Feminists for Life
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{| class="infobox" style="width: 23em; font-size: 90%;"
|+ style="font-size: larger;" | '''Feminists for Life'''
<tr><td colspan="2" style="text-align: center; padding: 16px 0 16px 0;">[[Image:FFL-logo.jpg|centre|250px]] </td></tr>
|-
! style="text-align:right;" | Type
| [[Non-profit]] [[pro-life]] [[feminist]] [[organization]]
|-
! style="text-align:right;" | Founded
| [[1972]]
|-
! style="text-align:right;" | Location
| [[Alexandria]], [[Virginia]]
|-
! style="text-align:right;" | Leader
| Serrin Foster, President<br>Sally Winn, Vice President
|-
! style="text-align:right;" | Field
| [[Pro-life]] [[feminism]]
|-
! style="text-align:right;" | Purpose
| [[Pro-life]] [[advocacy]].
|-
! style="text-align:right;" | Budget
| USD $547,842 <br>(fiscal year 2003)<ref name="Profiles of 15 Leading">{{cite web
| last =Weiss
| first =Deborah
| title= Profiles of 15 Leading Anti-Choice Organizations
| publisher=[[Planned Parenthood]]
| date=2005-01-03
| url
=http://www.plannedparenthood.org/news-articles-press/politics-policy-issues/abortion-access/antichoice-organizations-6127.htm
| accessdate=2007-08-08}}</ref>
|-
! style="text-align:right;" | Employees
|
|-
! style="text-align:right;" | Website
| [http://www.feministsforlife.org www.feministsforlife.org]
|}
{{Abortion}}
'''Feminists for Life of America (FFL)''' is the largest and most visible [[pro-life feminism|pro-life feminist]] organization. Established in 1972 and now based in Alexandria, Virginia, the organization describes itself as "shaped by the core [[feminist]] values of [[justice]], nondiscrimination, and [[nonviolence]]."<ref name="Living the Legacy of Pro-Life Feminism">{{cite web
| title=Living the Legacy of Pro-Life Feminism
| publisher=[[Feminists For Life]]
| date=2007
| url
=http://www.feministsforlife.org/FeminismCourse/conclusion.htm
| accessdate=2007-08-08}}</ref> FFL asserts they continue the tradition of early American feminists such as [[Susan B. Anthony]], who opposed [[abortion]].<ref name="Join Feminists For Life">{{cite web
| title=Join Feminists For Life
| publisher=[[Feminists For Life]]
| date=2007
| url
=http://www.feministsforlife.org/who/joinus.htm
| accessdate=2007-08-07}}</ref> FFL is a non-profit dedicated to "systematically eliminating the root causes that drive women to abortion — primarily lack of practical resources and support — through [[holistic]], woman-centered solutions."<ref name="Finding One Another: The Internet's Genius">{{cite web
| last =Becker
| first =Brenda L.
| title=Finding One Another: The Internet's Genius
| publisher=[[Feminists for Life]]
| date=Fall 2000, vol. 12 no. 1, p. 5
| url
=http://www.feministsforlife.org/taf/
| accessdate=2007-08-07}}</ref>
Feminists for Life maintains that being [[pro-life]] is compatible with [[feminism]], and, further, that it is the natural conclusion of [[feminist]] values. Members and supporters of the organization claim that being a [[pro-life feminism|pro-life feminist]] is not an oxymoron, it's redundant.
__TOC__
== Statement of purpose ==
The president of the "non-[[sectarian]], non-[[partisan]]" Feminists For Life, Serrin Foster, describes the organization as opposed to all forms of [[abortion]], including cases of [[rape]], [[incest]], [[birth defects]], or to preserve the mother's health or life as broadly defined in the Supreme Court's ''[[Doe v. Bolton]]'' decision.<ref name="U.S. Supreme Court - DOE v. BOLTON">{{cite web
| last =Blackmun
| first =Justice
| coauthors =Chief Justice Burger, Justices Douglas, White and Rehnquist
| title=U.S. Supreme Court - DOE v. BOLTON, 410 U.S. 179 (1973)
| publisher=[[FindLaw]]
| date=1973-01-22
| url
=http://caselaw.lp.findlaw.com/scripts/getcase.pl?court=us&vol=410&invol=179
| accessdate=2007-08-07}}</ref> FFL believes that basic [[human rights]], including the right to life, start at conception (FFL defined as the first formation of a human [[zygote]]).<ref name="The American Feminist, volume 10, no. 1, page 4">{{cite web
| title=The American Feminist
| publisher=[[Feminists for Life]]
| date=volume 10, no. 1, page 4
| url
=http://www.feministsforlife.org/taf}}</ref>
On its website and in its in-house publication ''American Feminist'', FFL describes its broader vision as opposition to all forms of violence, considered as "inconsistent with the core [[feminist]] principles of justice, [[nonviolence]] and nondiscrimination"<ref name="Women's Groups March in Wrong Direction">{{cite web
| last =O'Brien
| first =Nancy
| coauthors =Foster, Serrin
| title=Women's Groups March in Wrong Direction
| publisher=[[Feminists for Life]]
| date=Summer 1995
| url
=http://www.feministsforlife.org/taf/1995/summer/wrgmrch.htm
| accessdate=2007-08-07}}</ref> including the [[Capital punishment|death penalty]],<ref name="In The Know: Newsletters worth your time">{{cite web
| last =Hoyt
| first =Robert G.
| title=In The Know: Newsletters worth your time
| publisher=[[Commonweal]]
| date=1999-06-04
| url
=http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m1252/is_11_126/ai_55707734/pg_2
| accessdate=2007-08-08}}</ref> [[Consensual homicide|assisted suicide]],<ref name="In The Know: Newsletters worth your time"/> [[euthanasia]],<ref name="The Euthanasia/Abortion Connection">{{cite web
| last =Mathewes-Green
| first =Frederica
| title=The Euthanasia/Abortion Connection
| publisher=[[Feminists for Life]]
| date=2006, reprinted from ''SisterLife''
| url
=http://www.feministsforlife.org/FFL_topics/euthanasia/euthabor.htm
| accessdate=2007-08-08}}</ref> [[infanticide]],<ref name="Desperate Young Women Kill Their">{{cite web
| last =Kiniorski
| first =Kerri-Ann
| title=Desperate Young Women Kill Their Newborn Babies: Fighting a Culture of Violence
| publisher=[[Feminists for Life]]
| date=Fall 1997
| url
=http://www.feministsforlife.org/taf/1997/fall/despkill.htm
| accessdate=2007-08-08}}</ref> and [[child abuse]].<ref name="Child Abuse: Abortion and">{{cite web
| last =Gordon
| first =Karen J.
| title=Child Abuse: Abortion and the Battered Child
| publisher=[[Feminists for Life]]
| date=Winter 1999, Vol 6, #4
| url
=http://www.feministsforlife.org/taf/1999/winter/Winter99-00.pdf
| accessdate=2007-08-08}}</ref> FFL does not take an official stance on [[contraception]]<ref name="What is Feminists for Life's position">{{cite web
| title=What is Feminists for Life's position on contraception?
| publisher=[[Feminists for Life]]
| date=2007
| url
=http://www.feministsforlife.org/FAQ/index.htm#contraception
| accessdate=2007-08-08}}</ref> but they do seek a traditional feminist goal of equality in the workplace.<ref name="U.S. Work-Family Policies: Historical">{{cite web
| last =Kiniorski
| first =Karri-Ann
| title=U.S. Work-Family Policies: Historical Precedents and new Directions
| publisher=[[Feminists for Life]]
| date=Summer 1998, Vol 5, #2
| url
=http://www.feministsforlife.org/taf/1998/summer/Summer98.pdf
| accessdate=2007-08-08}}</ref>
== Projects and activities ==
=== ''The American Feminist'' ===
Feminists for Life produces a professionally edited quarterly 28-page magazine that is included with membership in the organization.<ref name="In The Know: Newsletters worth your time"/> Each issue is centrally focussed on a theme like ''Remarkable Pro-Life Women - Part III'', ''Pro-Woman Answers to Pro-Choice Questions'' and ''Our Pro-Woman, Pro-Life Legacy''.<ref name="The following issues of The American Feminist">{{cite web
| title=The following issues of The American Feminist
| publisher=[[Feminists for Life]]
| date=2007
| url
=http://www.feministsforlife.org/taf/index.htm
| accessdate=2007-08-08}}</ref> Using original and reprinted articles<ref name="Organizations Opposed to Reproductive Freedom">{{cite web
| title=Organizations Opposed to Reproductive Freedom
| publisher=Political Research Associates
| url
=http://www.publiceye.org/research/directories/repro_grp_undermine.html
| accessdate=2007-08-08}}</ref> ''The American Feminist'' shows a "reliance on factual data, [[Experiential knowledge|experiential]] [[testimony]], and well-phrased analysis of abortion-related issues that can't be dismissed as expressions of [[Heredity|inherited]], unexamined [[Religion|religious beliefs]]."<ref name="In The Know: Newsletters worth your time"/> Regular features include ''Herstory'' - a profile of an abortion opponent, news items and [[United States Congress|legislative update]].<ref name="In The Know: Newsletters worth your time"/>
=== College outreach program ===
FFL's College Outreach program began in 1994, when [[Serrin Foster]], began to visit college campuses to deliver her speech, "The Feminist Case ''Against'' Abortion,". Originally designed to educate students about the history of pro-life feminism, the speech evolved to identify difficulties faced by pregnant and parenting women in the workplace and higher education, proposing "creative, life-affirming, women-centered solutions." Feminists for Life identified college women as the group at greatest risk of abortion, and determined to address their unmet needs, including the coercive factors that drive them to choose between their education and bearing children.
Then, FFL designed an ad series for a college audience, which challenged traditional abortion views and provided practical information for pregnant women. A kit for university health clinics was created, to help staff advise pregnant students on how to seek and access existing support and resources. The first Pregnancy Resources Forum at [[Georgetown University]] brought together students and administrators, both pro-life and pro-choice, in a non-confrontational gathering to discuss, identify, create, improve and publicize resources for pregnant and parenting students on campus. "Question Abortion" became a popular slogan in FFL college activism. In 1997, Planned Parenthood's ''INsider'' called FFL's growing College Outreach Program the "newest and most challenging concept in anti-choice ''[sic]'' organizing" and predicted it could "have a profound impact" on college campuses.
Feminists for Life members also created several kits for student activists, a kit for residential advisors and psychological counselors, a feminist history kit for libraries, and more challenging ads for college audiences. They continued to deliver speeches, and to moderate Pregnancy Resource Forums on college and university campuses across the United States. More resources became available to students domestically and internationally through the FFL website. "The Feminist Case ''Against'' Abortion" was included in the ''Women's Rights'' anthology of the ''Great Speeches in History'' book series (2001, ISBN 0-7377-0773-9). FFL reports that its College Outreach Program has reached more than 5 million students since 1994, and the rate of abortion among college educated women has dropped by 30%. <ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.feministsforlife.org/cop/index.htm |title=College Outreach Program |accessdate= |format= |work=Feminists for Life }}</ref>
:: (Primary source: ''The American Feminist'' vol. 11 nos. 2-3.)
=== ''Women Deserve Better'' campaign ===
Feminists for Life's "Women Deserve Better" campaign was launched on the 30th anniversary of the U.S. Supreme Court's 1973 ''Roe v. Wade'' decision. FFL describes it as "a long-term public education effort examining the failure of abortion. The campaign aims to refocus the nation on the reasons women feel pressured into abortion and to promote women-centered solutions" ([http://www.feministsforlife.org/news/wdb smf.htm "Women Deserve Better than Abortion"]). The basic message of the campaign, featured on ads, billboards, posters, and placards, is "Abortion is a reflection that we have not met the needs of women. Women deserve better than abortion."
"Abortion is not a measure of society's success in meeting the needs of women," explained FFL president Serrin Foster, "it's a measure of its failure. Why celebrate failure? Abortion is a symptom of -— never a solution to -- the problems faced by women... abortion has completely failed as a social policy designed to aid women... women have had to settle for far less than they need and deserve..." ([http://www.feministsforlife.org/news/WDBSMF150.pdf "Women Deserve Better than Abortion"]).
The "Women Deserve Better" and the "Refuse to Choose" slogans reflected what they saw is integrated aspects of their philosophy. Foster explained: "We refuse to choose between women and children. We refuse to choose between sacrificing our education and career plans or sacrificing our children."<ref>[http://www.feministsforlife.org/news/Some%20Feminists%20Not%20Marching.htm "Some Feminists Won't Participate in 'March for Women's Lives'"]</ref>
The major legislative goal of Feminists for Life's "Women Deserve Better" campaign has been the passage of the Elizabeth Cady Stanton Pregnant and Parenting Student Services Act by Congress. The Elizabeth Cady Stanton Act was first introduced into Congress by Senator [[Elizabeth Dole]] on November 8, 2005, and by former Congresswoman [[Melissa Hart]] on [[November 9]] [[2005]]. The first Capitol Hill briefing on the legislation took place on Susan B. Anthony's birthday, February 15, 2006.<ref>[http://www.feministsforlife.org/ECS/index.htm Elizabeth Cady Stanton Pregnant and Parenting Student Services Act]</ref>
In 2006, Feminists for Life President [[Serrin Foster]] announced a new Web-based campaign to educate the general public about pro-life feminism, with their slogan, "Women Deserve Better".
=== March for Life ===
[[Image:Pro-life protest.jpg|right|thumb|250px|Marchers in [[Washington, DC]] at the [[March for Life]] on January 22, 2002]]
Feminists for Life has been a participant in the annual [[March for Life]] commemorating the anniversary of [[Roe vs. Wade]] for many years. Their part of the procession is often joined by the non-traditional, non-sectarian pro-life groups such as Atheists for Life, and the [[Pro-Life Alliance of Gays and Lesbians]].
=== The Susan B. Anthony House ===
[[Image:Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Susan B. Anthony.jpg|right|thumb|250px|Women's rights advocate [[Elizabeth Cady Stanton]] (seated) with Susan B. Anthony (standing)]]
{{See|Susan B. Anthony}}
Susan B. Anthony is as much a symbol to pro-life feminists today as she was to [[suffragettes]] a hundred years ago. In addition to [[women's suffrage]], Anthony was a vocal opponent of abortion considering it a form of oppression and exploitation. From her newspaper, ''The Revolution'': <blockquote>"''Guilty? Yes. No matter what the motive, love of ease, or a desire to save from suffering the unborn innocent, the woman is awfully guilty who commits the deed. It will burden her conscience in life, it will burden her soul in death; But oh, thrice guilty is he who drove her to the desperation which impelled her to the crime''!"<ref name="Iris Magazine, Say What?">{{cite web
| title=Say What?
| publisher=[[University of Virginia]] UVA Women's Center, Iris Magazine
| date=2005-11-11, citing Susan B. Anthony's ''The Revolution'' newspaper July 8, 1869
| url
=http://iris.virginia.edu/irisonline/archive/11_2_05/saywhat.html
| accessdate=2007-08-06}}</ref></blockquote>
Along with Elizabeth Cady Stanton, they fought for women's rights which, in Stanton's case, included the right to use contraceptives, but also fought against anything that took away from a woman's dignity.
<blockquote>"Let woman assert herself in all her native purity, dignity, and strength, and end this wholesale suffering and murder of helpless children. With centuries of degradation, we have so little of true womanhood, that the world has but the faintest glimmering of what a woman is or should be."</blockquote>
::::Elizabeth Cady Stanton, The Revolution 1(4):57-59, January 29, 1868<ref name="The Euthanasia/Abortion Connection"/>
Feminists for Life will not own the Susan B. Anthony birthplace, but will maintain the property, concurrently developing a plan to perpetuate the legacy of Susan B. Anthony.<ref name="sbhouse" /> On the property is a yellow rosebush that was originally planted by Anthony's mother. The yellow rose eventually became a symbol of the [[suffragettes]], in their fight for [[women's suffrage]].
== High-profile members ==
=== Actresses ===
Two-time [[Emmy Award]] winning actress [[Patricia Heaton]] is honorary chair of Feminists for Life. Heaton said she believes in "supporting people and stepping out and affirming that life is good," and she "wanted to find a group that had compassionate, intelligent, reasonable people who are fun and life-affirming" when she joined FFL. Heaton's activist motto is, "Women who are experiencing an unplanned pregnancy also deserve unplanned joy."<ref>''The American Feminist'' vol. 7 no. 4, pp. 12-13</ref>
Actress [[Margaret Colin]] is honorary co-chair of Feminists for Life. In an address to a Congressional briefing on [[July 14]], [[2002]], Colin said, "[Abortion] is violence against women. This is the failure of medicine to help and heal. We need to address the reasons that women seek abortions, to help them find the resources that are available to ease their situations, and coordinate the resources nationwide. Politically, women have always sought to address the root causes. This isn't news. The early American feminists, who fought for our right to vote, fought for the rights of pregnant women—-for society to change to accept them, not for them to change to be accepted by society.... remember the woman. Become her voice. And help us redirect this debate by focusing on solutions—-because women deserve better."<ref>''The American Feminist'' vol. 12 no. 1, p. 4</ref>
Both women's mothers were active in the early pro-life movement during the sixties and seventies. Heaton's mother was a Catholic political activist who, in addition to working to promote racial integration in their area, was also a staunch abortion opponent. Ms. Colin's mother helped found the [[New York State Right to Life Party]], after the State of New York legalized abortion in 1970. Both celebrities credit their mothers' influence as part of their right-to-life stance (Ms. Heaton took the opportunity to publicly thank her late mother at the Emmy's for giving her a chance at life) and both women have spoken on behalf of Feminists for Life on [[Capitol Hill]], at the [[White House]], and in the national media.
[[Star Trek Voyager]] actress, [[Kate Mulgrew]] is also a supporter. <ref>[http://www.feministsforlife.org/taf/2001/winter/Winter00-01.pdf WinterTAF00-01.11-17.quark<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref>
=== Jane Sullivan Roberts ===
[[Jane Sullivan Roberts]], wife of [[Chief Justice of the United States|U.S. Chief Justice]] [[John Roberts]], is counsel to the organization and a former Vice-President. <ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.feministsforlife.org/news/jsroberts.htm |title=Jane Sullivan Roberts' Service to Women |accessdate= |format= |work=Feminists for Life }}</ref> The controversy this engendered during Roberts' confirmation hearings, when his positions on abortion were challenged, led to great focus on the group; according FFL's president, "[we've had our share of media attention, but] I've never seen anything like what is happening in the mainstream press right now." <ref>{{cite web |url=http://tmatt.gospelcom.net/column/2005/08/17/ |title=
Stalking the pro-life feminists |accessdate= |format= |work= }}</ref>
=== Governor Sarah Palin (R-AK) ===
[[Sarah Palin]], a [[Republican Party (United States)|Republican]] and the first [[List of female state governors in the United States|female]] [[List of Governors of Alaska|Governor of Alaska]], is strongly [[pro-life]] as well as pro-contraception and belongs to Feminists for Life. In 2002, when she was running for [[List of Lieutenant Governors of Alaska|Lieutenant Governor]], Palin sent an e-mail to the Alaska Right to Life Board saying she was as "pro-life as any candidate can be" and has "adamantly supported our cause since I first understood, as a child, the atrocity of abortion." Palin said in July 2006 that no woman should have to choose between her career, education and her child.
"I believe in the strength and the power of women, and the potential of every human life," she said.<ref>[http://dwb.adn.com/news/politics/elections/governor06/story/8049298p-7942233c.html Same-sex unions, drugs get little play], Anchorage Daily News, 6 Aug 2006.</ref>
== History ==
=== Background ===
Feminists for Life professes to "stand on more than two hundred years of [[pro-life feminism|pro-life feminist]] history,"<ref name="AmFemV12N1P5">''The American Feminist'' vol. 12 no. 1, p. 5</ref> continuing the tradition of early feminists such as [[Susan B. Anthony]], [[Elizabeth Cady Stanton]], [[Mary Wollstonecraft]], [[Alice Paul]], as well as others who opposed abortion. "Without known exception," FFL president Serrin Foster stated "the early feminists condemned abortion in the strongest possible terms."<ref>Foster, Serrin, "The Feminist Case ''Against'' Abortion", ''The American Feminist'' vol. 11 nos. 2-3, p. 29</ref>
One quote by [[Mattie Brinkerhoff]]<ref>More information about the author, early American feminist Mattie Brinkerhoff, is available in Louise R. Noun's history ''Strong Minded Women: The Emergence of the Woman-Suffrage Movement in Iowa'' (Iowa State University Press; 1969).</ref> from a letter to the editor in ''[[The Revolution (newspaper)|The Revolution]]'' in particular appears on the inside front cover of almost every issue of FFL's magazine, ''The American Feminist'': "When a man steals to satisfy hunger, we may safely conclude that there is something wrong in society—-so when a woman destroys the life of her [[unborn child]], it is an evidence that either by education or circumstances she has been greatly wronged."<ref>''[[The Revolution (newspaper)|The Revolution]]'', 4(9):138-9, September 2, 1869.</ref>
=== Early years ===
Feminists for Life was founded in Ohio in 1972. Founders Pat Goltz and Cathy Callaghan met in a judo club on the campus of [[Ohio State University]], where Callaghan was a tenured professor of linguistics. Goltz was expelled from the Columbus, Ohio, Chapter of the [[National Organization for Women]] ("NOW") in 1974, for arguing that abortion violated feminist principles<ref>[http://books.google.com/books?id=N2TJQrViGEsC&pg=PT42&lpg=PT42&dq=Pat+Goltz+%22national+organization+for+women%22+columbus+ohio&source=web&ots=1-57k3CRFe&sig=BoN5b5X7a9xkeWzxzd402CWs-xc&hl=en&sa=X&oi=book_result&resnum=1&ct=result Dennis Doyle, 'Catholic Social Teaching and Movements, ''The Church Emerging from Vatican II: A Popular Approach to Contemporary Catholicism'' (1992), 212.]</ref>, although they were never expelled from national NOW membership. Callaghan would later voluntarily opt out of NOW, as the organization added planks that she did not consider to be women's issues.
Goltz and Callaghan met many other pro-life feminists who were similarly were or felt excluded from women's organizations during the [[Women's Liberation]] Movement's second wave. In protest, Goltz and dozens of other pro-life feminists picketed the National NOW convention, hoping to draw attention to the controversy. The plan backfired when most media sources failed to pick up the story, and the few that did only mentioned that the pickets were by a [[pro-life]] group, failing to convey the full meaning of the protest.
Goltz later drew attention to the what she saw as the growing trend of [[pro-life feminism]] and hostility by the feminist establishment. While testifying before a Congressional panel in 1975, Ms Goltz stated "The National Organization for Women suppresses any woman who is pro-life. It does not matter how sincere her feminism on the basic issues." (Senate Testimony, 1975)
The newsletter, ''Sisterlife'', was first published during Goltz' tenure as national president. Originally the ''Feminists for Life Journal'', the newsletter got its unique name from a letter to Goltz by a member of the Canadian chapter of Feminists for Life, who instead of closing her letter with the customary "In Sisterhood," wrote "In Sisterlife." Editors conferred the title on the newsletter, feeling that it reflected what they saw as a dedication to life from conception to natural death.
=== Mid-1970s===
Feminists for Life was active in the ten-year battle to ratify the ill-fated [[Equal Rights Amendment]] (ERA). The organization's commitment to the E.R.A. formed with the organization, during Goltz's presidency. Unlike Goltz, Callaghan was not immediately convinced of the need for the amendment, having achieved success as a professor at [[Ohio State University]]. Callaghan soon changed her mind, however, and began to support the amendment. In 1973, Goltz published an article (included in the anthology, ''Pro-Life Feminism: Yesterday and Today'') disparaging the fact that the widespread fear of [[abortion]] on-demand had blocked the ratification of E.R.A. in Ohio at the time, and that it would eventually kill the amendment's ratification.
Like many other feminist groups of the [[women's liberation]] movement, the personal experiences of members of Feminists for Life were what informed their drive for equality and social justice. Many pro-life feminists had experiences with [[pregnancy discrimination]], [[abortion]], [[rape]], [[child molestation]]. Their stories were published in various journals, newsletters, and other publications. Many of these stories were included in the anthology, ''Pro-Life Feminism: Different Voices''.
After five years as President of Feminists for Life, Goltz retired. In 1977, organizational management was moved to Wisconsin. The group's activities focused on being a presence at both [[pro-life]] and [[feminist]] events, distributing literature, and writing letters to various publications. A national workshop that became an annual conference for pro-life 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."<ref>"Reflecting as FFL Celebrates Its Tenth Birthday" and "[[HLA]] ''and'' [[Equal Rights Amendment|ERA]]—Inedible Alphabet Soup?" in ''Pro-Life Feminism: Different Voices,'' ISBN 0-919225-22-5, pp. 17 & 35</ref>
Feminists for Life's work for the [[Equal Rights Amendment]] was met with a great deal of resistance, including strong resistance at pro-E.R.A. demonstrations, when Feminists for Life members attempted to distribute Pro-Life/Pro-E.R.A. tracts. In the late 1970s, Goltz spoke with the legendary [[suffragist]] [[Alice Paul]], who authored the original [[Equal Rights Amendment]]. Paul conveyed to Goltz her belief that abortion was inconsistent with feminism, and that many of the founding mothers of [[feminism]] disapproved<ref>[Feminist History: Voices of our Feminist Foremothers http://www.feministsforlife.org/history/foremoth.htm]</ref. She also related her fear that the increased attempts to link [[abortion]] to [[Equal Rights Amendment|E.R.A.]] would prevent the amendment's ratification, and eventually end [[feminism]] as well.
=== 1980s ===
In 1984, FFL's headquarters was moved to Kansas City, Missouri. Feminists for Life began to receive more national exposure during this time, through media interviews, involvement in a broad spectrum of pro-life issues, and invitations to speak at [[pro-life]] events.
=== 1990s ===
In 1994, the organization relocated its national office to [[Washington, D.C.]], where Feminists for Life reorganized its structure, and updated its image: the ''Sisterlife'' newsletter was renamed as ''The American Feminist'' magazine, a website was created, and new outreach programs were developed, including the College Outreach Program. FFL also became more involved in political advocacy, working to ensure the passage of the Violence Against Women Act, the Family and Medical Leave Act, and enhanced enforcement for child support. Child exclusion provisions in the Welfare Reform Act were opposed by FFL.
=== 2000s ===
At the 2002 [[March for Life]], which observes the anniversary of the Supreme Court's ''Roe v. Wade'' decision, several members of the Pro-Life Alliance of Gays and Lesbians were arrested for attempting to march under the PLAGAL banner, on the orders of Nellie Gray, holder of the permit for the march, Feminists for Life Executive Director [[Serrin Foster]] came out publicly in support of PLAGAL, saying she also had had similar run-ins with Gray in the past.
In mid-2005, the organization's building closed without warning, Feminists for Life moved their headquarters to Alexandria, Virginia. Feminists for Life's recent work has involved advocating laws protecting pregnant women from being coerced into an abortion, laws that provide pregnant and parenting students with services (most notably the Federal [[Elizabeth Cady Stanton]] Pregnant and Parenting Services Act, which is presently under consideration in Congress), and monitoring cases of pregnancy discrimination.
On [[February 15]], 2006, Susan B. Anthony's birthday, the first major Congressional discussions on the [[Elizabeth Cady Stanton Pregnant and Parenting Students Act]] began. On [[October 2]], [[2006]] FFL President Serrin Foster announced the launch of a national web campaign to promote their message. The campaign includes a pro-life feminist response to the traditional pro-choice arguments for abortion.
:: (Primary source: Rosemary Oelrich Bottcher, "The Conception and Life of FFL", ''The American Feminist'' vol. 9 no. 2, pp. 3-6.)
== Structure and chapters ==
=== FFL of America ===
==== FFL of New York ====
The state chapter, [Feminists for Life of New York http://www.feministschoosinglife.org] is located in Rochester, New York. Mary Dwelley, the president of Feminists for Life of New York, was killed in a car wreck on [[April 11]], 2006. <ref>{{cite news |first=Leah |last=George |authorlink= |coauthors= |title=Close To A Saint |url=http://www.rnews.com/Story_2004.cfm?ID=36801&rnews_story_type=18&category=10 |work=R News |publisher= |date=2006-04-12 |accessdate= }}</ref>
Carol Crossed, a board member of Feminists for Life of New York, purchased the Massachusetts birth place of Susan B. Anthony on [[August 5]], [[2006]]. <ref name="sbhouse">{{cite news |first=Lori |last=Leibovich |authorlink= |coauthors= |title=Suffragist's home bought by anti-choice group |url=http://www.salon.com/mwt/broadsheet/2006/08/07/feminists_for_life/index.html |work=salon.com |publisher= |date=2006-08-07 |accessdate= }}</ref>
In 2007 the Feminists for Life of America dissolved ties with its last chapter Feminists for Life of New York which is now the new pro-life organization Feminists Choosing Life of New York.
=== Feminists for Life International ===
==== International outreach program ====
In 2004, Feminists for Life launched an International Outreach Program, reflecting that abortion is a global issue.<ref>[http://www.feministsforlife.org/international/index.htm FFL International index]</ref> According to FFL's "Global Vision":
::Feminists for Life advocates for
:::*increased education standards and opportunities for the poor, especially for girls
:::*increased employment opportunities for all women, especially poor women and others who have been excluded
:::*micro-loans and other business assistance for low-income women to start businesses and purchase land
:::*health care for mother and child, before and after birth, including prenatal care, assisted delivery, postpartum care, emergency services, immunizations, disease prevention and treatment, especially for the HIV/AIDS pandemic
:::*sustainable development that provides clean water, sanitation, housing and food
:::*child care for the working poor and regulations to protect vulnerable women and children from forced labor
:::*protection for women and children from violence, including sex trafficking
:::*measures to rescue women trapped in domestic violence
:::: (''The American Feminist'' vol. 12 no. 1, p. 20)
"Abortion doesn't put food on the table, or provide clean water. After an abortion, a woman returns to the same situation that drove her there. One abortion is too many. It means we have failed women," argued FFL's international outreach director Marie Smith. "What women want and need is full participation as citizens, equal access to resources and opportunities, and enforced legal protection against discrimination, violence, and oppression... Education is the most empowering choice for any woman's future."<ref>''The American Feminist'' vol. 12 no. 1, pp. 20-21</ref> Feminists for Life refers to early American feminist [[Elizabeth Cady Stanton]], who said, "There must be a remedy for such a crying evil as [abortion]. But where shall it be found, at least where begin, if not the complete enfranchisement and elevation of women?"<ref>''[[The Revolution (newspaper)|The Revolution]]'', 1(10):146-7 March 12, 1868</ref>
In 2005, FFL was granted [[Consultative Status|special consultative status]] as a [[Non-governmental organization|Non-Governmental Organization]] (NGO) by the [[United Nations]]' [[UN Economic and Social Council|Economic and Social Council]].<ref>[http://www.feministsforlife.org/news/PRUN2-05.htm "New Voice for Women and Children at United Nations"]</ref>
==== FFL International ====
Feminists for Life International is the international organization beyond its national groups Feminists for Life of America, and Feminists for Life of Ireland, which focus's on international scale violation of women's rights, particularly poverty, sex trafficking, domestic violence and abortion.
The Spring/Summer Edition 2002 of "The American Feminist" was devoted to monitoring crimes against women around the world including abortion, sex trafficking, bride burning, female genital mutiliation, forced illiteracy, sweat shop labor, ect . . . [http://www.feministsforlife.org/taf/2002/SpringSummer2002/SpringSummer2002.pdf] Three other editions of the organizations newsletter where specifically devoted to monitoring sex trafficking.
Feminists for Life International also supported the United Nations Millennium Development goals publishing a statement saying, "Feminists for Life believes that the Millennium Development Goals are life-affirming targets that if achieved will greatly improve billions of lives around the globe. Women and children will be freed from lives of poverty, hunger, death, disease, and despair. We support the promotion of these goals and work to ensure that all members of society, including the unborn, benefit from their promotion and
achievement."
The organizations international director and UN representative Marie Smith however has cautioned, "Women's advocates must unite and direct our full attention to addressing the unmet needs of women—life-saving health care and nutrition, eliminating poverty through education and work opportunities, protecting women and children from violence and exploitation. Abortion is a sign that women's needs have not been met, and women deserve better."
"While Feminists for Life was gratified that the concluding document of the Summit was not compromised by the insertion of 'sexual or reproductive rights' (code for abortion), we believe caution must be taken with language that was adopted into the document. The inclusion, 'Ensuring equal access to reproductive health' is problematic. While 'reproductive health' has never been defined by the members of the United Nations to include abortion, proponents of abortion often use a broad definition of this term that includes abortion as a part of fertility regulation."
"Political word games do not serve women. Word games distract us and delay our efforts to help those in greatest need."[http://www.feministsforlife.org/international/MDG2005.htm]
Additionally Ms. Smith published an editorial in 2005, in the Washington Times on the growing problem of sex trafficking of young Americans in the United States as a result of homelessness, child abuse, and poverty.[http://www.washingtontimes.com/op-ed/20050428-095319-7893r.htm]
==== FFL of Ireland ====
Feminists for Life also has an international branch in Ireland, known as Feminists for Life of Ireland. The group was once headed by Irish feminist Breda O'Brien, who was profiled by ''The American Feminist'''s project "Herstory Worth Repeating".
Feminists for Life of Ireland one of many pro-life feminist organization in the area, and works with other groups such as Feminists Against Eugenics.
==== FFL New Zealand (1978-1983) ====
Originally founded in response to correspondence with American founder Goltz, Feminists for Life New Zealand (1978-1983) was founded by [[Connie Purdue]] (who also founded the New Zealand National Organization for Women) and romance writer [[Daphne Clair de Jong]], who, like their American counterparts Goltz and Callaghan, found themselves at odds with the feminist establishment's endorsement of abortion.
During this period, de Jong authored "Abortion and Feminism; the Great Inconsistency" and "The Feminist Sell-Out" [http://www.prolife.org.au/articles/abth003.htm] for the ''[[New Zealand Listener]]''. The articles attacked pro-choice ideology as inconsistent with feminist principles and as a pandering to a male system devised by men, for men.
Feminists for Life of New Zealand is no longer associated with Feminists for Life of America. It has been known since 1984 as "Women for Life." Although it began as a pro-life feminist organization, the organization gradually changed from a secular liberal organization to a Christian conservative organization, reflecting the changing views of its founder [[Connie Purdue]] (1912-2000). It now focuses solely on fetal life, in contrast to FFL's pro-woman, pro-life approach.
== References ==
{{Reflist|2}}
== See also ==
* [[Abortion debate]]
* [[Anarcha-feminism]]
* [[Antifeminism]]
* [[Equal Rights Amendment]] (ERA)
* [[Feminist history in the United States]]
* [[Feminist theology]]
* [[History of feminism]]
* [[List of feminism topics]]
* [[List of notable feminists]]
* [[New feminism]]
* [[Social criticism]]
* [[Suffragettes]]
== External links ==
=== Official ===
*[http://www.feministsforlife.org Feminists for Life]
*[http://www.feministschoosinglife.org Feminists for Life of New York]
=== Support ===
*[http://www.fnsa.org/ Feminism & Nonviolence Studies] (not a publication of FFL, but some authors have contributed to both)
*[http://www.motherjones.com/news/outfront/2007/01/suffragette_city.html "Suffragette City" by Emily Bazelon, Mother Jones Magazine Jan/Feb 2007]
*[http://www.consistent-life.org/ Consistent Life] (formerly Seamless Garment Network)
*[http://www.seghea.com/pat/life/lifeindex.html Pat Goltz pro-life feminism page]
*[http://www.homepages.paradise.net.nz.dclair/ Homepage of Feminists for Life of New Zealand co-founder Daphne Clair de Jong]
*[http://www.prolife.org.au/articles/abth003.htm The Feminist Sell-Out], [[Daphne Clair de Jong]], [[New Zealand Listener]]
=== Media ===
*[http://www.thenation.com/doc/20050829/pollitt Feminists for (Fetal) Life], [[Katha Pollitt]], ''[[The Nation]]''
*[http://www.nerve.com/dispatches/harris/feministsforlife/ Who Are the Feminists for Life? In a word, dangerous.], [[Lynn Harris]], ''[[Nerve.com]]''
*[http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/07/21/AR2005072102500.html Nominee's Wife Is A Feminist After Her Own Heart], [[Hanna Rosin]], ''[[Washington Post]]''
*[http://select.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=FB0B16FD34550C718EDDAC0894DF404482&n=Top%2fReference%2fTimes%20Topics%2fOrganizations%2fS%2fSupreme%20Court%20 Abortion Foes See Validation For New Tactic], [[Robin Toner]], ''[[New York Times]]''
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[[Category:Organizations established in 1972]]
[[Category:Pro-life organizations in the United States]]
[[Category:Women's political advocacy groups in the United States]]
[[Category:Organizations based in Virginia]]
[[fr:Feminists for Life]]