Feminists For Life - "Women Deserve Better" Campaign

"Women Deserve Better" Campaign

Feminists for Life's "Women Deserve Better" campaign was launched in 2003 on the 30th anniversary of the U.S. Supreme Court's 1973 Roe v. Wade decision. FFL described 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." The basic message of the campaign, featured on billboards, posters, and placards, was "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 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."

The "Women Deserve Better" and the "Refuse to Choose" slogans reflected what FFL saw as 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."

The major legislative goal of FFL's "Women Deserve Better" campaign was the passage of the Elizabeth Cady Stanton Pregnant and Parenting Students Act by Congress. The Elizabeth Cady Stanton Act was first introduced into the United States Senate by Elizabeth Dole on November 8, 2005, and into the House of Representatives by Melissa Hart the next day. The first Capitol Hill briefing on the legislation took place on February 15, 2006. The bill was criticized by writer Emily Bazelon in Mother Jones as a "largely hollow 'message bill'". Bazelon opined that the 10 million dollars provided by the bill would be "paltry" when spread nationwide." Bazelon quoted Frances Kissling, leader of the pro-choice organization Catholics for a Free Choice, as calling the bill "not serious", and adding that "if we support these message bills that don't really give women much help, then the real message we send is that we're not strongly committed to women."

On July 12, 2010, Feminists for Life announced that the Elizabeth Cady Stanton Pregnant and Parenting Student Services Act had been incorporated as the basis of one of three components in the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act's Pregnancy Assistance Fund. The U.S. Department of Health & Human Services announced that "The Act appropriates $25 million for each of fiscal years 2010 through 2019 for the purpose of awarding competitive grants to States and Indian tribes or reservations. It is anticipated that up to 25 grants in the amounts of $500,000 - $2,000,000 per year will be awarded." FFL President Serrin M. Foster said, "This is what we have been working towards. Pregnancy and parenting should never terminate an education."

In 2006, Foster announced a new Web-based campaign to educate the general public about pro-life feminism.

Feminists for Life has been a participant in the annual March for Life in Washington, D.C. and a sponsor of the Walk for Life West Coast in San Francisco, both of which mark the anniversary of the United States Supreme Court decision of Roe v. Wade.