Lila Rose Keynote Address at the Cardinal O'Connor Conference on Life

In this keynote address, Lila Rose engages with pro-life student leaders, unraveling the myths perpetuated by pro-abortion narratives and emphasizing the importance of truth in the fight for life. She delves into strategies to effectively communicate the value of every human life, from conception to natural death, and offers insights on how to advocate for women's health and alternatives to abortion. Discover how to navigate the challenges posed by the abortion industry and inspire meaningful change in hearts and minds.

Full Transcript:

I just need to say how impressed I am by this incredibly beautiful room. Not just that the room is beautiful, most importantly, you are all beautiful. This room is packed—this is their most attended conference, I think, in the history of the conference—and that's because of your passion and your determination to fight for life. So thank you all for being here. Can we do one more round of applause for each other? Thank you for being here.

I just need to shout out my Sisters for Life—where are you? There they are! Of course, our beautiful Sisters for Life, thank you so much for being you. I have such admiration and gratitude for you. Thank you, we love you.

So this is a great room. I'm so looking forward to sharing with you three key things this morning. First of all, I want to talk to you about the moment that we're in, which is… yes, a war. We're in a war right now, and particularly I want to speak to the media war—a war for hearts and minds.

I also want to talk to you about the endgame that we're fighting for. Many of you are here because you are passionate pro-life, or at least you're curious about this issue, but what are we aiming towards? Clarifying the vision for what we are aiming towards is critical, because sometimes when you're in the middle of an incredibly intense battle, it can be easy to lose sight of what we need to achieve.

Finally, I want to speak to a new revolution that we need in this country, in this world, in the hearts of both men and women in order to achieve the ultimate vision we're aiming for—especially for those of us here who are servants of Jesus Christ, which is the work to bring His kingdom into our hearts and to do His will in this life as we aim towards the next.

So starting with the media war, I want to share a quick throwback story to my days in DC when I was a younger activist, running through the streets and the halls of Congress, trying to get them to do stuff—which is typically what activists are aiming at: what do we do? What do we do to get the politicians to do the things that we need them to do?

I was founding the Live Action office in Washington DC. I had been in California, I'd been attending UCLA, moved out to the cold, bitterly missed my California life of walking around in flip-flops all the time, was getting accustomed to DC, and was learning the ways that the political machinery worked.

I'll never forget this meeting I had with some very big VIPs—it included the chief of staff for the Speaker of the House of Representatives at the time and others that were huddled together in this kind of basement of a coffee shop on Capitol Hill, where they do these secret meetings. Little insider info right there.

So we're all sitting around this table—some activists, myself, some big important people, some strategist-type folks—and we were meeting because Live Action had recently released undercover footage. We run Live Action News undercover footage exposing the sex trafficking of minors that was being aided and embedded by Planned Parenthood clinics, ultimately using birth control and abortion to keep the little girls on the street.

These were Planned Parenthood managers actually agreeing to give special discounts to a self-professed pimp of underage girls in order to get them birth control and later on abortions. Absolutely horrific footage—some of this footage was filmed not too far away, in New Jersey.

This footage was making the rounds. The FOA was being talked about by Congress at the time. All this to say, there was an initiative at the time to defund Planned Parenthood for the first time at the federal level.

So we're all sitting there talking about this, and of course, the people that are supposed to be doing the defund—because we had a majority in Congress at the time—the Republican pro-lifers had this majority—were saying yes, we know we have momentum, we know we should do this, we know we should defund them because they're getting taxpayer dollars.

But I was sitting there, thinking: the public, these videos are going viral, all this outcry—you just have to remove them from the budget. Don’t put them in the budget. Make sure there’s a line that says if you’re an abortion provider, you can't receive taxpayer funds. Send that through reconciliation, which is where the budget, the Senate, and the House decide how they're going to finalize the budget to send it to the president.

The Speaker of the House staff ultimately said: “The problem is, guys, if we do this and it goes through this fight and gums up the budget process, they’re going to blame it on us. It’s going to be on the front page of Politico that it was the Republicans who gummed up the budget process.”

I remember sitting there thinking—and this is why he couldn’t take this next step towards defunding—and I remember just being in awe of the incredible power of not the US Congress, but the power of Politico. What even is Politico? I mean, we know what Politico is here in the Beltway, but people in America, the rest of the country, unless you’re hardcore Politico fans, they’re not reading Politico. But this man was so afraid of what the media would say about him and his boss—that this was the reason they were thinking about folding on the issue.

I realized what I was becoming more and more clear on: the power of media—the absolute power of a message, the absolute power of a narrative—to shape hearts and minds and control political proceedings in this country.

It made me more determined than ever that we had to not just fight the media war, but discover and employ tactics and strategies to win the media war. This is a battle for hearts and minds. The pro-life movement’s fight to protect the pre-born, to establish a country that is welcoming and friendly to families, that sees children as gifts—this is a battle for hearts and minds. We have to change people’s hearts and minds who are confused by the relentless propaganda coming from the pro-abortion side: “It’s not a baby, it’s not a life. Abortion is healthcare. Reproductive freedom.”

How do we do this? We have a huge challenge. Well, everyone here in this room, I’m going to guess, at least has an understanding that science shows life doesn’t begin at birth—it begins at fertilization.

I caveat in case we have some pro-choice friends here, which I’m very glad you’re here. Thank you for being here. But the science is very clear: life begins at the moment of fertilization. A unique single-cell embryo comes into existence. Just needs time and nourishment to grow. It’s a whole human being. That’s an established fact.

The pro-life movement’s message is simple: if you are a human being, you have human rights. Human rights are universal and inalienable. Every single human has human rights. You don’t get less because you’re less of a human. All humans are equal in value.

As the pro-life movement asserts this, we have to remember: the victims of abortion—the primary victim—is totally unseen. They are hidden in the wombs of their mothers. When they’re killed by abortion, they’re taken to an abortion clinic or killed via an abortion pill, completely hidden from the view of the public, the media, whoever it is. They are hidden victims. They have no voice. Their vocal cords may not even be developed. Even if they were born and could cry, they’re never going to get a chance to cry or take their first breath.

How do we speak for them? We have to tell the story of who they are.

I want to share a clip of what this looks like in the media war. The pro-abortion side is relentlessly dehumanizing the baby. I was doing a debate recently for a YouTube channel called Jubilee, debating a self-professed pro-choice activist. She said, “It’s not a baby. It’s a clump of cells.”

I said, “Okay… what about me? What am I? Are we cells?”
She: “Oh yeah, we’re clumps of cells too.”
I said: “Doesn’t it sound a little dehumanizing to call the baby a clump of cells? You don’t just call me a clump of cells; you call me a human.”
She admitted: “It is dehumanizing.”

They are dehumanizing the child relentlessly in order to persuade society that it’s not a baby, don’t worry about it, and just prioritize the so-called bodily autonomy of the woman. By the way, we do have bodily autonomy—but our bodily autonomy doesn’t mean we have the right to destroy someone else’s rights, which is what abortion does.

This video I’m going to share, the amazing Live Action team put together—it’s part of a series called Face to Face. Its idea is to insert into the lies of the media narrative, using the power of social media and new media, to tell the story of the baby. This series has already been viewed 40 million times online in just the last few months.

You’re actually going to hear from one of the people in this video later today, which is amazing.

Could you see that? Could you see that those were babies? I can answer that for myself. I cannot speak for any other abortionist. Did I know those were human beings? Absolutely. I didn’t care.

I remember sitting down with Melissa several months back—other abortion survivors. There are hundreds of them in this country. In extremely rare cases, abortion fails and the child survives. Melissa was one of those children. Her story busts the false narrative of the pro-abortion side wide open. They can no longer claim this is not a baby. Melissa was always her. Maybe she hadn’t been named yet before birth, as much as she is after—it’s the same human life, just a different stage of development.

We have to remember: it’s a media war, it’s a message war. It’s about being willing to tell the stories of the child killed by abortion, the women who may feel pressured, the men who lost fatherhood. Face to Face is one vehicle to do that.

The application for us in this room: we can change hearts and minds if we’re willing to tell the stories, share the pro-life case, have the discussion, and speak the truth in love. Do this again and again, even imperfectly, even if we feel we’re not making as much progress as we wish. Prayer helps: prayer for the person you’re trying to reach, prayer for the thing you’re trying to accomplish. God’s grace works beautifully and mysteriously in changing hearts and minds.

So, moving into the endgame, this is where it gets really critical. Because the media war is ongoing, right? We fight, we tell the story, we post videos, we get millions of views, we try to educate our friends and family—but if we don’t have a vision for the endgame, we can get lost in the process.

What is the endgame for the pro-life movement? What are we actually fighting for? Not just smaller wins here or there, but the ultimate goal?

The endgame is abolition of abortion. Make no mistake, this is not just incrementalism. Incrementalism is important—we have to pass legislation, we have to defund, we have to do all these small victories—but the vision, the ultimate aim, is to restore the full legal protection to every child in the womb. Every child deserves to be recognized as a human being with inalienable rights.

Now, when we say “abolition,” I know some people flinch. “Oh, that’s extreme, we can’t do that immediately.” I’m here to tell you: you can. History tells us you can. Slavery was abolished. Human beings were once legally treated as property. Women were once legally treated as property in many countries. People were once denied the right to vote. And yet, through determination, education, courage, and relentless advocacy, these injustices were overturned.

Abortion is no different. It is the civil rights battle of our time. We are literally standing on the front lines of history. When people ask me why I do what I do, this is why. This is about standing for life in the most vulnerable, defenseless members of society. We cannot be lukewarm. We cannot be tentative. We cannot be afraid to take the message to the world.

The question is: how do we get there? How do we achieve the ultimate endgame?

We do it through a culture revolution. And I want to spend some time talking about this because it’s absolutely necessary. The sexual revolution that began in the 1960s did not just create a culture of promiscuity—it also created the conditions for abortion to flourish. We have to be clear-eyed about that. Abortion did not happen in a vacuum. It was the inevitable result of a culture that devalued children, devalued family, and devalued life.

So, the revolution we need is not just political. It is cultural, moral, and spiritual. It’s about changing hearts and minds in a profound way, about showing society that love, responsibility, and life are inseparable.

We need a revolution in how men and women view each other. In a world where men are disconnected from fatherhood, women are pressured to view children as obstacles, and both are encouraged to see life as optional—this is the exact opposite of what we want. The revolution we need restores respect for life, respect for the family, respect for human dignity.

This is why the work of Live Action, of Sisters for Life, of all of you in this room, is so vital. You are the tip of the spear. You are not just engaging in debate, not just posting on social media, not just running campaigns—you are modeling a culture that values life.

I want to bring this closer to you. Let’s talk about the role of the individual. Each of you has the ability to influence people around you. You may think, “Well, I’m just one person, I’m just a student, I’m just a worker, I’m just a mom or dad.” That doesn’t matter. Every person you encounter is a potential ripple in this revolution. Every conversation you have, every piece of content you share, every volunteer effort you do—that changes the trajectory of someone’s life.

And here’s the kicker: you don’t need permission to fight for life. You don’t need a fancy title. You don’t need a political office. What you need is courage, clarity, and compassion.

Now, I know this can feel overwhelming. I know there are moments when the media attacks you personally, when friends dismiss your views, when the world seems against you. That’s normal. That’s part of being in a battle. But you cannot let fear or apathy dominate you. Remember, the battle is bigger than your comfort. The battle is bigger than your pride. The battle is eternal in consequence.

I want to leave you with a practical takeaway from today. Three things you can do right now to advance the revolution of life:

1. Educate—study biology, ethics, philosophy, and law. Understand the science, understand the arguments, and understand the narratives. Knowledge is power.

2. Advocate—use social media responsibly, engage in respectful debates, volunteer for campaigns, and share stories that humanize the child in the womb.

3. Mobilize—organize groups, attend rallies, pray, and create spaces where life is celebrated and defended. Don’t wait for someone else to start. Be the spark.

Finally, remember this: you are not alone. There are millions of people across this country, across this world, who share your convictions, who are committed to the same cause. Lean on one another, learn from one another, and grow together.

When you leave this room today, leave with clarity of purpose and fire in your heart. The endgame is abolition. The method is a revolution of love, courage, and truth. The responsibility is yours—and there has never been a better time in history to rise up.

Thank you for being here. Thank you for fighting for life. God bless you.