Pro-life advocate Kristan Hawkins made a visit to the University of Georgia as part of her “No Abortion, No Exceptions” tour on Thursday. Hawkins, who is the creator and leader of Students for Life of America, set up a table from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. and delivered a speech at the UGA Chapel at 7 p.m.
Commencing her address, Hawkins reflected on the progress and challenges encountered by the pro-life movement following the Dobbs Supreme Court ruling that overturned Roe v. Wade on June 24, 2022. She emphasized the movement’s ongoing endeavors to eradicate abortion nationwide, emphasizing the importance of establishing a robust “social safety net of resources” for women and families.
“We are tirelessly working towards ending abortion, aiming for its complete abolition with no exceptions,” Hawkins stated. “Our goal is to make abortion not only inconceivable but also inaccessible.”
During the session, Hawkins invited pro-choice attendees to pose any questions they had, a practice she upholds at all her speaking engagements. While she has had numerous participants in the past, such as during her three-hour Q&A session at the University of Washington, no one came forward during this segment at UGA.
The core of Hawkins’ discourse revolved around her six fundamental arguments advocating for a no-exceptions approach to abortion. Each rationale was meticulously elaborated upon, supported by various sources, including governmental studies. The six reasons presented were as follows:
- Abortion represents a “violent act of discrimination that terminates a unique, complete living human being.”
- Abortion inflicts harm on women.
- Abortion perpetuates patriarchal structures.
- Abortion fails to address the crisis and trauma stemming from sexual assault.
- Abortion is never a necessity to preserve the mother’s life.
- Abortion should not be based on prenatal diagnoses, which can be inaccurate up to 80% of the time.
Following the presentation, Hawkins engaged in a brief dialogue with Angela Harders, who shared her personal account of choosing to keep her daughter, conceived through rape. Harders recounted her initial contemplation of abortion and the resistance she faced from Planned Parenthood upon canceling her appointment.
“Often, it’s easy to trivialize it as merely a decision or a dire circumstance,” Harders expressed. “Yet, it’s crucial to recognize that the decision in question involves a child — in my case, a 10-year-old named Sophia.”
The event concluded with an open-mic Q&A session, where pro-life participants directed inquiries to Hawkins and Harders on various topics, spanning from sex education to contraception, in vitro fertilization, and effective communication strategies for advocating the pro-life stance.
Established as a full-time initiative by Hawkins in 2006, Students for Life is a nationwide organization boasting over 1,400 chapters across all states, including a chapter at UGA, which hosted the event on Thursday.