Terrisa Lin Bukovinac (born April 4, 1981) is an American anti-abortion activist. A member of the

Democratic Party Democratic Party most often refers to: *Democratic Party (United States) Democratic Party and similar terms may also refer to: Active parties Africa *Botswana Democratic Party *Democratic Party of Equatorial Guinea *Gabonese Democratic Party *Demo ...

, she formerly served as president of

Democrats for Life of America Democrats for Life of America (DFLA) is a 501(c)(4) American political advocacy nonprofit organization that seeks to elect anti-abortion Democrats and to encourage the Democratic Party to oppose euthanasia, capital punishment, and abortion. DF ...

and is currently a candidate for the Democratic nomination for

president of the United States The president of the United States (POTUS) is the head of state and head of government of the United States of America. The president directs the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United States ...

in the 2024 United States presidential election, with the intent of running a campaign to outlaw abortion. She is a subject of the 2022 documentary film ''Battleground'' which profiles three leading women in the anti-abortion movement.

Political career

In 2017, she founded Pro-Life San Francisco and became the president of

in 2020. The following year, she founded Progressive Anti-Abortion Uprising (PAAU). In 2022, Bukovinac and Lauren Handy claimed to have uncovered the remains of 115 aborted fetuses from a medical waste box taken from outside of the Washington Surgi-Clinic in Washington, D.C. They believed that five of them were old enough to be viable outside the womb, which if true would mean the clinic violated the

Partial-Birth Abortion Ban Act The Partial-Birth Abortion Ban Act of 2003 (, ,
''(HTML)''; *

and the

Born-Alive Infants Protection Act The Born-Alive Infants Protection Act of 2002 ("BAIPA" , ) is an Act of Congress. It affirms legal protection to an infant born alive after a failed attempt at induced abortion. It was signed by President George W. Bush. Legislative history ...

. According to Bukovinac and Handy, the remains of 110 of the fetuses were buried by a priest after a

funeral mass A Requiem or Requiem Mass, also known as Mass for the dead ( la, Missa pro defunctis) or Mass of the dead ( la, Missa defunctorum), is a Mass of the Catholic Church offered for the repose of the soul or souls of one or more deceased persons, ...

, and they contacted the DC

Medical Examiner The medical examiner is an appointed official in some American jurisdictions who is trained in pathology that investigates deaths that occur under unusual or suspicious circumstances, to perform post-mortem examinations, and in some jurisdictio ...

to coordinate the retrieval of the remaining five fetuses in hopes that they would perform an autopsy. Along with some Republican senators, PAAU has pushed for an investigation into the Washington Surgi-Clinic, specifically relating to the circumstances of those five aborted fetuses. D.C. authorities declined to perform an autopsy and stated that the five fetuses appeared to have been aborted in accordance with D.C. law, which permits abortion in all nine months of pregnancy. Bukovinac announced her presidential candidacy in early September 2023. Her campaign is being managed by Catherine Glenn Foster, who was previously president of

Americans United for Life Americans United for Life (AUL) is an American anti-abortion law firm and advocacy group based in Washington, D.C. Founded in 1971, the group opposes abortion, euthanasia, assisted suicide, embryonic stem cell research, and certain contraceptiv ...

and served as council for the Alliance Defending Freedom; both organizations were vital in overturning ''

Roe v. Wade ''Roe v. Wade'', 410 U.S. 113 (1973),. was a landmark decision of the U.S. Supreme Court in which the Court ruled that the Constitution of the United States conferred the right to have an abortion. The decision struck down many federal and s ...

''. In relation to her views on abortion, Bukovinac supports a federal abortion ban, defunding Planned Parenthood, repealing the FACE Act and pardoning individuals convicted of crimes related to it, and decreasing costs related to giving birth. As of December 31, 2023, Bukovinac's campaign had raised more than $28,000.

Political views

In addition to her support for the anti-abortion movement, Bukovinac supports increased workers rights including: * increased parental leave, *

personhood Personhood or personality is the status of being a person. Defining personhood is a controversial topic in philosophy and law and is closely tied with legal and political concepts of citizenship, equality, and liberty. According to law, only a l ...

for the

pre-born The Bene Gesserit () refers to a key social, religious, and political force in Frank Herbert's fictional ''Dune'' universe. The group is an exclusive sisterhood whose members train their bodies and minds through years of physical and mental c ...

, under the 14th Amendment. She is a former pro-abortion Christian but now an anti-abortion atheist.

References

External links

Bukovinac for President 2024
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bukovinac, Terrisa Living people American women activists American political activists American anti-abortion activists Activists from Michigan People from Adrian, Michigan Candidates in the 2024 United States presidential election American atheists American former Christians 21st-century atheists Michigan Democrats Washington, D.C., Democrats 21st-century American women 1981 births