A teenage anti-abortion activist was brutally attacked while door-knocking to complete a canvass in Overland Park, Kansas, on Sunday.
The young woman, 18-year-old Grace Hartsock, was helping Students for Life campaign to turn out the vote in Kansas for Tuesday’s referendum on abortion law, Fox News reported.
Initially, Hartsock was met by a woman who politely declined to discuss the topic of abortion with her. According to Students for Life, the woman at the residence told Hartsock, “No, I’m sorry, I don’t think you want to talk to us.”
As the teen turned to leave, another voice from a different woman was heard from within the home. This second woman wasn’t as polite, screaming and cursing at the teenager. “Don’t apologize to her, mom,” the belligerent woman said, according to an article on the Students for Life.
The unknown second woman then followed Hartsock out of the house according to reports, harassing her verbally. Students for Life told the media that the woman then assaulted Hartsock, shoving her in the chest and delivering close-fisted blows to her head.
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Hartsock sustained several strikes until her attacker’s mother stopped her. The assailant continued to hurl verbal abuse: “I hope you get raped,” and “I hope you get run over by a car,” the SFL reported.
Though she wasn’t able to capture the initial moments of the unexpected attack on video, Hartsock was able to get her phone out and capture the last moments of it, and the woman can be seen retreating to her home while still shouting curses and invectives.
Grace Hartsock, a teenage pro-life activist, was allegedly attacked while knocking on doors in Kansas on Sunday.
Students for Life Action tells Fox that they have connected Hartsock w/ an attorney & are “considering a legal response.”
Video captured the tail end of the event pic.twitter.com/tc1QRC4mFL
— Anders Hagstrom (@Hagstrom_Anders) August 2, 2022
Hartsock filed a complaint with the Leawood Police Department regarding the attack, according to Fox Digital, but she declined to be interviewed by the outlet.
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“Since she was struck, the student is experiencing headaches and body soreness, and Students for Life Action has connected her with an attorney. She and Students for Life Action are considering a legal response,” Students for Life spokeswoman Kristi Hamrick told Fox.
Following the incident, Grace was back in the field. She was lauded for this by SFL President Kristan Hawkins on Twitter. She responded that “The pro-life generation won’t be silenced despite pro-abortion violence! “
The pro-life generation won’t be silenced despite pro-abortion violence! https://t.co/dtT0EGF3I1
— Grace Hartsock (@grace_lizabeth5) August 1, 2022
In an account of the attack published on StudentsforLife.org Hartsock told the group, “It’s unfathomable that the pro-choice movement claims to be ‘pro-woman’ and yet attacks women who don’t agree with their narrative,” she said. “It’s not surprising to me that a person who advocates for violence in the womb wouldn’t hesitate to attack a pro-life woman like myself.”
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“The woman shoved Hartsock in the chest with both hands and began hitting her in the head with closed fists. Hartsock attempted to protect herself and leave while the resident’s mother told her daughter to stop the violence.”https://t.co/8cUoqeoPn6 pic.twitter.com/7RvIWKH4jN
— Kristan Hawkins (@KristanHawkins) August 1, 2022
Hawkins added, “What’s a little ironic is that the ballot initiative would allow every Kansan to weigh in on the policy they prefer, but rather than fight for abortion policy, we have some fighting our volunteers.”
Kansas residents are voting Tuesday on the “Value Them Both” amendment to “affirm there is no Kansas constitutional right to abortion or to require the government funding of abortion, and would reserve to the people of Kansas, through their elected state legislators, the right to pass laws to regulate abortion, including, but not limited to, in circumstances of pregnancy resulting from rape or incest, or when necessary to save the life of the mother,” Fox reported.
The Kansas Supreme Court ruled in 2019 that the right to abortion was protected under the state constitution. Following the recent overturn of Roe v. Wade by the U.S. Supreme Court, the Kansas legislation is likely to pass in the GOP-dominated legislature, should the referendum be successful.
