“Outside the Beltway, the Pro-Life Generation is organizing now because we expect results from politicians who keep promising to get taxpayers out of the business of supporting abortion,” said SFLA’s Kristan Hawkins.
In advance of some strategic votes related to abortion, Students for Life of America’s National #Sockit2PP tour heads west, stopping in 10 locations from abortion mega centers to U.S. Senate district offices, joining with political and cultural leaders to send a message back to Washington D.C. that Planned Parenthood and the abortion industry must no longer be left unchecked to hurt women and pre-born children while draining scarce taxpayer resources. “Politicians have said for years that they could protect women and pre-born children from the greedy, unregulated and predatory abortion business in America if only they had majorities to work with,” said SFLA President Kristan Hawkins.
“We are holding them to account. Now is the time to defund Planned Parenthood, get taxpayer-supported abortion out of healthcare and pass the Pain-Capable Unborn Child Protection Act. We will finish the #Sockit2 PP tour educating, energizing and mobilizing Generation Z and Millennials who value pre-born life and know that abortion IS violence. And with all the issues left unaddressed in this legislative session, our timing is perfect for drawing attention to the work that is undone.”
Along with educational tools about how abortion harms women, students are also being equipped to call on their office holders, asking them to do three things: Defund Planned Parenthood, Support Life-Affirming Healthcare, and Pass the Pain Capable Unborn Child Protection Act. “Planned Parenthood tells the media that they are the voice of the next generation of leaders, but with more than 1,100 college and student groups nationwide, Students for Life of America is positioned to mobilize the conscience of this country on behalf of human beings who need someone to speak for them,” said Hawkins. “And if the current political leadership is not up to task of defunding Planned Parenthood, we will look to primaries to see who else can take up that challenge.”
Over the last few months, Students for Life of America has been engaged in a tour of more than 90 college campuses, educating on the violence of abortion experienced by women as well as pre-born children. And while some who oppose the life-affirming messages havetried to block the free speech rights of students or vandalized the peaceful displays as illustrated in this interactive map, courageous student leaders continue to speak for the pre-born and their mothers.
On the tour, SFLA travels with the powerful visual of a truck filled with 328,348 baby socks, each sock representing a child aborted by Planned Parenthood this year.
“We will stand outside Planned Parenthood facilities mourning the fact that no one will fill the little socks left empty by their dirty business, and we are horrified that after videos illustrated clearly that Planned Parenthood also has sold the body parts of aborted infants, nothing has yet been done,” said Hawkins. “But as we will tell politicians and the media next week, we are not going away. We have not given up on life. And we will not forget at election time.”
You can learn more about #Sockit2PP here.
Local pro-life leaders and politicians will join SFLA as the tour continues on:
- Tuesday, Nov. 7 in Illinois where recently Governor Bruce Rauner has come under fire for violating a campaign promise and choosing to fund abortion in his state with tax dollars. SBA List’s Jill Stanek will be among the speakers.
Event will take place at noon to 1 p.m. Central time at Planned Parenthood’s location at 3051 East New York Street, Aurora, IL.
- Wednesday, Nov. 8 in Minnesota.
Event will take place from noon to 1 p.m. Central time at Planned Parenthood’s location at Vandalia Center, 671 Vandalia Street, St. Paul, MN.
- Thursday, Nov. 9 in Missouri.
Event will take place from 7 p.m. to 8 p.m. Central time at Planned Parenthood’s location at 4251 Forest Park Ave., St. Louis, MO, a city in which recently 67 women in white recently joined SFLA and national and state leaders at an abortion clinic where ambulance calls have been placed 67 times for women in distress since 2009.
- Saturday, Nov. 11 in Colorado.
Event will take place from 11 a.m. to noon Mountain time near Planned Parenthood’s location at 1284 South Abilene Street, Aurora, CO. EVENT ADDRESS: 1500 South Abilene Street, Aurora, CO.
- Monday, November 13 in Arizona
Planned Parenthood – Glendale Health Center: 5771 W Eugie Ave, Glendale, AZ 85304
- Tuesday, Nov. 14 in California at the office of Sen. Kamala Harris.
Event will take place from noon to 1 p.m. Pacific time at Sen. Harris’ district office, at 629 A Street, San Diego, CA.
- Wednesday, Nov. 15 in California.
Event will take place from noon to 1 p.m. Pacific time at Planned Parenthood’s location at 7655 Greenleaf Avenue, Whittier, CA.
- Thursday, Nov. 16 in California.
Event will take place from 10 a.m. to 11 a.m. Pacific time at Planned Parenthood’s B Street Health Center, 201 29th St., Sacramento, CA.
- And also Thursday, Nov. 16 in Nevada.
Event will take place near Sen. Dean Heller’s District office from 2:30 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. Pacific time, in the Bruce Thompson Federal Building, 400 S. Virginia Street, Suite 738, Reno, Nevada. EVENT ADDRESS at 488 S. Center Street.
- Friday, Nov. 17 in California at the site of a planned, Planned Parenthood Center.
Event will take place from noon to 1 p.m. Pacific time at a location in which Planned Parenthood wants to build another mega center, at 1522 Bush Street, San Francisco, CA.
To learn more about the speakers at the events or for interviews, e-mail Kristi at khamrick@studentsforlife.org