maria Lex Vitae Society
Major: Juris Doctorate
Wilberforce Mentor: Steve Aden, Senior Counsel, Alliance Defense Fund

John Sohl, President, Western Kentucky Students for Life
Major: Broadcast Journalism
Wilberforce Mentor: Ryan Bomberger, Co-Founder, The Radiance Foundation

Anne Morse, President, UC Berkeley Students for Life
Major: Political Economy, concentration in Economy of Human Rights Issues
Wilberforce Mentor: Steven Mosher, President, Population Research Institute

Grace Daigler, Vice President, Franciscan University Studentsfor Life
Major: Social Work, Human Life Studies
Wilberforce Mentor: Kristan Hawkins, Executive Director, Students for Life of America

Reagan Nielsen, Founder/President, University of Missouri Students for Life
Major: Journalism, Business, Political Science
Wilberforce Mentor, Jill Stanek, Speaker, Columnist, Former Nurse

Christian Andzel, President, University at Buffalo Students for Life
Major: History, Political Science
Wilberforce Mentor: Tom McClusky, Sr. Vice President, Family Resource Counsel Action

Ashley Price, President, Mercer University Students for Life
Major: Psychology, Leadership and Service
Wilberforce Mentor: Peggy Hartshorn, President, Heartbeat International

Erin Komornik, President, DePauw University Students for Life
Major: Kinesiology
Wilberforce Mentor: Stephanie Gray, Executive Director, Canadian Centre for Bio-ethical Reform

Megan Shane, President, Seton Hall Students for Life
Major: History, Catholic Studies
Wilberforce Mentor: Kristan Hawkins, Executive Director, Students for Life of America

Erin Stoyell-Mulholland, Vice President of Operations, University of Notre Dame Students for Life
Major: Entrepreneurial Management, Spanish
Wilberforce Mentor: Jeanne Monahan, Director, Center for Human Dignity, Family Research Council

Amy Gembara, Vice President, Fordham University Students for Life
Major: Classical Languages and English
Wilberforce Mentor: Shawn Carney, Campaign Director, 40 Days for Life

SFLA’s 5th Annual Summer Social Shows the Tide is Turning!

Posted on by Kristan Hawkins

Tuesday evening, SFLA’s Summer Social in Washington D.C. gave pro-life advocates the chance to gather and connect with each other, demonstrating that D.C. is not devoid of an active and growing pro-life community. Pro-lifers of all ages and backgrounds attended and were able to hear speakers Congressman Trent Franks, Kellyanne Conway, Founder and President of the polling company™, inc./WomanTrend, and Kristan Hawkins, Executive Director of SFLA.

Congressman Franks, after receiving the 2012 William Wilberforce award,  made it clear that it is very possible to be a candidate who is staunchly pro-life and be electable. In fact, the tide has shifted so much that now it can be more favorable to be a pro-life candidate than one who chooses to remain on the fence.

Kellyanne Conway presented some highlights from the recent SFLA commissioned poll  on 18-24 year olds, saying that while a cursory glance of the poll could lead pro-life advocates to be discouraged, the results are actually very encouraging for our side. For example, only 9% of those polled said they believe abortion should be allowed for anyone, for any reason, any time – the same position that our current President holds. This shows that if young people are shown Obama’s position, they will be less likely to vote for a President who wants abortions to be legal 100% of the time.

Kristan Hawkins closed out the event, showing how vital the work of Students for Life of America is to our current culture. While many devalue the impact young people can have on the political or cultural fronts, it is SFLA’s mission to show exactly the kind of impact young people can have. SFLA has over 700 active campus groups across America, while Planned Parenthood boasts a measly 200 groups, many of which are not even active. This is just one fact that shows how the tide is turning, and should encourage the pro-life community that the momentum is on our side!

SFLA Announces 2012 Wilberforce Leadership Award Winner

Posted on by Kristan Hawkins

Students for Life of America is proud to announce that U.S. Congressman Trent Franks, R-AZ, will be awarded the 2012 William Wilberforce Leadership Award. Congressman Franks will be presented with the award at the 5th annual Students for Life of America Summer Social in Washington, D.C. this Tuesday, July 17th. Kellyanne Conway, Founder and President of the polling company™, inc./WomanTrend will be the keynote speaker at the event.

Congressman Trent Franks is a conservative Reagan Republican, and he has spent most of his life working on children’s issues and trying to build a better future for all children. Whether as a Representative in the Arizona State Legislature, Executive Director of Arizona Family Research Institute, or later as the Director of the Arizona Governor’s Office for Children, Trent has worked passionately for over 25 years in an effort to protect the human life at every stage, including the unborn.  Now a Member of the House Armed Services Committee and the House Judiciary Committee, as well as the chairman of the Constitution Subcommittee, Congressman Franks remains committed to protecting the innocent. He is the author and sponsor of numerous pieces of pro-life legislation, including the Prenatal Nondiscrimination Act (or PRENDA), the only bill in the history of the United States Congress to address the problem of sex and race targeted abortions. Congressman Franks is currently serving his fifth term as a Member of the United States House of Representatives.

The Wilberforce Leadership Award is named for the British social justice and human rights activist, William Wilberforce, who led the fight to abolish the slave trade and was successful in helping to end slavery in Great Britain. SFLA’s awards two pro-life leaders each year who, like Wilberforce, are working to create and uphold laws that will eventually abolish the greatest human rights threat our nation faces, abortion.

Kellyanne Conway will speak at the event about Students for Life’s recent poll on youth attitudes towards social issues and the upcoming presidential election as well as the importance of getting youth out to vote in 2012. Throughout her two decades in market research, Kellyanne has provided primary research and advice for clients in 46 states and has directed hundreds of demographic and attitudinal survey projects for statewide and congressional political races, trade associations, and Fortune 100 companies.  A professionally trained moderator, Kellyanne has personally directed more than 300 focus groups and other qualitative discussions.

Kristan Hawkins, SFLA’s Executive Director, made the following remarks about the upcoming event, “Congressman Franks is a champion for the pre-born and the pro-life movement on Capitol Hill. We are so thankful for his courageous leadership in Washington, D.C. and for all of the lives his crusade to abolish abortion has already saved. It will truly be an honor to present Congressman Franks with his well-deserved Wilberforce Leadership Award.”

SFLA Releases Poll Results on Young People, Abortion, and the 2012 Election

Posted on by Kristan Hawkins

A note from SFLA’s Executive Director, Kristan Hawkins:

This May, SFLA commissioned a poll of 800 18-24 year-olds, a large sample for a small demographic, because we wanted to have a practical, non-political conversation with this generation on the big issues. We know this November’s election will be a defining moment for this generation, and we wanted to get a sense of where they think we are headed. Our national team is out there every school day visiting over 250 campuses a year, and we currently work in 49 states with over 720 groups on undergrad, law, and medical school campuses. However, we know that when it comes to youth and their attitudes on social issues and elections, there are a lot of assumptions made. And yet, what we have been witnessing and what has been reflected in recent polling by other organizations especially Gallup is that the tide is turning in this generation on issues, especially abortion. Below are some of the results from the poll that SFLA is sending to Republican and Democratic leaders in Washington, D.C.

 

SFLA MEMO (Click here to download.)

TO:           Democrat and Republican Leaders
FROM:   Kristan Hawkins, Students for Life of America
RE:           Young adults and their views on social issues and the 2012 elections
DATE:     June 22, 2012

College age voters (18-24 year olds) are an oft-overlooked group in a Presidential election that many experts are expecting to swing narrowly in either candidate’s favor. Common dismissals of the youngest generations’ dwindling influence at the ballot box run counter to recent turnout trends.

In 2008, voter turnout among college-aged youth surged to its participation highest level in 16 years. Moreover, while other influential swing groups are parsed out from any and all possible angles, our knowledge of the newly-minted voter is comparatively meager – 43% of 18-24 year olds in the last Presidential election were first-time voters.[1]

Challenged to uncover the prevailing attitudes, opinions, and preferences of this under-studied subgroup, Students for Life of America commissioned one of the first-wide scale quantitative studies of 18-24 year olds in the 2012 election season.[2]

The survey research project, which garnered 800 responses, included a special focus on life issues, allowing young voters’ own voices to cut through the ‘conventional wisdom’ and forge a new narrative.  Indeed, survey findings showed little connection to the overwhelmingly liberal attitudes lazily ascribed to these voters – confirming an increasing pro-life trend among Americans while presumably giving Big Abortion heartburn over the battles ahead.

Our results tracked similarly to other national polls that have been released on abortion in recent years. Yet there are surprisingly few surveys of the 18-24 demographic with such a deep dive as that was commissioned by SFLA.

With skyrocketing student debt and grim unemployment prospects for those out of college, young voters’ collective love affair with the President has abated. Results from the recent recall election in Wisconsin were consistent in showing a far less liberal voting bloc than the one four years and if that election is any indication , young adults are much more open to voting conservative in 2012 than they were in 2008.  Our results speculate that when young adults learn more about the President’s radical policies on abortion and the curtailing of religious freedom, their support for him drops. We found that more young adults are less likely to vote for a candidate who forces someone to go against their conscience or religious beliefs, which is part of the mandate included in the President’s healthcare law.

Here are our key findings:

The HHS Mandate carries negative political currency for two-fifths of young voters: The plurality of young Americans, including every major demographic and geographic group, said they would be less likely to vote for a candidate who supports forcing institutions to pay for procedures that violate their conscience or religious beliefs (42 % vs. 24%).

Young adults are going to vote in 2012:  18-24 year olds belie their disengaged reputation as an overwhelming majority (77%) predicted their participation in the fall elections.  While survey respondents can be notoriously culpable of over-estimating their participation in “socially desirable” activities such as voting, the high levels of engagement suggest that young voters may more closely resemble 2008 (49% turnout among this subgroup) than the midterms elections of 2010 (24% turnout).

Youth are “pro-contraception” not “pro-abortion”: While youth were much less likely to self-identify as pro-life than the public as a whole, there was also scant evidence of a desire for total and complete abortion on-demand, a characterization that seems to escape much of the major media narrative about this generation.

This nuance was particularly evident when a 27%-plurality selected “abortion should only be legal in the cases of rape, incest, or to save the life of the mother” as the position most similar to their own on abortion. In fact, condensing the six positions showed near-parity between the two sides (45% pro-choice, 44% pro-life).

Support for Plan B in vending machines on college campuses, paired with the high percentage of Planned Parenthood supporters who are unaware of the organization’s abortion offerings, suggest they are “Pro-Contraception,” but not necessarily “Pro-Abortion.”

Obama still leads among young adults, but they think he has done a bad job: Obama’s popularity among youth voters has dimmed in the four years following his last election, but he still leads Romney 53%-25% lead on the ballot test. Few voters are paying close attention at this early stage of the race, suggesting the ballot test remains fluid. Nor should Obama’s head-to-head advantage obscure his legitimate vulnerability on job performance: nearly one-half (49%) graded his tenure as “fair” or “poor”.

Youth Signal Significant Opposition to Sex-Selective Abortions:

Nearly three-quarters (74%) of 18-24 year olds support making sex-selective abortions illegal in the United States. Students must be reminded that sex-selective abortions are not just a problem for foreign lands, but the crisis extends to their veritable backyards as well.

What they don’t know is hurting them: College-age youth diets are the source of some notoriety – if not jealously – as the dubious nutritional offerings at dining halls and fast food chains across the country have many a concerned parent once again urging their child to “Take their Vitamins.”

In our case, 18-24 seem to be suffering a Vitamin “F” deficiency – that is, an unhealthy diet of disinformation and ‘comfort food’ from the Left leaves many with distortion perceptions about the offerings of agencies like Planned Parenthood. Among the most telling responses included that nearly half (48%) of college-age adults did not know whether Planned Parenthood offered abortions to pregnant women, with an additional 11% believing Planned Parenthood did not offer abortions at all.

The knowledge deficit also colored their perspectives on the Presidential candidates’ positions on abortion. Nearly one-third failed to ascribe any view on abortion for each candidate (32% for Obama, 33% for Romney).

Young adults don’t like Obama’s socially liberal record: Reactions toward Obama’s shocking vote against the Born Alive Protect Act while a State Senator in Illinois painted another perspective on information deficit, as this discovery carried a net -11 political currency and led one-in-three (34%) to become “less likely” to vote for the President this Fall. Obama’s image suffered an even more pronounced slide among undecided voters (43% “less likely”), indicating that the ballot test may narrow if the President’s personal popularity is tempered with a remembrance of his radical voting record from the not-too-distant past.

 

Methodology:

Students for Life of America commissioned the polling company, inc./WomanTrend to conduct an online survey of 805 adults ages 18 to 24 from May 25 – June 1, 2012.  Opt-in online panels of respondents were utilized and targeted specifically for adults ages 18-24, while also including controls for gender, race/ethnicity, and geographic region. Sampling controls ensured that a proportional and representative number of interviews were collected, as those characteristics are reported by the latest publicly available figures from the U.S. Census Bureau. Potential survey participants received an e-mail inviting them to participate and a URL address for them to link to the web-based questionnaire.

The original survey contained a total of 45 questions, including one screener, 27 substantive inquiries, and 17 demographic queries.  77% said there were likely to vote in the upcoming elections

The margin of error for the survey is ± 3.4% at a 95% confidence interval, meaning that in 19 out of 20 cases, the data obtained would not differ by any more than 3.4 percentage points in either direction had the entire population of adults ages 18-24 in the United States been surveyed. Margins of error for subgroups are higher.

[2] 805 adults ages 18 to 24 in late May/early June

Komen to Planned Parenthood: Let’s See Other People

Posted on by Kristan Hawkins

While Planned Parenthood reels over the “bitter rift” caused by Susan G. Komen’s decision to stop funding the largest abortion provider in the country, pro-life advocates across the nation continue to celebrate the end of a relationship born into what was assumed to be a similar mission – the advancement of women’s healthcare.

But with Planned Parenthood’s continual battle to maintain their multi-million dollar annual funds and erase the ever-growing negative stigma they’ve garnered over the past 12 months, Komen’s highly publicized leap from the abortion industry is making waves.

In what Cecile Richards, President of the Planned Parenthood Federation of America, has deemed anything but an amicable split, the facts and figures are becoming clearer – Planned Parenthood’s tired guise of “women’s healthcare” is a monumental lie used to usher in and legitimize four decades of legalized murder in what has become the worst social injustice our nation has ever faced.

What many don’t know, however, are the gritty details surrounding this immense advancement within the pro-life movement. In an unsurprising demonstration by the media, they have failed to outline exactly why Komen has decided to strip funds from the organization that performs hundreds of thousands of abortions each year.

Komen’s decision to cut ties with Planned Parenthood are twofold. The investigations surrounding Planned Parenthood’s legality, funding, and medical practices step on the toes of Komen’s own guidelines, which state that no funding from their organization can go toward a group undergoing an investigation. False rumors have already started to swirl regarding Komen’s ability to refund the abortion giant once the investigations end, but make no mistake: Komen has stated that their decision to defund Planned Parenthood is final. This is not temporary.

But much more importantly, Komen has changed their grant distribution criteria, which more solidly justifies their defunding of Planned Parenthood. In the past, the organization received “pass-through” grants from Komen for breast exams – the kind you can do yourself in the privacy of your own home. Now, Komen is setting their sights on outcome-based programs, which would permanently end their funding to Planned Parenthood if and when all investigations end.

Planned Parenthood knows Komen’s detachment from them is permanent, and they’re doing everything they can to legitimize themselves and point fingers away from their scandal. Planned Parenthood alerted the AP before the remaining five contractual grants from Komen have been distributed, which should be finalized within the next few months. Planned Parenthood’s vicious attacks against Komen are only solidifying the rift between the two organizations.

While we celebrate this great victory for the pro-life movement and for all individuals involved in the decision, it is crucial that we let Susan G. Komen know we support their decision to defund Planned Parenthood. As of now, Komen has received thousands of emails condemning their decision and only a handful in support of the split. Media bias is working against this wonderful news, and it’s up to us to maintain their support.

We encourage you to please write an email of thanks supporting Susan G. Komen in their decision to defund Planned Parenthood to news@komen.org. Please take five minutes today to let them know that millions of Americans across  the nation recognize their true mission to advance women’s healthcare.

Let us work together to celebrate this wonderful victory!

Meet our 2011 Student Group Winners!

Posted on by Kristan Hawkins

Our 2012 National Conference was a huge success – thank you to all who helped make it the largest pro-life student conference in the world!

On Sunday, our team was busy hosting 2,000+ students from across the country for a weekend of workshops, break-out sessions, and presentations on how to envision a world without abortion. Gov. Mike Huckabee, Congressman Chris Smith, Lila Rose, David Bereit, and other pro-life leaders graciously joined us at the SFLA National Conference and spoke to our students about what our nation will look like once Roe v. Wade is overturned.

In case you weren’t able to see all of the presentations we streamed live on Sunday, please visit www.sflalive.org to watch the recorded Morning and Evening General Sessions from the event!

At the Conference, our team was also honored to present our 2011 Students for Life National Awards. Many thanks and congratulations for your incredibly hard work and successful efforts in the past year!

Impact for Life Award – National Pro-Life Youth Congress
The PLYC is designed for students from 7th-12th grades who are ready to stand up in their community for the unborn in America. Every year, they organize four conferences, each one focused around one of their leadership themes: justice, temperance, fortitude and prudence. They provide education and guidance to develop excellent citizenship to fight for innocent Americans from conception through natural death.

New Group of the Year Award – University of Buffalo Students for Life
UB SFL has formed a coalition with community groups and built on that support to host a fundraiser where they raised over $2,500 for their pro-life efforts and have worked on campus to support adoption and pro-life legislation, while also capitalizing on their cultural diversity to promote Life in Asia. They have faced constant discrimination from the administration, faculty, student government and fellow students. In the past semester, they gained national media attention when both of their Cemetery of the Innocents displays were vandalized on campus. They bounced back to stand for their rights and for the rights of those who cannot speak for themselves, the pre-born.

Teen Group of the Year Award – Angels for Life, Holy Angels Academy, Buffalo, NY
Angels for Life participated in numerous events at their school and in their community over the past year, including a diaper drive and car wash fundraiser to support their local crisis pregnancy center. They helped the University of Buffalo stake crosses for their Cemetery of the Innocents. They participated in the National Day of Silent Solidarity, the National Night of Prayer and frequently prayed for an end to abortion outside of their local abortion facility. They screened movies with pro-life themes and partnered with other clubs to boost attendance, reaching students who otherwise would not have heard the pro-life message. During National Adoption Month, this club hosted a fundraiser at a Wendy’s restaurant which donated 10% of all sales one evening to the Baker Victory Services adoption agency.

Group of the Year Award – College of William & Mary Students for Life
SFL at the College of William and Mary have been participating in the Pregnant on Campus Initiative, fundraising to bring diaper decks to their campus and helping to make their school more welcoming to pregnant and parenting students. They have worked to combat the efforts of Planned Parenthood’s VOX group on campus by attending meetings and witnessing to the Truth. They have held a variety of events, including a screening of the documentary Blood Money, a pro-life flyering campaign and a Christmas Card campaign for local mothers. They also hosted a debate between pro-life apologetics speaker Scott Klusendorf and former ACLU President Nadine Strossen.

To all who made our 2012 National Conference our biggest success yet, we thank you for joining us in the fight for Life.