"America had the option of choosing the most radical pro-abortion ticket in world history and soundly rejected it," says Students for Life President Kristan Hawkins
State lawmakers prepare for pro-life legislative blitz to 'make America pro-life again'
With the help of Students for Life Action lawmakers in 13 states and counting are preparing a legislative blitz of pro-life bills with the goal to shift the momentum in the national abortion fight.
Students for Life of Action, the legislative arm of one of the largest pro-life groups in the country, released a "Make America Pro-Life Again Roadmap" this week signaling their plans to combat abortion during the new Trump administration.
In a press call on Tuesday, Students for Life President Kristan Hawkins said that despite abortion ballots being passed in seven states, the election showed that there are significant opportunities for pro-life victories in the next few years.
"America had the option of choosing the most radical pro-abortion ticket in world history and soundly rejected it," she said. "We’ve been working on this for months leading up until the election. Now that the election is over, now that we have a Republican trifecta in Washington, D.C., [and] Republican majority control of legislatures, it’s going to be time to get to work."
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Students for Life of America President Kristan Hawkins, left, and her co-host Isabel Brown ahead of their planned speech. (Courtesy of Students for Life of America)
Hawkins explained that the plan also prioritizes increasing protections for unborn babies in states, including such as Michigan, Ohio and Arizona, that have recently enshrined abortion rights in their state constitutions.
"And for those who believe that states are locked down by ballot initiatives, guess again," she said.
The group is working in conjunction with state lawmakers and has already confirmed a slate of pro-life bills in 13 different state legislatures.
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Mifepristone and Misoprostol pills are pictured on Wednesday, Oct. 3, 2018 in Skokie, Illinois. (Erin Hooley/Chicago Tribune/Tribune News Service via Getty Images)
A major focus of the bills is chemical abortion, which now accounts for most U.S. abortions. While some of these bills would move to ban or restrict chemical abortions, some seek to simply reduce or raise awareness about their harmful effects.
West Virginia state Sen. Patricia Rucker told Fox News Digital that with the help of Students for Life she will be reintroducing a "Clean Water for All" bill, which she believes will not only lessen the environmental impact of abortion pills on the state’s water supply and rivers, but also raise awareness of the dangers of chemical abortion.
"It's completely unknown. When I bring it up, most folks, I mean, you see their eyes just getting really big. They're like, ‘I had no idea, never even thought about that,’" she said.
After West Virginia Republicans further strengthened their majority in the state legislature, Rucker said she is feeling optimistic about the bill’s future.
Despite recent setbacks under the Biden administration and a slew of losses at the state level, Students for Life is confident that the momentum is about to change.
A mother holding her newborn baby on her warm chest at the hospital. (iStock)
Kristi Hamrick, Students for Life’s vice president of media and policy, told Fox News Digital that "as we know from Roe, a legal roadblock does not mean nothing can be done."
She pointed to the 2007 Supreme Court case Gonzalez vs. Carhart that set a precedent allowing states to protect unborn babies from partial-birth abortions despite Roe v. Wade being in place at the time.
She said that "the win in Carhart lays a legal foundation for how to proceed at the state and federal level."
In Arizona, where a sweeping abortion amendment was passed by voters on election day, state Rep. Rachel Jones is already working on drafting a bill which she hopes will push back.
Women cheer as former President Donald Trump arrives to speak at a campaign rally in Reading, Pennsylvania, on Nov. 4, 2024. (Photo by Ed JONES / AFP)
She envisions the bill as a way to help women and young girls truly understand the dangers of chemical abortion and to be aware of "all the options facing them."
"A lot of these women are making a decision based on fear," Jones told Fox News Digital. "They're being led to believe that's their only option. And then some of them end up regretting that decision later. And it really affects their mental health a lot."
Jones said that even some of her Democratic colleagues have signaled openness to a bill increasing education on chemical abortion, something she said makes her optimistic that her bill can receive bipartisan support.
"I think that a lot of these women were so misled because they weren't really told all the facts," she went on. "We're really protecting women, and I think that's really important right now."
Peter Pinedo is a politics writer for Fox News Digital.
