“It’s both ironic and deeply troubling that Senator Durbin is being honored with a lifetime achievement award while championing policies that literally end lives,” said Kristan Hawkins, President of Students for Life of America. “The Archdiocese of Chicago has a moral responsibility to rescind the award and publicly distance itself from Durbin’s radically anti-Catholic and pro-abortion stance.” 

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CHICAGO, ILLINOIS (09-26-2025) — Students for Life of America (SFLA) President Kristan Hawkins called out the Archdiocese of Chicago’s Office of Human Dignity and Solidarity for its tone-deaf decision to honor former Senator Dick Durbin with a “Lifetime Achievement Award” at the upcoming Keep Hope Alive benefit on Monday, November 3, 2025. The award, set to be presented by Cardinal Blase Cupich, has sparked backlash due to Durbin’s long-standing support for abortion policies that directly contradict Catholic teaching. 

In response, SFLA is mobilizing students and leaders to join Illinois Right to Life’s protest on the day of the benefit and urging the pro-life community to sign our petition—addressed to key decision-makers, including the Cardinal, the Head of the Office for Human Dignity & Solidarity, and the Auxiliary Bishops—calling for the award to be rescinded. 

SIGN OUR PETITION HERE 

“There is no way to reconcile the Catholic faith with active political support for abortion,” said Hawkins. “A ‘Lifetime Achievement Award’ from the Archdiocese should recognize those who courageously defend the dignity of every human person, especially the most vulnerable. Honoring Senator Durbin, whose legacy includes support for policies that deny dignity and Life to preborn children, is a grave misjudgment.” 

Senator Durbin’s record in Congress is marked by consistent support for pro-abortion legislation, including votes against restrictions on partial-birth abortions and late-term abortions after 20 weeks, around four and a half months pregnant. These positions are in direct contradiction to Catholic teachings on the sanctity of human Life and the dignity of preborn children. 

LEARN MORE: Meet the Dems Who Love Late-Term Abortion 

LEARN MORE: The Democrats Love to Fight Hard Against Legislation Dealing with Problems They Claim Don’t Exist 

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The Pro-Life Generation (PLG) is an umbrella organization encompassing the most-cutting edge engagement opportunities for a Vote Pro-Life First Community. PLG includes Students for Life Action (SFLAction), a 501c4, along with its 501c3 sister organization, Students for Life of America (SFLA), that together make up the nation’s largest, pro-life youth organization, managing a grassroots political and policy operation engaging Americans of all ages but with a special emphasis on the largest segment of voters — the Youth Vote. Headquartered in Fredericksburg, VA, PLG/SFLA/SFLAction serves more than 1,500 groups on middle, high school, college, medical, and law school campuses in all 50 states. Our team has more conversations with this generation targeted by the abortion lobby than any other pro-life operation in the world, each week reaching more than 4 million across social media platforms and averaging 1.3 million video views. In addition to SFLA/SFLAction, PLG leads multiple initiatives to lead and serve the future of the pro-life movement including the Campaign for Abortion Free Cities, Standing With You, and the Demetree Institute for Pro-Life.