This week, Her Campus had the pleasure of interviewing Rachel Crawford, a senior majoring in Women’s Studies. Rachel is also the President of Students for Life at the University of Michigan. As described by Rachel, Students for Life is the leading pro-life group on campus, which seeks to engage students in conversations about life issues while serving pregnant and parenting students through advocacy work. This advocacy aims to increase the amount of resources available for students on campus.
Her Campus: Why should women on campus care about Students for Life?
Rachel Crawford: Our work with the Pregnant on Campus Initiative seeks to end discrimination of pregnant students. Throughout this national campaign, many Students For Life (SFL) organizations have discovered indirect discrimination against pregnant women. This indirect discrimination manifests itself in may ways, such as maternal health coverage being excluded from university health care packages and a lack of on-campus housing for students with children. Unfortunately, this discrimination negatively affect students who become pregnant. Pregnancy is viewed by universities as a costly disability and disregarded as a non-issue that should be ignored. This misogynistic outlook on pregnancy perpetuates inequality for female students and transgender men who may become pregnant during college. SFL strongly believes students should not have to choose between carrying a pregnancy to term and continuing their education.
HC: What are some activities SFL does on and off campus?
RC: SFL has a wide range of events from activism to service. This October, we hosted a free speech poll table on the Diag with the question: “Should abortion remain legal?” The table had large signs which said “Yes,” “It Depends,” and “No.” We wanted to have people share their thoughts on this issue which affects the lives of so many women and men in our country. For this reason, we had notepads and pens where people could write whatever they wanted. SFL members asked people to share what they wrote with us and any thoughts they had about the issue. This open-minded dialogue is really important to have on a college campus because it facilitates critical thinking.
HC: How does SFL work to support pregnant students?
RC: Right now, SFL is launching a Pregnant on Campus ad campaign to show support for pregnant and parenting students and raise awareness of that these students need more resources. Through this initiative, people can have their picture taken with signs to show their solidarity with these students. Moreover, they are given a brochure about current and future resources our initiative wants to see provided. For instance, we would like to see more resources similar to when we awarded the first Pregnant on Campus scholarship to a student who chose to parent her child and needed financial help. We also threw her a baby shower and had her friends and SFL members attend to show our emotional support. She recently had her baby and is currently enrolled in classes.
We also love bringing speakers to campus! This Fall, we brought Yvonne Florzak-Seeman to campus. Yvonne is a Hispanic woman who had five abortions by the age of twenty and who founded (and is the president of) Love From Above. Her story demands to be heard. And, a few years ago we had Sally Winn, vice president of Feminists for Life to campus to speak. She spoke about how feminism intersects with abortion and the work her national organization does for women.
HC: Why did you decide to get involved with SFL?
RC: I joined Students for Life because this organization’s work is exciting and fulfilling. I genuinely care about people and have a deep desire to make a difference. SFL has inspired me to invest my time and energy into serving others in a unique way. In my four years at Michigan, I have talked with women who have had abortions and listened to survivors of sexual assault express their pain and walked with them through the healing process. SFL has opened my mind and heart as I have had the opportunity talk with students about abortion, adoption, Down’s Syndrome, miscarriages, human trafficking and other topics.
HC: Can you talk about your interaction with students who are pro-choice?
RC: Many students who identify as pro-choice tell me that they are shocked how much they enjoyed our conversation and remark that it’s refreshing to talk about issues that are considered taboo. It is hard to describe how much I have cherished these opportunities to experience a raw connection with strangers during outreach events and close friends in casual conversations.
HC: How can other students get involved?
RC: Students for Life needs your help! Email sflofficers@umich.edu to learn how you can be involved or to ask any questions you may have. Our meetings are every Monday at 7pm in the Michigan League, Room D so feel free to join us! And one last thought: Many people at Michigan do not agree with the pro-life view and some organizations and individuals do not want anything to do with Students for Life. I think every person should have the right to openly disagree with us, but here is what I ask of them: know why you disagree with us. I don’t even mind if you don’t like us, just know us first before you make that decision. Come talk to us and find out why we do what we do.
Image courtesy of: Rachel Crawford