Student leaders report the impact made by FFL speakersFFL President Serrin M. Foster's "The Feminist Case Against Abortion""[This] was by far our best on-campus event of the semester—Serrin did a great job capturing the audience and covering all the bases so that afterwards people who I know to be pro-choice had to struggle for questions." "As the national coordinator of Medical Students for Life, I owe a debt of gratitude to Ms. Serrin Foster and her pioneering work with Feminists for Life of America. She has given college pro-life activists the tools and language to engage society with woman-centered solutions to abortion, effectively bringing the end to abortion that much closer. We have pro-life and pro-choice students waiting on the edges of their seats, waiting to begin this next semester, committed to helping pregnant women on our [Loyola and Tulane] campuses." "Ms. Foster provided an engaging and interesting review of feminist history on the issue of abortion, and a compelling argument for the need to provide women [with] resources and support to continue with their pregnancies." "[After Serrin's speech on campus], an editorial article in the Carnegie Mellon Tartan [acknowledged] that the campus should take part in a discussion about ‘how to change the realities of women's lives so that they don't need to have abortions.'"
"We had a fantastic event thanks to Serrin. This was our 32nd annual pro-life breakfast, and many people are saying it was the best ever! Serrin's message enlightened, inspired, and also challenged the audience to carry forward the feminist ideals of true equality and respect for every person. We loved working with Serrin and feel very fortunate to have had some time to visit with her before and after the event." "I met Serrin Foster when she moderated a Pregnancy Resource Forum at the University of Virginia a few years ago. At that time I was very active in NOW and pro-choice. I like to thank her for laying a small seed at that time. It has taken a few years of soul-searching to come to a pro-life stance and it has come at a personal cost with former political allies... There can be no denying that since Roe vs. Wade the promise of economic equality has not been delivered. Women who have made the ‘choice' to have children and choose to stay in the workforce suffer because of it. Why is that? Does the pro-abortion movement want to answer that question? No. Because it opens a dialogue that they do not want to have." "Serrin was amazing! How she handled the conflicting hand raisers was masterful." Former FFL Vice President Sally Winn's "Refuse to Choose: Reclaiming Feminism""I think the impact of the lecture is that we have begun to have conversations about how to support pregnant and parenting students on campus. It was a refreshing change from our usual pro-life events. Sally Winn is bright, witty, and a very engaging speaker. We enjoyed her presence immensely." "Sally provided a logical, passionate, woman-centered approach to the argument for life. I was thankful to have the unique input of a feminist for life on our campus. Sally's support of on-site daycare is continuing to fuel discussion." "We are thrilled to host such a dynamic speaker who will present a fresh and truly feminist perspective on the strength of women, the potential of every human life, and the responsibility of educational institutions and employers to ensure that a woman does not have to choose between her goals and her unborn child." FFL speaker Joyce McCauley-Benner's "Victory Over Violence""For me, the most poignant part was when she shared her personal story about being raped and the struggle she underwent during her pregnancy. The strongest point of her talk, however, was her insistence on...focusing our energy on eradicating all instances where a woman would find herself violently thrust into an unwanted pregnancy (i.e., rape, incest, etc.)." "We thought the speaker was a great success. She helped accomplish our goal for the semester by starting to build a bridge between opposing groups on campus."
"In many talks about the hard cases such as rape, many pro-life activists only focus on the baby.... Although these arguments are valid and logically sound and even address the emotional pain the mother is in, they don't really look at how just the act of being raped affects the woman's daily life... [Joyce] took the focus off of who the baby's father is to who his mother is. Both pro-lifers and pro-choicers get caught up in how the child was conceived...they forget who the mother is—most often a strong, capable woman." FFL's College Outreach Program Coordinator Chaunie Brusie's "What About MY Choice? Where's the Support?""I wish I could have seen this video before I had an abortion. It is devastating to live with the truth of an abortion, if it is not really necessary... But if I had a support of some people like myself, my panic state wouldn't have won." "The story of [Chaunie's] struggle as a mother in college touched the hearts of many. She challenged the audience to be supportive of all pregnant mothers—to celebrate the new life they are about to bring into the world regardless of the situation." "Chaunie—brave one—I wish I had made the choice to give birth—it is 40 years later and I miss my only child, the beautiful daughter I aborted."
|