From Mother Jones · Amy Littlefield · · 1m 40s
Kristan Hawkins and anti-abortion movement on college campuses
How Kristan Hawkins' anti-abortion movement struggles to sway college students amid rising internal conflicts.
In brief
How Kristan Hawkins' anti-abortion movement struggles to sway college students amid rising internal conflicts. Kristan Hawkins' anti-abortion movement faces declining influence among college students as internal divisions grow, with her efforts to weaponize environmental laws and stop mail-based abortion pills failing…
Kristan Hawkins' campus impact
Kristan Hawkins organized debates on college campuses where students came with views already formed.
“Most students seemed to come to the 'change my mind' debates that Kristan organized with their views pretty fully formed already”
Student perceptions of Hawkins
Conservative Christian students saw her as a hero while others thought she was out of her damn mind.
“There were some conservative christian students who strongly agreed with her and saw her as a hero…others who thought she was out of her damn mind”
Polling data on campus
Overwhelmingly, young women support abortion rights with two-thirds of under 30s wanting legal abortion.
“Young people, especially young women, are overwhelmingly pro-choice. About two-thirds of people under 30 want abortion legal”
Hawkins' relationship with reporter
Hawkins read the reporter's book before interviews and shared personal moments like airport makeup.
“Kristan read my book, Killers of Roe: My Investigation Into the Mysterious Death of Abortion Rights, before our first interview”
Hawkins' strategy on campuses
Hawkins stokes cultural embattlement by showing pro-choicers reacting to Students for Life displays.
“Kristan stokes this feeling with her constant stream of content showing pro-choicers angrily reacting to Students for Life displays”
Anti-abortion movement's next move
They aim to revive the Comstock Act to ban abortion pills nationwide by targeting mail systems.
“She’s trying to stop something unstoppable: The mail and abortion pills”
Birth control opposition
Hawkins opposes birth control methods claiming they cause abortions, leveraging online trends for 'green' messaging.
“I picked up a Students for Life postcard that touted getting off birth control as a way to 'go green'”
Internal conflicts in movement
Hawkins faces backlash from hard-right faction blaming her for rising abortions and advocating harsh penalties.
“Kristan has said she’s more afraid of being shot by these folks than by pro-choicers”
Hawkins' balancing act
She uses feminist talking points to engage young women while maintaining extreme anti-abortion views.
“She leans into feminist talking points sometimes as a way to hook in young women and shoot down the misogynists”
Future of movement
Hawkins may increasingly struggle with internal divides as she spends more time fighting within the movement.
“I don’t think she’ll quit the movement, but I do think she’ll increasingly have trouble navigating these divides”
Current challenges
The movement faces declining influence among college students as internal conflicts grow.
“She’s trying to stop something unstoppable: The mail and abortion pills”
The headline
Kristan Hawkins' anti-abortion movement faces declining influence among college students as internal divisions grow, with her efforts to weaponize environmental laws and stop mail-based abortion pills failing to overcome widespread pro-choice sentiment.
