Ella Porter is a Junior at Stockdale High School in Bakersfield, California, and president of the newly formed Stockdale Students for Life group. While the group only became official this semester, its story started back in the Summer of 2023.   

Ella always grew up pro-life. “If you were to ask my friends and family, I’ve always had a very maternal heart,” Ella shared. “Being pro-life was a thing I never questioned; my stance has always been clear, and each day kept teaching me more about it.”  

Though Ella was always firm in her pro-life stance, something happened when she was starting high school that sparked her desire to start a Students for Life group.  

One day, in the bathroom at school, the summer before freshman year, Ella overheard girls talking, one of them expressing her desire to get an abortion.   

“I left that bathroom without saying a word and immediately began rethinking my actions. Should I have told her about the resources around her for free, and that I’d be there to help? Should I make resource cards to carry around?  

Ella kept thinking about the situation. When she learned more about Students for Life of America (SFLA), she thought about starting a group at her school.   

“The idea of a group was something that I kept close and prayed on,” said Ella. “I remember sitting in my pew during mass and praying for the Lord to give me a sign if starting a pro-life club was something He willed for me. As soon as I finished saying that, a prayer petition for the unborn was said. I knew that, every second, it was now a task I must work to carry out.  

However, Ella was turned down. The administration told her that it was “too controversial” a topic. This seemed like a dubious claim, given that political clubs and LGBTQ clubs were active in the school and across the school district, and these are also “controversial”. They were repeatedly turned down, with various excuses given to them each time.  

“I never wished to cause controversy or create issues, so doing something so bold was far from my nature,” Ella explained to Mia, SFLA Campus Formation Coordinator, who helped her create the group. “But you can’t let fear deter you from doing what is right. If what you do glorifies God, you need only to be still and keep at your role; the Lord will fight for you.”  

Ella and her co-leader met again with the administration this fall and were turned down. But she knew how important it was for the Pro-Life Generation to be present on her campus., so sShe did not back down. Ella found a member of the district’s Board of Trustees and met with him to plead her case.   

The Board of Trustees members heard her out and helped her convince the Stockdale administration to make Students for Life an official club.   

After two years, Stockdale Students for Life had its first official meeting earlier this month, with about 30 students in attendance.  

Now that they are official, Stockdale Students for Life has exciting plans for the school year. Fundraising for the Bakersfield Pregnancy Center, tabling to share information about pregnancy resources, and hosting a presentation on fetal development are just some of the efforts on the agenda. Ella is also inviting a guest speaker to the school to share her testimony of healing after an abortion.   

Unfortunately, pushbacks are all too common for Students for Life of America. About 5% of our groups report a free speech violation each year. Our regional coordinators are often harassed, items are stolen, or groups face backlash from the administration.   

READ: Facing Free Speech Challenges, Students for Life of America Expands to Roughly Half of All Private and Public Universities Nationwide During the 2024-2025 School Year   

Despite all this, our outstanding students persevere. The Pro-Life Generation (PLG) realizes that the price that preborn babies will pay- their lives- is far greater than the price we pay for speaking up. We cannot let the abortion industry scare us into submission. We must be a voice for the voiceless, no matter the pushback.   

If you face pushback for expressing your pro-life beliefs at school, please get in touch with us at [email protected]. 

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