The Youth Legacy of Charlie Kirk and Kristan Hawkins

Until September 10, 2025, two of the most influential voices shaping America’s youth were Charlie Kirk of Turning Point USA (TPUSA) and Kristan Hawkins of Students for Life Action (SFLA). Together, their work transformed high school and college campuses long dominated by progressive ideology into genuine arenas of debate—despite violent opposition. Kirk co-founded TPUSA, building over 3,000 chapters across high schools and colleges. Hawkins founded SFLA, with chapters on over 1,500 campuses. Their combined outreach gave millions of young Americans exposure to conservative and pro-life ideas rarely heard in classrooms. Their impact is reflected at the ballot box: Donald Trump’s support among young voters (ages 18–29) rose from roughly 36% in 2020 to 46% in 2024 (tinyurl.com/2dye5zm8).

    The depth of Kirk’s connection was made heartbreakingly clear after his assassination on September 10th. Two fathers reported how their sons, along with classmates, wore coats and ties to school in his honor—a tribute organized spontaneously the day after his death (tinyurl.com/2s4zxxmj).  Charlie’s wife, Erica, ended her address to the nation 2 days after his assassination, saying to America’s youth, “go find a chapter of TPUSA in your school, or start one (tinyurl.com/5rrzcrhb). Erica Kirk also pledged to massively expand TPUSA and not let it wither due to her husband's death.

    Kirk never shied from controversy. He debated pro-choice individuals, showing the strength of the pro-life position. He said,  “Abortion is murder — prove me wrong”. He highlighted the more than 10 million encounters at the U. S. border since 2021—equal to the combined populations of the following ten states: New Hampshire, Maine, Montana, Rhode Island, Delaware, North Dakota, South Dakota, Alaska, Vermont, and Wyoming. Critics like MSNBC’s Matthew Dowd labeled such concerns “hate speech” that provoked the violence against Kirk. But no serious nation abandons border security (tinyurl.com/3jy4fxnt, timestamp 1:00 to 3:40). If you have not heard Kirk before, you can listen to the interactions between him and campus students/teachers at tinyurl.com/js8h2z6d.

    This year, Charlie Kirk and Kristan Hawkins co-produced a national TV ad urging President Trump and Congress to defund Planned Parenthood, contributing to the passage of the “Big Beautiful Bill,” which stripped Medicaid funds from Planned Parenthood for one year. Independent of Charlie, Kristan Hawkins' numerous pro-life initiatives have a huge impact. Hawkins’ “Standing with You” initiative equips campus chapters to provide diapers, formula, and support for mothers, directly rebutting the claim that pro-lifers abandon women after birth. According to SFLA surveys, 19% of students who engaged with Hawkins' initiatives shifted from pro-choice to pro-life. Screenings of the film Unplanned by SFLA chapters yield the same conversion rate. SFLA launched 100 Life Chain events (including one in Colorado Springs in March/2025) featuring students holding 1,076 pink crosses. That’s how many preborn babies are aborted under Planned Parenthood daily.

   SFLA also shines a light on hidden public-health concerns. Each year, about 700,000 chemical abortions occur in the U.S., producing over 40 tons of fetal remains and chemical residue flushed into waterways (tinyurl.com/3rft4p3p). The abortion pills, mifepristone and misoprostol, are neither captured nor neutralized by wastewater treatment systems. It's been found that one in nine women taking these drugs for abortions end up in emergency rooms (eppc.org/stop-harming-women), and at least 38 have died. Thus, our water supply is contaminated with drugs that are not “safer than Tylenol”.

    Even before Charlie Kirk's murder, Kristan Hawkins faced death threats. Now she says, “I’ve had to hire a 24/7-armed guard for our home (over $16,000 weekly). All our windows now have newspaper taped over them so you can't see inside from the street. I know it looks terrible, but until I can afford to get them properly tinted, it’s necessary. We’ll need metal detectors at every campus event, plus bomb-sniffing dogs. In left-wing states, where my security team can’t carry firearms, we’ll have to pony up for local police protection.” (Kristan Hawkins, 9/14/2025, “I need your help…”  email)

Support Hawkins financially at tinyurl.com/5c93xbuh, or honor Kirk’s legacy by donating at tinyurl.com/4e7jkfb6.

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