February 19, 2024
GUEST POST: by Heather Litchfield, Pacific Southwest Regional Coordinator for Students for Life of America (SFLA).
On Saturday, February 10, a few students and I traveled to the Gilbert Farmers Market in Phoenix, Arizona to inform voters about abortion extremism. It turns out, pro-abortion extremism was much closer to us than we realized.
Our activism was through Decline to Sign, which is an extensive effort in Arizona to inform voters of the abortion extremism that organizations like NARAL and Planned Parenthood are attempting to get on the 2024 ballot.
Decline to Sign works when voters first decline to sign to stop the initiative from appearing on the ballot. If it does go on the ballot, voting “no” prevents the act from passing and the keep in place the present abortion limits. will stop the act from passing, keeping the present abortion limits in place.
It’s called the Arizona Abortion Access Act. This measure goes so far as to allow abortion to the moment of birth, removes a medical doctor from administrating the abortion, takes away parental consent laws, and makes abortions entirely taxpayer-funded.
Currently, Arizona permits abortion up to 15 weeks of gestation without exceptions for cases of rape or incest. To stop the Arizona Abortion Access Act, roughly 383,000 signatures are needed to get Decline to Sign on the ballot.
Abortion is on the ballot in other states, such as Colorado, Arkansas, and Florida. When our students went to the farmer’s market, we discovered two things: the people we talked to didn’t understand that passing the act would allow for abortion up to birth, and secondly, some pro-abortion activists will go to serious measures to ensure they don’t know.
When we arrived at the farmers market, petitioners had a table at the entrance. We were polite and kind, setting up across from them with our flyers. As we waited for people to show up, one of the petitioners taunted us by yelling, “The Jesus squad is here. No one wants you here.” He lit a cigarette and stood beside us while smoking it.
As people began showing up, we approached and began to inform them of the extreme measures the bill would take. People would pause and contemplate if they were comfortable with abortion until birth. Many people chose to walk away, but when the petitioner realized we were impacting his signatures, he began to get aggressive.
There was a mom when I walked up to speak with a young girl he had engaged with. I stood between her and the petition table and asked if she supported abortion until the moment of birth. She said, “Oh, no not really.” She was interested in our information and was attempting to get more. As I went to hand her a pamphlet, the petitioner used his shoulder to knock me out of the way and give her the clipboard to fill out. As he forced me out of the way he began say, “Without this bill, it will be illegal for all abortions in Arizona.”
The petitioner continued his deception to make people feel like they could not, in good conscience, walk away. He made people fear what could happen if this measure didn’t go through.
Most people, even pro-choice people, oppose the abortion extremism this bill will bring to Arizona. Even abortion-loving California was repulsed by abortion up until birth.
When people know the truth, their eyes open to reality, and many pro-abortion activists will do their best to conceal this fact, whether through physical or verbal intimidation. I’m grateful for the support from Students for Life of America and our students who continued to spread the truth of abortion kindly in opposition.