Your Questions About Kristan Hawkins and the Campus Anti-Abortion Movement, Answered

On Friday, the author hosted a Reddit AMA where they discussed their coverage of anti-abortion activist Kristan Hawkins and the movement she represents. The author spent months following and getting to know Hawkins, watching her debate students who were victims of sexual assault, ordering medication abortion pills online in a state where abortion is banned, and discussing how to weaponize environmental laws against abortion.

Redditors were particularly interested in the effectiveness of Hawkins' message and what the anti-abortion movement is planning next. The author watched Hawkins in action at two very politically different college campuses—one in Texas and one in California. Most students seemed to come to the "change my mind" debates with their views already formed, with some strongly agreeing with Hawkins as a hero and others seeing her as out of her mind.

The polling data showed that young people on college campuses, especially young women, overwhelmingly support abortion rights.

The author worked closely with Hawkins and got to see her with her guard down at times, which they believe presented a more genuine and likable version of her. They discussed the anti-abortion movement's current challenges, including the struggle to influence college students, the upcoming Supreme Court lawsuit to stop mail-order abortion pills, and the potential reviving of the 1873 Comstock Act.

Despite the challenges, the author believes that no pro-choice parallel exists on the abortion rights side, making the anti-abortion movement's message unpopular but galvanizing for the minority of students who oppose abortion.