| Kristan Hawkins | |
| Birth Date: | 5 December 1985 |
| Birth Place: | Wellsburg, West Virginia, U.S. |
| Known For: | Anti-abortion activism |
| Party: | Republican |
| President of Students for Life of America (SFLA) | |
| Education: | Bethany College (BA) |
Kristan Hawkins (born December 5, 1985)[1] is an American anti-abortion activist who is the president of Students for Life of America (SFLA).[2]
Kristan Hawkins was born in 1985 in Wellsburg, West Virginia.[3] She was involved in her church in Wellsburg, later meeting her husband.
At age 15, Hawkins began volunteering at a crisis pregnancy center in Steubenville, Ohio. During her orientation at the center, she watched the anti-abortion film The Silent Scream. After volunteering at the center, she founded Teens for Life and joined the National Right to Life Committee and her local Republican chapter.[4]
She graduated with a B.A. in political science from Bethany College in West Virginia.[5] While in college, she worked for the Republican National Committee to reelect President George W. Bush, and for a year, she worked in Bush's administration.[6]
In 2006, Hawkins became president of Students for Life of America (SFLA). Under her leadership, SFLA has grown to more than 1,400 campus groups in 50 states from 180 campuses.
On June 25, 2022, Hawkins went on CNN with Pamela Brown to discuss abortion laws after Roe v. Wade was overruled .[7]
In October 2022, Hawkins was involved in a legal controversy after she was interviewed by two Yale students posing as anti-abortion activists who granted her a false award. The interview was filmed to use the footage in a satirical video composed by the same students, aiming to expose the reality of conservatism in the Yale community. Hawkins's legal team served the students with a cease-and-desist order.[8]
The "Make Abortion Illegal Again Tour" brought her to the University of Cincinnati, where she spoke at Tangeman University Center (TUC) on October 4, 2022. UC students arranged the event, and UC Young Democratic Socialists of America (UC YDSA) organized a counter-protest outside while Hawkins spoke. Hawkins went on to explain that she believes that "we no longer live in a country where abortion is an uncontested norm."[9]
Hawkins and co-host Isabel Brown, a conservative commentator with Turning Point USA, were invited to speak at Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) by Students for Life VCU. At the speaking venue, Hawkins and Brown were shouted at by protestors during their speech. Police asked Hawkins to leave the room to prevent further escalation, and she initially refused. Eventually, Hawkins and other anti-abortion students were contained in a locked safe room where they continued conversation. SFLA is providing security for Autumn Walser, the president of Students for Life at VCU, "for the near future" until it is deemed safe for her on campus.[10]
Hawkins held an event, "Lies Pro Choicers Believe," at the University of New Hampshire with Isabel Brown on April 18, 2023, in the Memorial Union Building. The event was countered by a "Choice & Cupcakes" event held in the same building at the same time and was eventually postponed due to the university wanting to avoid any perception that the university opposed a student event.[11]
In an interview by the host of NPR's “All Things Considered,” Ari Shapiro, Hawkins stated criticism over abortion rights. Hawkins argued issues over doctors giving abortions when the mother's life is at stake. She states the only time it is acceptable is an ectopic pregnancy. In that case, she states that it is acceptable to abort the pregnancy since it would not survive outside of the mother. She avoided directly answering questions regarding children in poverty when asked why no Republican action is taking place.[12]