Conservative

Jackson: Millennial pro-life campaign shows model for conservative issues

Millennials are described as pretty liberal socially. They’re very much in favor of same-sex marriage and weed legalization. However, one subject where millennials show some conservative opinion is abortion.

A March 10 Pew Study shows that people in Generation Y who are pro-life outnumber their predecessors in Generation X, comparing 44 percent to 41 percent, respectively. Even if it is a three percent increase, it is up from previous generations, showing a conservative increase of pro-life support in the U.S.’s most talked about generation.

The pro-life campaign has been making great gains in the American political sphere, which creates an interesting situation as society begins to move more and more left. While I don’t agree with the politics, I think this a great example of how a conservative movement — a term associated with organizations made up of elderly, white Christians — can become relevant to the youth of the U.S.

One thing I like about the pro-life movement is that they’re completely OK with the youth taking positions of power. For example, according to a Jan. 21 Red Alert Politics article, the Students for Life Organization, one of the largest youth pro-life organizations in the country, presides over 780 active college campus groups. This organization is run by Kristin Hawkins, who is only 28. A March for Life Education and Defense Fund study estimates that at a January Students for Life Rally, 80–85 percent of the people there were under the age of 25. That would never happen at a rally for other conservative issues.

In contrast, the “Family Values” movement, a pro-life, socially conservative group, is populated and controlled by elderly Americans whose speech simply doesn’t reach millennial ears. It doesn’t take advantage of social media well when compared to organizations run by the youth like Students for Life, which has a great line of promotional pro-life videos on YouTube, along with a Facebook and Twitter page. They also use the wrong message of religion to appeal to millennials — a generation that is becoming more and more secular. A March 7 Pew Research Study points out that almost two-thirds of millennials describe themselves as non-religious. The millennial pro-life community is different; the focus on religion isn’t as strong and it is much more inclusive.



The pro-life movement is a great example of how diversity can be used by the Conservative party. Protests against abortion have people of all colors, religions, sexes, genders and social classes coming together to protest against what they believe is tantamount to murder. Their marches, protests and organizations all reflect this diversity — something I believe the GOP needs more of. As said before, while Conservatives are stereotyped as old, white and Christian men, the pro-life movement is a great example of a tool allowing more minorities to feel welcome.

Finally, the pro-life movement is an expert at managing social media. There are many pro-life web pages on Facebook with thousands of likes. The movement has celebrities like Lila Rose, who has thousands of followers on Twitter, preaching their message. They use social media to coordinate events, such as the recent Girl Scout cookies boycott, as well as to provide information for those who want to get involved. It’s a well-oiled, digital machine the GOP could really use.

What I think we can take from the youth pro-life movement is how to really campaign a conservative issue in the future. While millennials are very liberal socially, this movement has remained relevant with clever marketing through social media, diversity and an inclusive attitude that promotes grassroots organization.

Rami Jackson is a sophomore entrepreneurship major. His column appears weekly. He can be reached at [email protected] and followed on Twitter @IsRamicJ





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