Future Life Celebration: Pro-Life Voices Through New Wave Feminists, Part 2 of 2

Ms. Herndon-De La Rosa is the founder and President of New Wave Feminists, a pro-life organization whose mission statement reads, “We exist to advocate for the dignity of the vulnerable, amplify a consistent message, and agitate the status quo. As a pro-(all) life feminist organization, we believe every human being should live a life free of violence, from the womb to the tomb.”

“I think that we really need to take that message to heart in the pro-life movement. It’s not just enough to be anti-abortion. We have to be pro-life.” In Ms. Herndon-De La Rosa’s view, men can also play a pivotal role in helping women feel supported enough to choose life for their babies, while actively contributing to the broader pro-life movement.

Ms. Herndon-De La Rosa reminds us that communities need to take real action to help support expectant and new mothers. Her organization, New Wave Feminists, also provides supportive services including safe shelters where women can seek refuge. “I’m really excited about our latest initiative because we have got two shelters along the Texas-Mexico border for pregnant, migrant mothers down there who are seeking asylum. It is incredibly dangerous for women. And it’s been an absolutely beautiful experience to have these shelters and have children running around laughing and playing, and mothers who are helping each other and nursing each other’s babies and just living in community. It’s really taught me quite a bit about motherhood and community.”

New Wave Feminists also advocates for honesty and transparency about the development of babies in the womb, including accurate terminology used during baby development. It isn’t respectful to deceive women about this, especially when there are intentions to coerce them into abortion. “So there are big powers that be that I think push people into making termination decisions. And the way that they do it is through keeping people ignorant about what human life actually is. And I think the more that we expose the truth and the beauty of the unborn child in the womb and just the absolutely miraculous way that their body is developing, I think that that's a really good start, because then people don't feel like they're just getting rid of a clump of cells or a blob of tissue. They are very fully aware that this is a human being inside their womb. And I think that's the way that we make it unthinkable. You know, policy is how we make it unnecessary with support systems and creating a more equitable society.”