Lila Rose at the Live Action Life Awards Gala 2025

At the 2025 Live Action Life Awards Gala, Lila Rose shares three powerful signs of momentum in the fight for life: voices that cannot be silenced, victories that cannot be ignored, and a future that cannot be denied. With truth-tellers rising, major wins against the abortion industry, and millions of young people seeing the humanity of every child in the womb, the movement is advancing. But this momentum is only possible through prayer, courage, and generosity.

Full Transcript:

Thank you. Thank you so much. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you from the bottom of my heart. Thank you, Christina. You're my hero.

...There is one more person I need to honor tonight before we talk about the moment we are in, the fight for life ahead of us, and how we can and will win.

Our nation is ripe for change. We can all feel it. The massive reaction and outpouring of love following the tragic and horrific murder of my and many of our friend Charlie Kirk revealed a deep restlessness in many of us across America, yearning for truth. In this historic moment, we have seen hardened hearts and we have seen hungry and open hearts.

Out of that darkness also came light. The mission became clearer than ever. Our culture must fundamentally change and we must win the culture for life and for Christ.

My husband was explaining to me a military tradition of leaving a seat open, empty for those that have been lost in the line of duty. Tonight on this stage, we leave this final award. And it is my solemn honor to present posthumously the final Live Action Life Award of this evening to a man whose life and legacy continue to inspire me and millions of others.

It's funny because our leadership team at Live Action has mentioned Charlie many times about giving him an award. We hadn't given him one yet. And I would always say, "Of course, we're going to give Charlie an award, but he's out there. Give him a few more years. He's just beginning." We've only begun to see the great works we were going to see out of Charlie Kirk, and they're already phenomenal. And now I believe the same thing is true — that the mission that he started and the work that he accomplished, the great feats on this earth that he began, we have only begun to see the fruit of his love — both the way he lived and the way he died.

Charlie Kirk valued truth. He loved life. He loved America. And he used his voice to stand for the rights of pre-born children every time he had the opportunity. He didn't need to include the pro-life plank in his speeches, in his debates, in his podcasts. He didn't need to do that, but he did that again and again with increasing intensity and passion and fervor over the last five years in particular. For Charlie, abortion was the human rights crisis of the time, and he always brought the conversation back to the inherent dignity of the child in the womb.

Charlie’s courage was not abstract. It was fearlessly lived day in and day out on campuses and media platforms across the country. And he saved lives through that — by awakening millions of people to the dignity and the humanity of the child in the womb.

Please direct your attention to the screens.

We will all strive to continue Charlie's legacy. Thank you, Charlie.

Nine days ago, just a few days after Charlie's murder, I flew cross-country to Yale University to debate Francis Kissling, the former president of the so-called Catholics for Choice heretical group and founding president of the National Abortion Federation. Originally, the week prior, I had declined this event. I do very limited travel events. I have three young children at home, so I usually try to be on the road about once a month at most—sometimes more than that.

But after receiving the gut-wrenching news of Charlie's passing, I knew that it was more important than ever for people of faith and conscience to show up, especially on campuses.

The Yale Political Union, which bills itself as the oldest debate society in the country, invited us to consider the resolution “Choice Over Life.” I opened the debate with this story:

A few weeks ago in Lexington, Kentucky, police discovered a newborn baby boy dead, wrapped in a towel, stuffed in a trash bag, and hidden in a closet. His 21-year-old mother admitted that she gave birth and then tried to erase every trace of him. Evidence released that very morning showed that the little boy was alive when he was put in that trash bag. The coroner confirmed that he was a son. His mother ordered McDonald’s and then took a nap after putting him in the trash bag.

A child was hidden in a closet, his humanity denied. This is what “choice over life” really looks like. When choice is made supreme, life itself becomes disposable.

This is why we were there that night.

My opponent, Ms. Kissling, never responded to that story in her remarks. Instead, she centered her argument on the idea that animates the entire abortion movement: that the child in the womb is not as valuable—as born human beings.

I named the baby in the womb as the youngest member of our human family. I said that human rights do not begin at birth and that no one’s autonomy, including mine as a woman, includes the power to end the life of her child—an innocent human life.

I was struck when, during Q&A, a young man stood up and said, “I have a strong, independent woman in my life. She’s five years old. She’s my sister. She has Down syndrome. Sixty-seven percent of babies like her in America are killed by abortion intentionally. How do you defend that?”

The room went still. Ms. Kissling could not and did not defend that—because who could?

When we think of a real child with a real name and a real future, the euphemism of “choice” cannot hide what every abortion does. I reminded them that every time society throughout history has declared one group “less than human,” horrific violence follows—from slavery to the Holocaust to abortion today.

Equal dignity for every human being. Equal protection under the law.

After the debate, the students announced there would be a live audience vote. Frankly, I expected we would lose. This was Yale, after all—perhaps the most politically left, pro-abortion campus in the nation.

But when the vote came: 60 voted for life, and only 31 for abortion.

We won.

The truth won. Hearts and minds were changed because people heard truth.

I had met my debate opponent before the debate during a private dinner with some of the students. I was struck to learn that she had spent her entire life advocating for abortion. She had never married or had children, but had made the pro-abortion cause—what she called “feminism”—her life’s work. She was over 70, and I could tell she was not at peace with her own beliefs. My prayer for her and for many others like her is that they will one day find peace in the truth that every life has value.

After the debate, Live Action received a message from a woman who said, “I see a shift in this country. Women are figuring out that they have been sold out. We have been sold a false narrative that pro-choice laws would make us stronger, happier, more powerful—but it was all a lie.”

Our movement, especially now, is about far more than ending abortion. It’s about life itself—about marriage, family, and God. We are unapologetic in declaring that the ideal is for a child to be raised by a mother and father, united in love through marriage between one man and one woman for life.

We will not back away from the truth that children are never burdens—they are always gifts. Theirs is the future we are fighting for.

That’s why we defend pre-born children, mothers, fathers, and marriage. The abortionists traffic in death, but we proclaim life. They deal in despair, but we live in joy and bring hope.

Tonight, I want to share a story about momentum—the kind that can change a nation and end the greatest injustice of our time.

Part of that momentum is winning debates. We all engage in debates in everyday life—with friends, neighbors, communities. I’m often asked how I prepare for debates. My first step is pretty simple: bedtime routine with my three-year-old.

My husband and I are the debate team every night—trying to persuade our one-, three-, and five-year-olds to go to bed. The three-year-old is the toughest opponent. There’s always one more book, one more drink of water, another round of back tickles. Sometimes we win; sometimes we lose. But every night, we practice. If you can win a debate with a three-year-old, you can win with anyone.

The secret is love.

Debates are tests of conviction—but they are also tests of love. We have to out-love our opponents. When we make the pro-life case clearly and with love, hearts and minds open.

All human lives are equal. Life begins at fertilization. Every abortion takes an innocent life, and taking innocent life is never justified. Hearts may be hardened by pain, but love, conviction, and truth break through.

Just a few months ago, I debated 25 pro-choice activists on Jubilee’s “Surrounded” show. They threw every argument at me, but I simply shared what science and conscience already tell us: abortion—the killing of children—is always wrong.

Afterward, one of the women whispered to me, “I actually agree with you.” There are so many more like her out there—people who, when they hear the truth, are moved.

People are waking up. Change is here.

After Charlie’s death—which I do believe was a martyrdom—church attendance on college campuses increased by 15%.

I am ready for an American revival. Are you ready?

America needs revival in her heart and her institutions. Revival is not political—it is a moral awakening. It begins in the human heart, grows in families, and is sustained by truth spoken in love.

We cannot have strong families when abortion is legal. Revival requires protecting our children. The path to national renewal begins in the womb.

If we want a stronger economy, safer streets, flourishing neighborhoods, and peace between nations, we must defend the smallest members of our human family.

That’s why we are seeing momentum across the nation—in classrooms, courts, legislatures, and streets. States like North Dakota, Tennessee, Kansas, Idaho, Iowa, and Indiana have all adopted “Baby Olivia” education laws showing students how life develops in the womb.

Already, over one million students have seen these videos—learning that life begins at conception. With every new state, millions more will see the humanity of the pre-born child. This is how culture shifts.

I’m excited to announce that more than 20 states are considering Baby Olivia laws next year.

Momentum is also visible in victories against the abortion industry. Over 30 abortion clinics have closed, including one near my hometown of San Jose. Planned Parenthood is losing funding. Years of investigation and exposure are bearing fruit.

We’ve documented the failure to report abuse, coercion, medical misinformation, and the reckless distribution of abortion pills and cross-sex hormones to minors without parental consent. Because of your support, those efforts are now defunding Planned Parenthood.

Defund Day saw peaceful rallies in all 50 states—our largest demonstration since Roe v. Wade was overturned. And the bill to defund Planned Parenthood passed.

But it expires next year on Independence Day. So we must make it permanent.

Momentum is also growing in the fight against chemical abortion. The abortion pill, long touted as “safe,” is now under federal review by the Department of Health and Human Services. Data shows one in ten women who take it suffer serious complications. This is not empowerment—it’s chemical violence against children and mothers.

Momentum must also be measured by the leaders we form. That’s why Live Action is launching the Northstar Fellowship—to raise the next generation of leaders in policy, media, and faith. We will train them in moral formation, bioethics, leadership, and persuasion so they can carry the cause of life and family into every institution.

We will not settle for half measures. We will not rest until every child is protected under the 14th Amendment—guaranteeing equal protection under the law for every human being, born and unborn.

Live Action is expanding exponentially—building in-person programming, activism, and chapters nationwide. We’re mobilizing ambassadors, students, and communities to make abortion unthinkable.

Our fight is not only political—it is spiritual, moral, and deeply American.

As General Eisenhower once recalled of a wartime prayer: “We ask only that none of us let a comrade down.” That is the spirit we need today. We pray not for victory or safety, but for the grace to do our duty—to never let a mother or child down.

St. Paul tells us in Ephesians 6:12 that our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the powers of darkness. Charlie knew this. He was relentless in telling the truth, no matter the cost. To carry his torch, we must not grow weary in doing good.

Revival is not a feeling—it’s a reordering of our loves. It’s fathers honoring mothers, communities caring for families, lawmakers protecting the innocent, pastors leading with clarity and compassion, educators teaching truth, and citizens refusing to be silent.

To those feeling weary: take heart. The truth is stronger than the lie. Life is stronger than death. Love is stronger than fear.

Jesus said, “In this world you will have trouble. But take heart—I have overcome the world.”

This is not the time to retreat. This is the time to advance—with holy confidence and deep joy.

Live Action has the momentum to win—to shift culture, change laws, raise leaders, and awaken hearts. But that momentum depends on us carrying it together.

Thank you for your support—for making every investigation, campaign, fellowship, curriculum, protest, and victory possible.

With every conversation, every prayer, every gift—you are fueling a movement that will end abortion in our nation and our world.

Together, we will change minds. We will save lives. We will build strong families. Together, we will end abortion.

Thank you to our award winners, to Bevlin, Dr. Delgado, Lyanna, and to Charlie for your inspiration.

Thank you for believing that America can become what she was always meant to be. Thank you for believing that truth spoken with love can move mountains.

Thank you for standing with me, with Live Action, and for the children who cannot stand for themselves.

God bless you all.