Feminists for Life

Feminists for Life (FFL) is an antiabortion feminist organization. As of 2010, Serrin Foster was the president and Sally Winn was the vice president of FFL. It is the most prominent pro-life feminist group in the United States and does not associate itself with any particular religious or political faction or party. FFL, which was founded in 1972, seeks to appeal to people who identify themselves as pro-woman and pro-life, and it advocates a legislative agenda that includes overturning Roe v. Wade. Since the mid-1990s, the organization has focused especially on reaching a college-aged audience through its College Outreach Program. According to its Website, the group's mottoes are “Refuse to Choose” and “Women Deserve Better.” Over the course of the group's existence, many members have come to FFL because they believe that they can be both feminist and opposed to abortion. In large part, FFL uses its own interpretation of historical feminists’ ideas as proof that its pro-life stance is consistent with the politics of feminism. However, pro-choice, mainstream feminist organizations tend to object to the very idea of a pro-life feminist, believing that this is a contradiction in terms.

Feminists for Life was formed in 1972 in Columbus, Ohio, by Pat Goltz and Cathy Callaghan. The organization's statement of purpose took two stances: equal rights for women in all areas and the right of every baby to be born. Goltz and other early members were deeply troubled by the reproductive policies of mainstream feminist groups such as the National Organization of Women (NOW). Members felt that their objections to abortion stemmed from feminist principles (they considered abortion to be violence against women) and were angered that their position was rejected by other feminist organizations. FFL considers abortion to be a choice women make out of desperation: because of a lack of resources and support, and an anti-motherhood bias, women resort to abortion in order to avoid the perceived disadvantages of pregnancy and parenting to their career and education.