FFL President Serrin M. Foster is the creator of the Women Deserve Better® and the Girls Deserve Better® campaigns. Her landmark speech, “The Feminist Case Against Abortion,” has been recognized as one of the “great speeches in history” in an anthology called Women’s Rights. She has focused on developing on-campus resources and support for underserved pregnant and parenting students and is an outspoken opponent of pregnancy discrimination.
Serrin has led Feminists for Life since 1994. Under her leadership, FFL successfully advocated benefits for poor and pregnant women through the State Child Health Insurance Program, worked in coalition with other women’s organizations to defeat the mandatory “family cap” and other punitive child exclusion provisions in welfare reform, and helped to prevent poverty and coerced abortions due to threats to withhold child support through passage of the Enhanced Child Support Act.
Serrin served on the National Taskforce Against Sexual Assault and Domestic Violence, which worked to pass the Violence Against Women Act, and she also testified before the U.S. House Judiciary Committee in support of the Unborn Victims of Violence Act, also known as “Laci and Conner’s Law.”
In January 1997, Serrin moderated the first-ever FFL Pregnancy Resource ForumSM at Georgetown University, which became a model for the country and in 2010 became the basis for Pregnancy Assistance Fund grants awarded by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
Serrin’s efforts earned her an honorary doctorate from Belmont Abbey College in 2008. In 2019, Serrin was presented the First Annual Legacy Award at the Pro-Life Women’s Conference.
Serrin has been interviewed by ABC News, CBN, CNN, CNN International, EWTN, and FOX News, RTÉ, NPR, Chicago Tribune, Los Angeles Times, New York Times, Washington Post, Washington Times, and many other news outlets.
Serrin serves as editor-in-chief of The American Feminist and FFL’s helpsite, WomenDeserveBetter.com.
To book Serrin to speak at your next conference, banquet, rally, or campus event, or to inquire about her hosting an FFL Pregnancy Resource ForumSM at your university or college please contact info@feministsforlife.org. Any interview requests should also be directed to that email address.
Hear what they’re saying about “The Feminist Case Against Abortion”
“The very fact that the lecture even took place made a big impact on students—knowing that they are not alone in their beliefs. Substantively, I think Serrin’s talk provided a helpful, viable, practical perspective that students perhaps hadn’t heard before. Her personal testimony and straightforward arguments were impactful and inviting of conversations. What I liked most about Serrin was her willingness to work with those that disagreed with her—or even hated her— and her unwillingness to compromise on the truth. This speaker really did open up the possibility of conversation and dialogue among parties who don’t totally agree with each other on abortion.” —Megan Clancy, George Washington University (February 2023)
“Inspiring Women: Celebrating Their Legacy” — Seneca Falls, NY, September 26, 2020
“Serrin, it indeed was a marvelous talk. You get double A+ (Absolutely Awesome)! Trust me. It was well-received. Doing virtual Zoom events to a room means you can’t capture the smiles and nods from the audience. On behalf of Susan and Elizabeth and Matilda and Pauline and Sojourner and Mary and Sara and Amelia…and all the good women of Seneca Falls, we are grateful.”
—Carol Crossed, owner of the Susan B. Anthony Birthplace Museum
“I just wanted to thank you from the bottom of my heart for delivering a most remarkable keynote address at our event on Saturday. Your words and delivery were inspiring, informative, and insightful. I cannot think of a better person or speech to have commemorated 100 years of women’s suffrage, especially during these trying times. You propel the pro-life feminist movement forward, Serrin. We are so grateful.”
—Michele Sterlace-Accorsi, Executive Director, Feminists Choosing Life of New York
“Your speech was riveting, inspiring, and educational for me…. I was glued to your presentation. Thank you so much for inspiring young women like me to further my role in the pro-life movement. You truly motivated me with your speech, your work, and your role as a pro-life woman. I hope to do half the work you have done for the movement!”
—Carrie Perham, Executive Assistant to FCLNY President Carol Crossed
“Serrin truly knows her history (history most people don’t!) and expresses it beautifully. She is also able to handle the hardest questions/situations with grace and compassion. FFL Speakers are wonderful at attracting different groups who normally wouldn’t attend a pro-life event. Having a bipartisan, secular presence at Providence College is crucial to reaching ALL students at Providence College. FFL Speakers are also experts at what they do.”
—Grace Berning, Providence College, Providence, RI (March 2021, virtual presentation)
“At the end of the day, [security] measures weren’t necessary: We didn’t encounter any resistance to the talk and attendance was good. To me, the fact that students who were unsure about their own views on abortion were there made this event a success.”
—Annemarie Arnold, Boston College, MA (October 2019)
“That was the best speech I’ve ever heard on abortion, and I want to tell you that I am not pro-life — or pro-choice.”
—Boston College student (October 2019)
“Serrin’s lecture was the biggest turnout for an event our club has sponsored. I loved how friendly Serrin was with students before and after the lecture. Serrin is a dynamic speaker and makes a compelling argument.”
—Maddie Davin, Wheeling Jesuit University, WV (November 2017; it was their largest event ever!)
“The lecture was an excellent opportunity for our students to hear a pro-life argument not based on religious principles, and therefore easier to present to non-religious students on campus…. [We most liked] her sincerity and passion, her ability to show clearly the real meaning of feminism, and her conviction balanced with compassion.”
—John More, George Mason University, VA (October 2017)
“Serrin’s talk is great for a feminist crowd and will definitely open conversation on your campus!”
—Cassidy Roderick, Franciscan University at Steubenville OH (November 2017)
“FFL moves the discussion from generalities to specific, very human contexts. Linking the life movement to the civil rights saga was brilliant and informative. I would recommend her as a speaker to leaders at other venues without hesitation.”
—Father Randolph Geminder, Saint Mary’s Anglican Church, New York (October 2017)
“The event was such a success! Your speech was stirring, and engaging, and was the absolute highlight of the event…. We are getting feedback from attendees about how much they loved your speech, and also how it was helpful for them practically. Thank you!!”
—Ifeoma Anunkor, One Spring Night, The Human Life Review, NYC (June 2017)
“Several people pointed out certain things that shocked them, that they never heard of before, and/or that really stuck with them, such as the pro-life stance of the first feminists and the fact that most women getting abortions already have kids. They were uplifted and inspired to do more!”
—Heather Gardner, Ladies for Life Brunch, Benefit for Central Texas Coalition for Life (May 2017)
“Ms. Foster is really wonderful and interesting and can draw a crowd even on a campus that is not traditionally very actively pro-life. This is a great bridge between feminist groups and the pro-life groups.”
—Katharine Britton, University of Virginia (April 2016; it was also their largest event ever!)
“Ms. Foster was very passionate about what she was talking about which made her presentation even more powerful…. I think [her speech] reaches all kinds of people and spreads the message that feminists are pro-life.”
—Emily Hacker, St. Norbert College WI (April 2015, after Gloria Steinem spoke the prior week)
Praise for Serrin’s work as an FFL Pregnancy and Parenting Resource Forum(SM) Moderator:
Serrin led the discussion in an engaging way, and helped panelists consider practical and realistic steps that we could take on campus.
—Anne Whelan, College of William and Mary, February 2020
FFL President Serrin M. Foster, “Inspiring Women: Celebrating Their Legacy” — Seneca Falls, NY, September 26, 2020
“I heard Serrin Foster twice during my tenure as Director of Campus Ministry at Loyola University MD, and I thought she was the most dynamic and persuasive pro-life speaker I had ever heard.” —The Rev. Daniel M. Ruff, S.J., Loyola College, Baltimore, MD (2001 & 2005)
Click here to see a historical list of where our speakers have spoken.
