WASHINGTON D.C. (10-13-2026) – Students for Life of America (SFLA) Vice President of Media & Policy Kristi Hamrick made the following statement in light of a lawsuit filed in Harris County, Texas, Maria Puerto v. Kristan Hawkins, Lydia Taylor Davis, Jamie Curry, and Megan Roos (Puerto v. Hawkins), in which a woman asks for the cost of raising a child in Texas, claiming pro-life laws supported by SFLA forced her into motherhood. 

Hamrick’s statement: 

The legal action is misplaced, and we will address it through legal counsel, but the underlying story alleged in the complaint explains Students for Life’s commitment to programs like Standing with You, in which services for women are highlighted. However, Students for Life appreciates the backhanded compliment that because of our legislative work, babies’ lives are being saved.  

This lawsuit of pushing the narrative of forced parenting ignores that fact that as Supreme Court Justice Amy Coney Barrett said, no one is forced to be a parent. Safe Haven Laws and adoption provide a path forward for a child to enter a home where he or she is loved and welcomed. In Texas, the “Baby Moses Hotline” specifically exists for circumstances that Maria Puerto says she is facing. 

The suit reads like a wide-ranging screed against pro-life advocacy, rather than a case for damages. For example, it takes exception with Students for Life’s work against abortion water pollution, while ignoring that a peer-reviewed study found high levels of mifepristone in Austin, TX. The animus is clear, and by extension, would extend to any organization or church that supports protecting innocent human life. 

In the complaint addressing Ms. Puerto’s alleged circumstances, we were, however, horrified to read about violations of Title X, as she says that while in school, her needs as a pregnant mother were ignored, and that her rights under the “Pregnancy Non-Discrimination Act” also appear to have been violated in the workplace. Her circumstances need to be shared with legal authorities. 

However, as the attorney named in the paperwork – Molly Duane – was once the  Senior Staff Attorney at the Center for Reproductive Rights and now has a practice focusing on attacking pro-life laws, it seems that once again, the goal of the abortion lobby is not to help a woman in need but rather to prop up abortion as an enterprise that is illegal in Texas.

LEARN MORE ABOUT STUDENTS’ TITLE X RIGHTS HERE: Pregnant on Campus Bill of Rights.

Interviews on this matter will be limited, as it is an on-going legal matter. Email: [email protected]

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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 1,700 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 Advancement . Over 20 years, PLG CEO Kristan Hawkins has grown the operation into a nearly $20M organization, now preparing for an abortion-free America.