Serrin M. Foster
Feminists for Life President
LEGISLATION:
The FFL-endorsed Savanna’s Act, which will help combat the epidemic of missing and murdered Indigenous women, was signed into law. They
Congress unanimously passed the STOP Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) Act of 2020; FFL has been advocating for FGM victims for nearly two decades.
FFL successfully called for Discover to cease its card services on Pornhub, following reports of sexual assault and sex trafficking videos, including of minors, on the site. We supported Sen. Ben Sasse’s call for the Department of Justice to investigate the Canadian-based site. FFL also endorsed Sen. Josh Hawley’s bipartisan bill, which would let sex trafficking and revenge porn victims sue websites like Pornhub.
FFL contacted our New York supporters to inform them about A5499/S470, an anti-choice, anti-woman bill that would cripple pregnancy resource centers with unnecessary paperwork. We urged them to tell their legislators to vote against it, and in a VICTORY for pro-woman, pro-life advocates, it died before making it to a floor vote.
FFL alerted supporters to contact their members of Congress to vote to retain the Hyde Amendment. Although the House voted to repeal the amendment, the Senate narrowly retained it, a VICTORY for pro-woman, pro-life advocates.
FFL asked supporters to tell their members of Congress to support the Candidates Afforded Dignity, Equality, and Training, or CADET, Act of 2021 and the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act. FFL also endorsed Rep. Chris Smith’s effort to codify the Hyde Amendment into law.
FFL asked our supporters to tell their representatives to vote against the extremist, so-called “Women’s Health Protection Act,” which would have made abortion legal until birth and force medical professionals to participate in abortion. It unfortunately passed the House but thankfully appears DOA in the Senate.
FFL renewed work with Rep. Jeff Fortenberry’s office about Care for Her, a comprehensive bill which will focus on resources and support for pregnant and parenting women.
TEEN OUTREACH PROGRAM and COLLEGE OUTREACH PROGRAM:
FFL put out a series of memes with the messages “GIRLS DESERVE BETTER” and “FOREVER Priceless” for social media, where teens and young women “live.” FFL staff and interns also developed and are continuing to expand upon FFL’s First Wave Feminist History Course, which was out on Susan B. Anthony’s Birthday (February 15), along with Ms. Foster’s YouTube video, Part 1 of her landmark speech, “The Feminist Case Against Abortion.”
We had two Summer 2021 interns, from Christendom College and James Madison University, as well as one Fall 2021 intern, a graduate from Berea College (who brought Ms. Foster to lecture there in 2019) and current master’s student at Holy Apostles College and Seminary.
Ms. Foster presented her landmark speech, “The Feminist Case Against Abortion,” to students and professors at the Cardinal O’Connor Conference in D.C., Miami University (OH), the University of Mary Washington (VA), Providence University (RI), and University of Michigan Law School. She also opened and closed the “Vita et Veritas” Conference at Yale University (CT). Most recently, she moderated the 26th Annual Pregnancy and Parenting Resource Forum℠ at Georgetown University.
Cynthia J. Wood, J.D.,presented “Sexual Harassment: A Pro-Life Issue and a Question of Worth,” atthe Heartbeat International 50th Annual Conference (Columbus, OH), the Pro-Life Women’s Conference (Memphis, TN)—and Providence College.
Joyce McCauley-Benner presented “Slaves Among Us: Sex Trafficking in the U.S.” at Providence College (which kicked off a trio of events led by a former intern), the Catholic University of America (D.C.),and at the Heartbeat International Academy.
MEDIA:
Feminists for Life informs the news as well as inspires many others with our program and powerful slogans (and famous supporters), including in America, the Associated Press, Catholic News Agency, Catholic News Service, CatholicPhilly.com (Philadelphia), Church Militant, Columbia, the Dayton Daily News, Evangelical Focus, EWTN Pro-Life Weekly, Fox News, Heavy, Life in Oregon, LifeNews, Maine Beacon, New Hampshire Union Leader, National Review, Peace & Life Connections, Reading Eagle, RealClearPolitics, Reporter, Salon, the San Francisco Chronicle, the Star Tribune (Minneapolis), The Albany Herald, The Arlington Catholic Herald, The Beacon (University of Portland), The Catholic Spirit, The Catholic Sun (Phoenix), The Christian Post, The Cleveland Plain Dealer, The Daily Signal, The Greenville News (South Carolina), The Heritage Foundation, The Indianapolis Star, The La Junta Tribune Democrat, The Pilot (Boston), The Post and Courier, The Register-Mail (Galesburg, Illinois), The Spokesman-Review, The Texan, The Washington Times, the Urbana Daily Citizen (Ohio), Verdict, WAPT (Mississippi), WCBD-TV, Xavier Newswire.
In addition, FFL President Serrin M. Foster published an op-ed “Don’t Underestimate Women” in the Washington Examiner and was interviewed by Issues, Etc. and Verily. She was also interviewed alongside FFL medical adviser Dr. Ingrid Skop by Pregnancy Help News. WORLD magazine also interviewed FFL Co-Founder Pat Goltz.
WOMEN DESERVE BETTER WEBSITE:
- We are continuing to add articles to help women Work, Learn, Live, and Love better. There more than 250 articles now.
- We had more than 125,000 unique visitors in the past year to our helpsite.
THE AMERICAN FEMINIST®
- Our Fall/Winter 2020 edition, “Perseverance,” focused on pro-life initiatives during the historic pandemic.
- Our Spring/Summer 2021 issue was devoted to protecting our daughters: “Girls Deserve Better™” and the “FOREVER Priceless” Campaign.
- Our Fall/Winter 2021 issue, “Sheer Joy,” is our FFL family album and keepsake of our supporters’ funniest, sweetest, tenderest, and most precious memories. It is in the mail now!
LOOKING AHEAD:
In addition to numerous college campus and Roe events, expanding our new efforts to reach teens, and ongoing efforts on the Hill, FFL will gather in front of the U.S. Supreme Court on December 1 as attorneys present the oral arguments for Dobbs v. Jackson, a pivotal case that could overturn or severely curtail Roe v. Wade.
On behalf of the FFL Board and staff, we thank you for your support in 2021 and wish you and your family a wonderful 2022. We are grateful for your many sacrifices on behalf of our future leaders and women and children at highest risk of abortion — and our future leaders in all fields. As we approach our 50th Anniversary Celebration, we ask you to dig deep as we work to fulfill our mission. May peace begin in the womb and spread throughout the world.
