Abigail Buxton, one of the National Leaders Collective’s (NLC) December leaders of the month, is a Standing With You (SWY) fellow attending the University of North Carolina Chapel Hill (UNC-CH). Learn more about Buxton’s activism below.  

I’ve always cared deeply about protecting the lives of our children, whether they’re inside or outside of the womb, and supporting women and families facing unplanned pregnancies. When I learned about the issue of abortion, my love for children and my deep concern for them was ignited. As I began to research the problem, it only strengthened what I knew in my heart to be true: these innocent lives deserve to be protected.   

My heart breaks for the women and families that feel the need to choose abortion for their children. Bringing new life into the world is our greatest superpower, and all women should be supported enough to know that their children are special and have inherent value, regardless of their circumstances and whether or not they were planned.  

From the moment I decided to get involved in the pro-life movement, I knew it would become a large part of my life. Three years ago, since my sophomore year in college, I became president of SFLA at UNC-CH. Through my group’s connections from this club, someone provided me with a job at my local Pregnancy Help Center (PHC), where I live out my passion and convictions of helping and supporting women who chose life. This experience opened my eyes to different areas of the pro-life movement. While there’s a media/awareness side, protests, tours, and more, there’s also the side of the pro-life movement that offers practical and tangible support to women and families facing unplanned pregnancies. This led me to apply for the Standing with You fellowship, where I got support to help make my campus more friendly to pregnant and parenting students.   

Our group has accomplished so much this! Though we’re proud of all the work we’ve done at UNC-Chapel Hill,  our three main accomplishments are:  

• Hosting the SFLA fall tour and having 40 conversations about defunding Planned Parenthood  

• Hanging 150 flyers educating the campus about abortion extremism before the election  

• Collecting 50 signatures from the local community committing to vote pro-life in the election  

I have thoroughly enjoyed my experience as a Standing With You fellow. I have always been passionate about serving women and families facing unplanned pregnancies, and the training at NLC, along with the mentorship and other support, has helped me do this with excellence on my campus and encouraged others to do the same. 

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