A deepening rift within the anti-abortion movement has surfaced in public view. On May 28, 2026, Abolitionists Rising, a Christian activist group advocating for the total criminalization of abortion, released a YouTube video titled “Pro-Life Leader Threatens to Sue Us.” The video, which has garnered over 100,000 views, features the group reading and responding to a cease-and-desist letter from Kristan Hawkins, president of Students for Life of America (SFLA).
The letter from SFLA demands that Abolitionists Rising remove videos it claims contain defamatory statements and false information about the organization and Hawkins. Abolitionists Rising portrays the letter as an attempt to silence legitimate criticism rather than a valid legal claim. In their response video, they argue that their content accurately highlights differences in strategy and theology between the two groups.
Professional Jealousy?
Abolitionist Rising has surpassed SFLA on YouTube to be the number one pro-life channel, and part of how this was accomplished was by using Kristen Hawkins and her feminism as a foil to expose the hypocrisy of pro-life activists who did not really think abortion is murder.
The core of the discussion (around 47:30) is the team reacting to a text overlay that quotes a document identifying a “cognizable liberty interest” being violated because Abolitionist Rising is commenting on or in SFLA content. This is an obvious abuse of fair use. Abolitionist Rising argues that SFLA and its leadership are attempting to create a “protected status” for their reputation to avoid theological and legislative critique, arguing that SFLA is treating ministry work like a corporate brand that must be protected with lawyers, whereas the Abolitionist position is that truth and public strategy are open to scrutiny.
Conclusion
This cease and desist letter is unlikely to amount to anything, as they are often a scare tactic. But it’s possible that Students For Life has a vested interest in protecting their market share in the pro-life industry so they will want to clamp down on their chief competitor. SFLA has far more resources, but they lack the traction that Hunter Russell and his band of buddies can muster with a few shorts. Hawkin’s hubris could weigh down the largest pro-life student organization.
