Arkansas college and high school students are working together to educate their peers about abortion and other life issues in Students for Life organizations on their campuses.
The first Students for Life group formed at the University of Arkansas Campus in Fayetteville in the fall 2009. The group currently has about 75 members, according to president and co-founder Julia Pritchett.
“It has definitely grown tremendously,” she said. “I truly believe that colleges are at the heart of abortion. It’s often where minds are shaped. When women enter college, statistics show that 47 percent are pro-life. Only 27 percent are pro-life when they graduate. We’re helping change minds for life.”
High school and college women also make up a large percentage of those getting abortions. According to the Guttmacher Institute, 18 percent of U.S. women obtaining abortions are teenagers and women aged 20–24 obtain 33 percent of all abortions.
Since 2009, students in Arkansas have formed active groups at Lyon College in Batesville, Harding University in Searcy, University of Arkansas at Fort Smith and Hendrix College and the University of Central Arkansas, both in Conway. Three high school groups are also currently active in Cabot and Branch (Franklin County), and a homeschool group in Franklin County.
Groups at Arkansas State University in Jonesboro and at Ouachita Baptist and Henderson State University, both in Arkadelphia, are currently inactive.
Both Pritchett and the University of Arkansas group’s other co-founder, Ben Rowse, were inspired by their Catholic faith. The two were part of a group that would pray at the now-closed abortion clinic together, as part of Catholic Campus Ministry at the University of Arkansas.
“Our pro-life beliefs have deep roots because of our Catholic faith. It gave us the courage to do this. Our initial members were instrumental in starting and sustaining us through prayer and going to adoration. We’re not religiously affiliated, but the origin of our group definitely started because of our shared beliefs in the dignity of the entire person,” said Pritchett, who is the only practicing Catholic in her family.
The diversity of members is a plus, especially when critics can’t say the group is part of a particular religious denomination.
“It is something that transcends faith. We can reach out to people who may not share our faith. It becomes more about the cause and not about individual beliefs,” said Erin Grant, president of Harding University Students for Life.
The climate is different for a campus like Harding University in Searcy where the campus is considered pro-life, Grant said.
“A lot of people say that they are pro-life, but don’t know what it means. We started our Students for Life to help educate them on pro-life issues from a biblical perspective, so they can take a leadership role and be Christian leaders,” she said. “People here assume everyone is pro-life and don’t see the need to be active. If we see something that needs to be done, we need to take action. In doing this, we grow closer to Christ and live our faith. It makes us proactive Christians and shows us that together we can make an impact.”
The group formed in January 2011 and has seen gradual growth to approximately 12 members over the year.
At both Fayetteville and Searcy, they have monthly meetings where they bring in speakers to educate members about all the issues involved in the pro-life movement.
“We have a whole life message. There’s more to pro-life than just abortion, although it is at the forefront of people’s minds. We stand in solidarity to show people that it’s OK to be pro-life,” Pritchett said.
In Searcy, they have worked on service projects to help the local pregnancy resource center and raise funds to support their work.
In Fayetteville, they recently participated in the national Pro-Life Day of Silent Solidarity where students stand silently in solidarity with those whose voices were silenced by abortion. In four to five hours, Pritchett said they handed out 4,000 flyers.
Members involved in Students for Life in Arkansas are planning to attend the National March for Life in Washington, D.C., which coincides with Students for Life’s national conference where they can receive training to help them be more effective campus leaders. They’re working on raising funds to help them go, Pritchett said. They’ve partnered with Logan County Right to Life, who will manage the money for their fundraising effort.
Pritchett knows how important it is to work with others who share your beliefs.
Growing up in Crittendon County, she worked on pro-life issues on her own. It was “an upward battle” to do things by herself, so she wants to show others that they are not alone in their pro-life beliefs.
“We’re trying to build a culture of life, so that takes more than just one person or one background. God gives each person very special gifts. When people work together with a similar mindset, it helps to reach more people. We have diverse members with diverse majors, which will help us be pro-life leaders in our communities and careers,” she said.
Grant grew up in Missouri where she attended West County Assembly of God with her family. Her family took interest in pro-life issues and encouraged her to be active in the legislative side of the issues.
Students for Life began in the 1970s as a group called C.A.M.P.U.S. and later changed its name in 1988 to American Collegians for Life. In 2006, it became Students for Life of America.
They began training existing pro-life organizations and opened 350 new groups since 2006. They have approximately 600 groups on college campuses and high schools around the United States, according to Sheri Krotzer, field agent for Arkansas, Mississippi and Missouri.
“I noticed that recently the students in Arkansas have become more active. There is more of an outspoken pro-life movement there. Arkansas is one of the few places that only has one abortion clinic now. With that being in the media so much, more people are willing to step out and do something,” she said.
In working with students to form groups on their campuses, Students for Life is helping with a major issue facing youth and young adults in pro-life — apathy.
“In general, one of the biggest problems is apathy. The college campus is a battleground for abortion. Women don’t see it as an option to have a baby and continue with school. They have a lack of knowledge about the resources and that there are people willing to give them support,” she said. “Our students in Arkansas are providing a strong presence … They are very passionate and know how important it is to speak up on campus.”