The Face of the Millennial Anti-Abortion Movement

“The right to abortion is not a real right,” says Lila Rose, the 30-year-old face of the millennial pro-life movement, in a new documentary from The Atlantic. Rose first attracted national media attention in 2008, when, under the tutelage of James O’Keefe—the conservative provocateur who brought down ACORN—she orchestrated multiple undercover sting operations at Planned Parenthood. As the founding president of the anti-abortion organization Live Action, Rose is no longer a scandal-making firebrand. Recently, she has branded herself a “human rights activist” at the forefront of a culture war. Her polished appearance and vernacular invert the talking points of modern feminism.

“The popular narrative has been that abortion is going to somehow empower women,” Rose says in the film, “when we know that it’s an act of violence against our children.”

In the film, Rose states her goal plainly: to effectually reverse Roe v. Wade. To this end, she pushes out anti-abortion content on social media platforms every day to an audience of millions. She also lobbies the United States government.

“It's important to remember that these are people with an agenda,” said Erica Sackin, Director of Political Communications for Planned Parenthood, in an interview with The Atlantic. “There are people who are determined to keep women from accessing healthcare and having options about their bodies, their health and their futures and who will stop at nothing to further that agenda no matter how many people they hurt.”