From Mother Jones · Amy Littlefield · · 2m
Kristan Hawkins: From Roe’s Death to Abortion’s New Front
Kristan Hawkins, the anti-abortion movement’s youngest leader, now battles to make abortion unthinkable while facing a growing backlash from her own base.
In brief
Kristan Hawkins, the anti-abortion movement’s youngest leader, now battles to make abortion unthinkable while facing a growing backlash from her own base. Hawkins’ strategy to shift abortion discourse from medical access to cultural responsibility risks alienating her core supporters while gaining traction with…
Kristan Hawkins’ early rise
Hawkins joined Students for Life at 21 after a crisis pregnancy center visit, quickly becoming a campus activist.
“I remember leaving the pregnancy center the first day, like, 'Oh my god, what’s been going on?'”
The 'Change My Mind' tour
Hawkins hosts debates where students confront her stance on abortion, including a 9-year-old rape victim’s story.
“If I was not allowed to have an abortion, I would have been pregnant by 9.”
Hawkins’ moral stance
She argues that abortion is a moral failure for the child, not the mother, and that rape victims should not have access to abortion.
“The circumstances of a human’s conception do not change that human’s value.”
Dobbs and the shift
After Roe was overturned, Hawkins focused on abortion pills and water safety, claiming they pose public health risks.
“We’re literally breaking the story! Aahhh!”
The water safety push
Hawkins led efforts to link abortion pills to drinking water, pushing for federal testing and penalties for providers.
“We’re literally breaking the story! Aahhh!”
Abortion abolitionists
A faction within the movement now advocates criminalizing abortion seekers, targeting Hawkins with threats of violence.
“She’s an enemy of the word of God, through and through.”
The Comstock Act push
Hawkins seeks to enforce the 1873 Comstock Act to ban abortion drugs, but faces skepticism from federal officials.
“We’re literally breaking the story! Aahhh!”
Hawkins’ balancing act
She tries to bridge conservative women and young activists, using relatable language about motherhood and career.
“We’re juggling more balls than the men in our lives. Sorry, gentlemen.”
The abortion pill sting
Hawkins’ team attempted to show how easy it is to obtain abortion pills online, but accidentally proved the opposite.
“Oh.”
Idaho’s abortion vote
In Idaho, voters will decide whether to repeal a near-total abortion ban, highlighting Hawkins’ struggle to change culture.
“The sad thing is the people I fear getting shot by, most of the time, aren’t crazy Leftists...”
Hawkins’ legacy
Hawkins has built Students for Life into a national force but faces growing internal conflict over strategy.
“I do not think sexual assault survivors should have access to abortion, no.”
The cultural shift
Hawkins aims to make abortion unthinkable by changing cultural norms, not just laws.
“It’s not fair.”
The abortion water crisis
Hawkins’ water safety claims have been criticized by health experts but gained traction in conservative circles.
“We’re literally breaking the story! Aahhh!”
The Comstock Act challenge
Hawkins’ push to enforce the Comstock Act could ban abortion drugs nationwide but faces legal hurdles.
“We’re literally breaking the story! Aahhh!”
Hawkins’ personal struggle
She balances motherhood, activism, and a career while facing criticism from both sides of the abortion debate.
“I was in the freakin’ kitchen.”
The abortion pill paradox
Hawkins’ efforts to criminalize abortion seekers have backfired, highlighting the movement’s internal divisions.
“The sad thing is the people I fear getting shot by, most of the time, aren’t crazy Leftists...”
The short version
Hawkins’ strategy to shift abortion discourse from medical access to cultural responsibility risks alienating her core supporters while gaining traction with younger women.
