Pro-life warrior Lila Rose, the founder and president of Live Action, shocked organizers at leftist Ivy League Yale University during a debate with Frances Kissling, a former abortion clinic director and president of Catholics for Choice.
Before the event, Rose shared why she agreed to the debate in the unfriendly atmosphere of higher education.
“I will be going to Yale University to do a debate on abortion against the head of a pro-abortion group. I had originally said no to this event a few weeks ago. That’s because, as you guys may know, I don’t do a ton of in-person events because I have little ones at home, so I don’t travel very much. Got a lot of responsibilities with Live Action, with the podcast, everything else, but we tried to get somebody else to go to do the debate. We weren’t able to line somebody up.”
“Then last week, Charlie Kirk was assassinated.”
“After receiving that gut-wrenching news that Charlie had been killed, I felt this strong sense of calling that I should do it and go to Yale. Here I am. I’m going to be going. I’ll be doing some more college events this fall as well.”
“But I feel like it is more important than ever for people of faith and conscience to not be afraid right now, to speak the truth with love, to speak out on behalf of the vulnerable. Pray for me, please, and pray for the young people at Yale and all the people across this country.”
“There’s a war for their hearts and their minds. And so let’s pray for each other.”
Watch:
Why I am debating abortion at Yale today. pic.twitter.com/YZT8ixUfqW
— Lila Rose (@LilaGraceRose) September 16, 2025
Following the debate, Rose shared on X, “We won. The room voted for the pro-life side. Yale organizer was shocked.”
Debate just ended.
We won. The room voted for the pro-life side.
Yale organizer was shocked.
Change is here.
Thank you for praying pic.twitter.com/fLWtBO80e6
— Lila Rose (@LilaGraceRose) September 17, 2025
The pro-life champion first called out the euphemisms used by pro-abortion advocates, including Kissling. She recalled a young mother’s disposal of her dead baby boy, who she stuffed in a towel and trash bag, throwing him away “like trash, as if he had no worth at all.”
“Whether he died at birth or just after, he was not just a pregnancy, not just a fetus — he was a son,” Rose said. She pointed out that some referred to the death of this boy, who died at birth or soon after, as a “pregnancy loss,” and some “insisted that he not be referred to as a baby.”
“Why? To name him is to admit his shared humanity,” she continued. “A child was hidden in a closet and his humanity was denied.”
Watch the full debate below:
The audience at a leftist University siding with a pro-life argument may signal a shift among young people, a shift that has been amplified following the political assassination of Charlie Kirk.
Rose noted the changes happening with Gen Z.
Gen Z is turning to God
A new Barna study found Gen Z & Millennials attend church more often than their parents & grandparents—leading a resurgence of faith in America.
Revival is happening. Pray
— Lila Rose (@LilaGraceRose) September 19, 2025
Amazing:
College campuses reportedly saw a 15% increase in Mass attendance this past weekend following the death of Charlie Kirk.
Revival is happening in America.
— Lila Rose (@LilaGraceRose) September 16, 2025
Rose also urged people to rise to Charlie’s legacy and “never give up,”
Never give up.
The saints all have this in common: they aimed for holiness and love of God, even in the face of attacks, both internal and external. They put their trust in Jesus Christ and they knew that their mission was for His Kingdom.
“Proclaim the truth and do not be…
— Lila Rose (@LilaGraceRose) September 15, 2025