May 15, 2024
Students for Life Action (SFLAction) has been extremely busy so far in 2024 – from Arizona to Oklahoma, Kansas to Florida, and national news about President Donald Trump in-between, the Pro-Life Generation hasn’t stopped fighting for the preborn. In the midst of this media storm, we’ve scored some major wins in States that maybe didn’t grab big headlines or media attention.
New Hampshire: Abortion Kept Off the Ballot
Thanks to grassroots lobbying efforts in New Hampshire, an attempt to shove through a Constitutional amendment that would’ve enshrined abortion was stopped in its tracks. SFLAction actively campaigned in New Hampshire against CACR23 and CACR24, petitioning and engaging with voters to shut down Governor Sununu’s later-term abortion bills in the state, testifying before the State Legislature in March 2023 and again in January 2024, and working alongside State Representative Dave Testerman (Merrimack District 3) for the introduction of SFLAction-inspired legislation House Bill 591-FN, which protects the preborn once a heartbeat is detected.
READ: Chanel Prunier’s Op-Ed: New Hampshire Women Deserve Better than the Barbarism of Limitless Abortion
Maine: Abortion Kept Off the Ballot
There’s been ongoing battles against late term abortion Maine, but it moved to the next level when Democrat Gov. Janet Mills asked lawmakers to amend the state constitution to guarantee the right to abortion. However, the legislature would have needed a two-thirds majority, before voters get a final say at the ballot. Because of the pro-life movements grassroots activism in the state, the measure was voted down in the Senate in early April.
Louisiana: Existing Protections Kept Safe
Further south in Louisiana, an attempt to weaken pro-life protections by Democrats was beaten in a close vote. If successful, the proposed law would’ve removed exceptions for rape from the states existing pro-life laws ensuring that children, regardless of their conception, received equal protections under the law.
Beginning last session, SFLAction was active with texts and emails on this issue, and while Democrats brought the measure forward, pro-life legislators held the line.
WATCH: The Late Term Abortion Lie Gets Masterfully CALLED OUT During Heated Senate Hearing
Kentucky: Existing Protections Kept Safe
Despite Kentucky Democrat efforts to introduce exceptions into these laws to leave some babies behind based on the circumstances of their conception, the legislature has held firm against making such changes. SFLAction has been actively involved in opposing SB 99 and House Bill 711, which sought to create exceptions for cases of rape, incest, and so-called “nonviable” pregnancies.
Our advocacy efforts included statewide texting campaigns, as well as targeted flyering campaigns in the districts of legislators who cosponsored the bill. These campaigns informed Kentucky voters of the potential consequences of weakening the state’s pro-life laws and provided them with a way to contact their legislators. SFLAction’s persistence in lobbying and public advocacy played a crucial role in upholding Kentucky’s near-total Abortion Prevention Act.
READ: Legislation Alert: Kentucky Introduces HB 711, To Expand Abortion Access in The State
BONUS: New York
While SFLAction was not directly involved in this one, it’s still great news to share. According to the New York Post: “A state judge ordered that a controversial proposal on abortion rights be removed from the November ballot — delivering a blow to New York Democrats using the issue as a key campaign strategy.
Livingston County Judge Daniel Doyle ruled Tuesday that the legislators had failed to follow the proper constitutional steps to get the measure on the November ballot.”
In truth, New York already had some of the most permissive and expansive abortion laws in the nation but using it as a get out the vote strategy for Joe Biden’s flailing re-election campaign was always a shrewd strategy.
It’s a plan that’s already well underway in many other states – places where SFLAction is keeping the pressure on and pushing back.
READ: Abortion IS on the Ballot: The Top Pro-Life Ballot Initiatives for 2024
Students for Life of America (SFLA) launched an effort to get mistaken signatures removed from these ballot initiatives at AbortionBallot.org. The website has specifics on how each state handles signature withdrawal requests.
READ: Signature Collection Campaigns Rely on Confusion: But You Can Undo That Mistake
SFLAction is also releasing resource kits to equip grassroots activists in their fight against the pro-abortion lobby.
