Students for Life of America Remembers Champion of the Unborn

Kortney Blythe Gordon and her unborn daughter were killed Oct. 8 in a car accident.

Kortney Blythe Gordon
Kortney Blythe Gordon (photo: Students for Life of America website)

MANASSAS, Va. (EWTN News) — A staff member for the pro-life college organization Students for Life of America was killed on Oct. 8, along with her unborn child, in a car crash in Jones County, Ga.

“The entire Students for Life of America team is heartbroken by the loss of our dear friend, field director, and tireless abortion abolitionist, Kortney Blythe Gordon, and her preborn daughter, Sophy,” said a statement released by Students for Life.

“There are no words to describe what a loss we suffer alongside her husband, Benjamin, and their entire family, but we are comforted knowing that Kortney and her daughter are in the arms of Our Lord and Savior.”

Gordon was driving a car that was struck by another vehicle in a massive head-on collision at about 8pm.

According to law enforcement officials, the driver in the other car was driving the opposite direction and veered into Gordon’s lane while attempting to pass two other vehicles.

Gordon and her unborn child were killed upon impact. A passenger in the other car was also killed, and another Students for Life staff member, Jon Scharfenberger, remains in critical condition.

Two local students were also in the car and sustained non-life-threatening injuries.

Gordon had served as field director for Students for Life of America since June 2010.

As field director, she managed the organization’s field agents and traveled across the country to train and mobilize student pro-life groups. 

Gordon was first introduced to the pro-life movement as a child. Her uncle was a full-time sidewalk counselor, and her father, a pastor, encouraged her in her desire to work for the unborn.

After working as a residential supervisor at a home for unwed mothers in Charlotte, N.C., Gordon became the director of campus tours for Survivors of the Abortion Holocaust.

She later became the chapter and street team coordinator for Rock for Life. In this position, she started nearly 20 new chapters, recorded a weekly podcast, and regularly blogged about pro-life issues.


Over the years, Gordon mentored dozens of pro-life youth and participated in frequent pro-life demonstrations and prayer vigils.

She was featured as a guest speaker at various events, including the Los Angeles March for Life.

“Please pray for the families of Kortney and Benjamin, and for healing for all who were touched by Kortney’s infectious spirit and tireless efforts to stop the injustice of abortion in our nation,” Students for Life said.

“Kortney lived by one of her favorite verses, ‘To live is Christ; to die is gain.’ She passed doing what she loved, and we are beyond blessed for the countless gifts that she bestowed to our staff, our students and pro-life leaders across the country.”