Abolitionists Rising (formerly known as Free The States^[1]) is an American anti-abortion organization based in Oklahoma. It is known for its categorical opposition to abortion and cold contact engagement with pedestrians, college students, and pro-choice or pro-life figures.

Key principles[edit]

Abolitionists Rising is particular about its distinction from the mainstream pro-life position, which it says makes compromises with the pro-choice movement, and deems the latter to be unacceptable.^[2] In using the term "abolitionist" in its name, Abolitionists Rising also draws a parallel between pro-abortion rhetoric and pro-slavery rhetoric (namely, "My property, my prerogative" and "My body, my choice").^[3][4]

The organization calls attention to the religious motivation of many abolitionists during the Second Great Awakening, and frequently cites historic abolitionist thought as authority, including that of William Wilberforce, William Lloyd Garrison, and Frederick Douglass,^[5][6] especially the belief that humans, from conception onwards, are made in the image of God and thus deserve equal protection under the law of the land.^[4][7]

Activities[edit]

Online advocacy[edit]

Abolitionists Rising promotes laws and policies that advocate for the outlawing of abortion, indiscriminate of circumstance. In part due to the overturning of Roe v. Wade in 2022,^[1] and in part due to the group's viral videos on social media (such as via YouTube Shorts),^[8] the organization gained significant traction in 2023.^[9]

Partnership with other abolitionists[edit]

The organization says that several of its members have joined from the pro-life movement,^[3] and have worked with former Oklahoma State Senator Joseph Silk^[10] and Senator Dusty Deevers.^[11]

Appeal through art[edit]

Much of the artwork generated by Abolitionists Rising is created by T. Russell Hunter, one of the main debaters who is frequently featured in the organization's social media content. Many of these artworks are put on posters, which are held up at art walks and other public streets to prompt conversation.^[12]

In many of Abolitionists Rising's videos on social media, passersby can sometimes be seen being agitated or upset by the graphic nature of the images on the organization's posters. However, Hunter often counters that this is a good thing and that provocative art has often been used to drive social change for good.^[13]

Theological engagement[edit]

Often the debaters also opt for the use of biblical language. For example, they consistently describe abortion as "child sacrifice,"^[14] drawing a parallel between modern abortion and ancient Israel's infanticidal practices in its worship of Molech. Like the original abolitionists, the group also describes immorality primarily in terms of the category of sin, such as characterizing the practice of chattel slavery as the sin of "manstealing,"^[15][16] a word that harkens back to Exodus 21:16.

Reception[edit]

The organization has also been accused of "[appropriating] anti-slavery messaging and imagery" by some in the pro-choice demographic^[7] and being too extreme by some in the pro-life demographic.^[17] In the face of such accusations, Abolitionists Rising members maintain that a national ban on slavery, too, was once perceived as an extreme stance.^[17]

In 2023, in Wichita, Kansas, a group of Abolitionists Rising members were confronted by a former police officer, who was identified in a video making threats, knocking down a camera, and allegedly injuring one of the debaters.^[18]

References[edit]

External links[edit]

• Official website