Return to UC Santa Barbara

Joan and Thrin Short, Survivors-trained activists, have inspired many people in the last week, with their tenacity and courage when Thrin was violently attacked by radical UC Santa Barbara Professor , Mireille Miller-Young, whose main area of study-- believe it or not -- is pornography.  The sisters have been featured in many news outlets, including Fox News, where the girls were interviewed on The Kelly File last night.

We are very proud of the poise and courage the sisters showed during their harrowing experience, and of their success in reaching students at UCSB, despite the incident.  The campus was in an uproar over the truth about abortion when they left.  Many students were angry to have seen the images of abortion victims, and many were unsure about how to respond to the pro-life outreach.  In order to bring about the most good during this heightened polarization of student opinion about abortion at UCSB, the Campus Outreach Team held a follow-up outreach at the campus this week.  Students of Miller-Young came to angrily challenge the veracity of our information.  They resorted to telling other students not to take our information, or to throw it away in a recycle bin labeled, “recycle lies here.”  Twice on Monday, students even tried to steal our literature, angry that it pointed out the lies they believed about abortion.

However, when confronted repeatedly with the truth about abortion, and invited to engage in civil dialogue, many students opened up to us.  One young man even admitted to me, after a 1/2-hour conversation, “I think we’re on the same page.  Thank you, I’ve learned a lot.”

There were also students who were grateful just to see the other side of the abortion story. Many students were tired of seeing a predominantly pro-abortion presence on their campus. They thanked us for being on their campus,  and told us to “keep up the good work,” stressing how much the campus needs to see and learn about abortion.  One student exclaimed, “I’m really glad you guys are here!  This is awesome!”  Some told us that they were not surprised by what Miller-Young did to Thrin (one went so far as to say that the professor is “notorious”), and were glad that her folly has finally come to light.  Even students who did not share our position on abortion told us that they did not approve of Miller-Young’s actions last week.  

Pro-abortion protesters grew in number over the course of our outreach, as did the stupidity of their claims.  One protester held a sign that said “adoption is not easy” (as if we claim that it is).  Another held a sign that said, “Abortion has no effect on fertility.”  We know this is simply not true.  

In the end, we noticed that the pro-abortion protesters actually helped our case.  They proved that they will go to great lengths to avoid the truth.  Many students remarked that they couldn’t understand what the pro-abortion protesters were arguing because their claims were so outlandish.  This made our information look all the more logical, by comparison.  

Understanding that Joan and Thrin organized last week’s outreach with their own friends, we met with the campus Students for Life club to prepare to take on the UCSB pro-abortion sentiment as a united front.  It is important that we stand with our pro-life brothers and sisters in the face of adversity.  If not, the evil one will use any opportunity to exploit discord and drive students away from our good work.

The club even issued this joint statement: “No one has the right to attack and steal from anyone, especially a minor, even if they sincerely believe that the information being given is inaccurate or offensive. Feminist studies Prof. Mireille Miller-Young violated the rights of a 16 year old girl speaking out for the rights of the most vulnerable among us. Isn't feminism about respecting the rights of everyone equally?" - UCSB Students for Life

In the last week, we have received an overwhelming outpouring of support for Joan, Thrin, and for Survivors.  Our emails, blog, Facebook page, and phone have all been flooded with encouraging messages from people who are familiar with Survivors, and from many who had not heard of our ministry before.  We’ve heard from from UCSB alumni, UCSB students, and the general public.  We’ve heard from professionals, activists, and parents.  We’ve even been encouraged by messages from people who claim to be pro-choice, but value freedom of speech, and stand with us against last week’s injustice.  We are exceedingly grateful for all of the encouragement, support, and prayers.

Along with their support, many people are asking, “How can we help?”  There are a three things that you can do to help our generation withstand injustices, such as this one:

1. Write an encouraging message to Thrin and Joan.  Tell them and all of their friends who led the pro-life outreach last week how much you support them.

2. Send a young person you know to Survivors ProLife Training Camp or to serve on the Campus Outreach Team.  These training opportunities will equip any young person to save lives, like Thrin and Joan are doing, even when faced with opposition as violent as Thrin and Joan encountered.

3. Make a special donation to enable the Survivors to continue Campus Outreach.  The Campus Outreach Team cannot reach students without your support.  

Thank you, again for your encouragement and prayers.  May God bless you!

Fiat Vita,

Kristina Garza
Director of Campus Outreach
Survivors of the Abortion Holocaust