When President Donald Trump took office for the second time in January 2025, it marked an era of greater possibility for the pro-life movement, yet violations of pro-life free speech rights remain a constant challenge even in post-Biden America, as NPR recently discussed in a story featuring Kristan Hawkins, President of Students for Life of America (SFLA).   

READ MORE: SIGNED, SEALED, DELIVERED: Trump’s Top Eight Pro-Life Wins in Under One Month   

In a story entitled “Under Trump, freedom of speech in universities takes on a new meaning,” Hawkins and member of Florida International University Students for Life of America Group, Mia Akins, discussed the challenges we continue to face from college administrations.   

“They understand that we certainly should have a right to speak on campus, but they can make it as difficult or as easy as they wish,” Hawkins told NPR, referring to the unnecessary or exorbitant fees some universities charge SFLA as a subtle roadblock to free speech.   

And for Akins, Trump’s win has actually made tabling on campus more intimidating—she’s noticed increased hostility towards her group this school year. “Because of the election outcome, there was more animosity towards us,” Akins told NPR. “Just because Trump got in office and he signed an executive order, it didn’t just magically flip a switch where all of a sudden pro-lifers have the upper hand.” 

READ: Smug Professor Harasses SFLA College Students at Florida International University 

Still, Hawkins observed that pro-lifers don’t need to sweat repercussions from the FACE Act in the way they had to during the Biden Administration.   

As NPR put it, “Hawkins notes that anti-abortion activists currently don’t have to worry about the FACE Act, which prohibits threats, obstruction and property damage intended to interfere with reproductive health care services, because the Trump administration has limited enforcement of the law.” 

However, Trump and the U.S. Congress still have work to do in dismantling the FACE Act, which is a loaded gun for any pro-abortion administration that comes in the future.   

READ MORE: Better Late Than Never: Trump and Congress Need to Repeal the FACE Act Before It’s Too Late.  

While Trump’s victory provided a sigh of relief for SFLA due to policies such as avoiding unjust use of the FACE Act, recognizing only two genders, and pardoning 23 peaceful pro-life prisoners, the ire of the abortion Left in the form of vandalization and violence persists, keeping SFLA on our toes.  

While pro-lifers can breathe easier in some ways, we still battle for a future where the right to speak up in defense of the preborn is always and everywhere honored. 

As former President Ronald Reagan said, “Freedom is a fragile thing and it’s never more than one generation away from extinction. It is not ours by way of inheritance; it must be fought for and defended constantly by each generation, for it comes only once to a people.” 

That’s why SFLA will never stop championing free speech—no matter who sits in the White House—in our words and actions, firmly defending our staff and students from free speech violations, vandalization, and intimidation.  

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