Pro-life group to counter abortion activists' 'summer of rage' with 'summer of service'
A pro-life leader is rallying her group to counter the promises of violence this summer from abortion extremists with acts of servitude following a leaked draft opinion indicating that most justices are inclined to overturn Roe v. Wade, the 1973 U.S. Supreme Court case that legalized abortion nationwide.
Militant abortion activists have vandalized churches and pro-life pregnancy centers throughout the country, with Women's March President Rachel Carmona promising that this will be a "summer of rage."
Students for Life of America President Kristan Hawkins told The Christian Post that her organization had already been working for over a year to put initiatives together for the summer when she heard the Women's March president's declaration.
Get Our Latest News for FREE
"When I saw this 'summer of rage declaration,' obviously I was like, 'Wait a minute, we have a 'summer of service.' This is exactly what we're doing," the pro-life leader said in an interview with CP. "I was like, 'Well, we can't let them do this. Do something better. 'Resist the summer of rage and join the summer of service.'"
The Supreme Court is considering whether to uphold Mississippi's 15-week abortion ban, and a ruling is expected sometime in June.
According to a May 2 Politico report, a leaked draft opinion shows that a majority of the justices are leaning toward reversing Roe. A statement the following day by the court verified the authenticity of the draft opinion, but also said the draft does not reflect the final ruling.
In anticipation of the ruling, many pro-life groups are making preparations to help women and children in a post-Roe society.
This Valentine's Day, SFLA relaunched "Standing With You," a program that ensures pregnant women know where to find resources and support on campus. The group gave the website a "facelift," according to Hawkins, using the talking point, "In a post-Roe America, no woman stands alone."
SFLA started the program 12 years ago, calling it "Pregnant On Campus" at the time, which served as a database of resources for pregnant and parenting students. A few years ago, Hawkins said her team decided to expand the program and make it national.
After renaming it "Standing With You," a chat feature was added, allowing users to instantly connect with someone at Heartbeat International, which runs the largest network of pregnancy centers in the country. A phone number was also added, connecting women to pregnancy centers in their community.
"We really wanted a national resource, a one-stop-shop where women and families who were facing an unexpected pregnancy could go for support," Hawkins said.
The pro-life group is also doork nocking and making communities aware of pregnancy resources through its "Abortion Free Cities" campaign in 22 cities throughout the country. In addition, Hawkins revealed that SFLA is launching a billboard campaign in multiple cities, including Naples, Florida, Dallas, Texas, Tacoma, Washington, and Sacramento, California.
"We've spent hundreds of thousands of dollars on digital ads, and now billboards should be launching in a week advertising 'Standing With You' and nonviolent resources like this," the SLFA president said.
One billboard campaign is called "See Her Hurt," and it will direct women to a website where they can watch a video about the emotional pain caused by abortion. The other billboard directs people to the "Standing With You" website, where they can find information about pregnancy support services.
In March, Hawkins also began spreading the word about an idea she had to host a "Standing With Her Sunday," a national simulcast slated to take place at the end of the summer this year.
The event will feature pro-life leaders from national groups such as Turning Point USA, Support After Abortion, and the Colson Center for Christian Worldview. The event is still in the planning stages, but the purpose is to show church leaders how to help their community and congregants access life-affirming resources in a post-Roe era.
"Because this is when the Church is really going to have to step up. And I know far too many Christians who simply don't know about all these pregnancy resources, these nonviolent alternatives that exist," Hawkins said.
SFLA is also promoting a digital and physical pledge program called "Standing With Her Summer," which the group will distribute online. The program enables people to pledge that they will stand with women facing unexpected pregnancies. Participants will then receive email updates about how to take an active role in serving women and children.
Hawkins revealed that SFLA will also distribute the "Standing With Her Summer" pledge at Christian music festivals taking place this summer, including ones in Washington and Pennsylvania.
"We take this responsibility very seriously that we're going to be this first post-Roe generation, and we have a lot of work to do," the pro-life leader said.
In addition to SFLA, local pregnancy centers and the leaders of national pro-life organizations such as Human Coalition and Lifeline Children's Services outlined their plans earlier this month to help women in a post-Roe society.
"The truth of the matter is, Lifeline [Children's Services] and other organizations like ours, we're ready," Lifeline President Herbie Newell said in an interview with CP. "We're scaled for the ability to help more women."
