Feminists for Life
Feminists for Life of America is a non-profit, anti-abortion feminist, non-governmental organization. Established in 1972, and now based in Alexandria, Virginia, the organization describes itself as "shaped by the core feminist values of justice, non-discrimination, and non-violence". FFL publishes a biannual magazine, The American Feminist, and aims to reach young women, college students in particular.
FFL's anti-abortion positions have been criticized by some traditional feminists. Katha Pollitt, columnist for The Nation, argues that FFL seeks to make abortion illegal in all cases, including those of rape, incest, health, major fetal defects, and "even some abortions most doctors would say were necessary to save the woman's life".
Methods
FFL uses "pro-women" language in order to convince women that abortion is "immoral". They use the "pro-woman" term as a substitute for "feminist", while at the same time opposing mainstream feminism. FFL holds that abortion is antithetical to feminism. Goltz argued that the legalization of abortion allowed sexually exploitative men to avoid responsibilities such as paying for child support. FFL argues that abortion comes from gender inequality. In response to Roe v. Wade, Callaghan made several claims, including that abortion causes bodily injury to women "in a third to a half of the cases", and that the Supreme Court legalized abortion because they "hate poor and unwed mothers". Professor Kelsy Kretschmer said these claims are unsubstantiated, but that the FFL uses such claims to undermine the idea that legal abortion is a feminist "victory".History
Origins
Feminists for Life was founded by Pat Goltz and Cathy Callaghan in Ohio in 1972. Goltz and Callaghan met in a judo club on the campus of Ohio State University, where Callaghan was a tenured professor of linguistics. In 1974, Goltz was expelled from the Columbus, Ohio, chapter of the National Organization for Women for arguing that abortion violated feminist principles, although she and Callaghan were not expelled from national NOW membership.Mid-1970s
After five years as president of FFL, Goltz retired. In 1977, organizational management was moved to Wisconsin. The group's activities focused on being a presence at both anti-abortion and feminist events, distributing literature, and writing letters to various publications. A national workshop that became an annual conference for anti-abortion feminists was launched during this time. Many members supported both the Equal Rights Amendment and a Human Life Amendment as "complementary in their concern for human life".1980s
In June 1984, at the annual FFL meeting in Omaha, Nebraska, peace activist Rachel MacNair was elected president of FFL. Out of her office at a crisis pregnancy center in Kansas City, Missouri, she ran FFL for ten years. Under MacNair, FFL began to receive more national exposure through media interviews, involvement in a broad spectrum of anti-abortion issues, and invitations to speak at anti-abortion events. By 1989, FFL was reporting that their research had found statements against abortion that had been made by early feminists. Some of these findings were challenged by specialists in women's history, especially in the case of Susan B. Anthony, leading to a public dispute about her views on abortion. During 1992, MacNair also worked toward founding the Susan B. Anthony List as a political action committee working against abortion through electing anti-abortion candidates.1990s
In the 1990s, FFL worked within the anti-abortion movement but they used "pro-woman" language to establish a "feminist" identity separate from both feminists and anti-abortion activists. Professor Laury Oaks noted that, in practice, their actions revealed a "pro-life stance" from which they attacked mainstream feminism. They backed laws which limited access to abortion. FFL did not usually state that their group's ultimate goal was to outlaw abortion, but they supported radical activism in Operation Rescue's effort to blockade abortion clinics by filing amicus curiae briefs in the 1993 Supreme Court case Bray v. Alexandria Women's Health Clinic. FFL also supported two attempts in the 1990s to enact a "partial-birth" abortion ban, both of which were vetoed by President Bill Clinton.In 1994–1995 after MacNair stepped down as leader, FFL's office was moved to Washington, D.C., and reorganized as a more politically pragmatic operation under Serrin Foster. Foster began in 1994 to visit college campuses where she spoke out against abortion. This effort was expanded in 1996 to a college outreach campaign involving all of FFL. In 1999 the FFL proposed that the Violence Against Women Act should not allow abortions of pregnancies from rape.
2000s
In mid-2005, the Woodward Building, which housed the offices of Feminists for Life, the National Organization for Women, and The Hill newspaper, among others, closed to be converted into apartments.Contraception
FFL states that its members and supporters "hold a broad spectrum of opinions" about contraception, with FFL taking no official position on the matter. Prominent FFL member Sarah Palin stated in 2006, "I'm pro-contraception, and I think kids who may not hear about it at home should hear about it in other avenues".Some commentators have criticized FFL for not promoting contraception. Katha Pollitt says that she asked Serrin Foster about it, and that Foster replied in part that the Pill did not work for teenagers, which Pollitt said was a belief she knew to be false. Feminist scholar Laury Oaks pointed out that FFL's silence on the subjects of contraception and safer sex "fails to address some of the most critical sexual and reproductive issues for women and presents views on pregnancy that cannot encompass the reality of many women's experiences".
''The American Feminist''
FFL publishes a biannual magazine called The American Feminist which includes original and reprinted articles.College Outreach program
In 1994, Foster began to visit college campuses to deliver her speech "The Feminist Case Against Abortion". FFL established a college outreach program in 1996.For a college audience, FFL designed a promotional campaign that challenged abortion rights advocacy and provided information for pregnant women, not including how to obtain an abortion. FFL members created several kits for student activists, a kit for residential advisers and psychological counselors, a feminist history kit for libraries, and challenging ads for college audiences, in addition to the resources available through FFL's website. Two of the eight "Question Abortion" posters offered in 2000 touched upon political issues, one of these saying "No law can make the wrong choice right". One poster used an image of Susan B. Anthony and an out-of-context paraphrased quote determined two years earlier by FFL historian Mary Krane Derr to be about estate law, not abortion. Other posters recast choice as the "imperative to have an abortion", or implied that life was better before abortion rights, back when abortion was illegal. Other FFL posters reveal an anti-abortion stance even in case of rape or incest.
One of the goals of the college program is to get members of college campuses to help advocate for student parenting as a way to reduce the prevalence of abortion. This is an example of "common ground" advocacy. Both sides of the abortion issues are coming together in attempt to work together to find solutions for other issues relating to abortion.
FFL believes that there should be daycares on college campuses', dorm housing for women with children, and maternity coverage in health insurances. They blame abortion rights activists for failing to secure provisions that would help make motherhood an easier choice for women.
"Women Deserve Better" campaign
FFL supported the Elizabeth Cady Stanton Pregnant and Parenting Students Act, which was criticized by writer Emily Bazelon in Mother Jones as a "largely hollow 'message bill'". Bazelon opined that the 10 million dollars provided by the bill would be "paltry" when spread nationwide. Bazelon quoted Frances Kissling, leader of the abortion rights organization Catholics for a Free Choice, as calling the bill "not serious", and adding that "if we support these message bills that don't really give women much help, then the real message we send is that we're not strongly committed to women".Prominent members
In 2007, Foster noted that FFL had reached 26,000 members, including the families of women who joined.During the confirmation hearings for John Roberts, his position on abortion was questioned in light of his wife's FFL membership, leading to intensified focus by the media on the group.
Sarah Palin, the first woman to be nominated by the Republican Party for Vice President of the United States and the first female governor of Alaska, has been a FFL member since 2006.