Live Action founder and president Lila Rose spoke to a crowd of 1,500 young pro-lifers at the organization’s 2025 Young Leaders Summit on March 22. The annual event provides emerging leaders with the skills and knowledge they need to be effective advocates for building a culture of life.
After having the crowd join in on a chant meant for Donald Trump to defund Planned Parenthood, Rose discussed how optimistic the crowd made her feel. “I have never been more hopeful, more excited, more confident about this movement, this movement for life, and this movement for family, for love,” she said, adding, “This is the future of this country.”
She also reflected on the incredible growth Live Action has seen over the years:
I was thinking about the last 15 years of Live Action, and I was remembering being in college, and I was remembering, you know, pro-life club Live Action, hoping that 10 people would show up, hoping that 20 people would show up, and wondering, how do we get more people to care?
And I was just so excited thinking about the fact that this movement is now millions and millions of people strong, all across this country, all ages.
And I was reflecting on the one who makes this all possible, who is our Father in Heaven because this movement is not of our own strength or of our own vision. This movement is in service of God, right? In service of Jesus Christ.
Live Action first made headlines in the early 2000s when Rose went undercover at Planned Parenthood facilities around the country. She recorded staff repeatedly acting to cover up the sexual abuse of minors. And, she said in her speech, Planned Parenthood quickly retaliated, tracking down her personal college e-mail address:
I’m like, why am I on their spam? Like, why are they spamming me? Did someone sign me up as a joke? And I remember opening up this email, and it was this legal threat. And they were threatening to sue me — I think it was for $5,000 for each offense they set — and pursue criminal penalties against me.
And this was before Live Action had any kind of national organization. We had no lawyers, no non-profit status. We had nothing.
And I remember sitting in my dorm room and just thinking, okay, I literally have a student loan and maybe $50 in the bank. I’m one of those literal penniless college students at the time. And I remember thinking… I’m definitely in over my head. I don’t know what the next step looks like.
But I had enough of the gift of faith to get on my knees and say, God, I trust you. I trust you.
And it was within literally days that God, through His providence — because He always meets us wherever we are to give us what we need for the calling that He entrusts us with — within just a few days, pro bono legal support, people coming out of the… woodwork to help me.
And within days, those videos that Planned Parenthood was trying to silence were aired on national TV across the country because the media picked up the story of this horrible abortion clinic threatening college students.
And I realized that our trust in God, our willingness to even say, God, I don’t have all the answers, I’m one small finite person, but our trust in God opens up opportunities that we could not imagine to step into our calling. And so I want to tell you guys, you know, our three words, I believe in these words so much — they’re up here: Clarity, conviction, and courage.
READ: Planned Parenthood gave sexually graphic coloring books to elementary students on field trip
And though Rose said we live in a world where people’s consciences are broken, we can use the clarity we receive through our faith, our conviction, and our courage to overcome our broken world and make a difference.
“There are people who, even if they feel their knees are trembling, even if they have their doubts, they are stepping out in courage today because they have the moral clarity and the conviction, and they’re willing to stand up for what is right and follow God’s call,” she said. “So let that, let today change us. You’re here because you’re called. You’re here because you know in your heart, your conscience is telling you this matters, life matters, love matters. We need to stand up. We need to stand up for what is right. So let today be an inspiration for you.”
