Rebecca Hashke from Justice For All joins Josh Brahm and Gabi Vehrs to discuss a question that pro-lifers often struggle with.

After offering some thoughts on how pro-lifers should respond to this question, the discussion turns to another philosophical conundrum that pro-choice people often ask about: should the fact that abortion bans would be hard to enforce mean that we shouldn't try to make abortion illegal?

Our favorite Notre Dame Law grad John Gerardi joins us again, this time to discuss the Pope's recent confusing comments about abortion.

Note from Josh: We recorded this episode in October, 2013. I'm grateful that yesterday (December 9th) Pope Francis made a clear pro-life statement to the Dignitatis Humanae Institute, a pro-life group in Rome.

Steve Wagner from Justice For All joins Josh Brahm and Gabi Vehrs to discuss what Students for Life clubs should do with their events.

Steve argues that every event should create a debate about abortion that can be turned into a dialogue.

Here's the list of typical pro-life campus club activities that Steve assesses in this episode:

1: Cupcakes For Life.

2: Poll table event - Debate2Dialogue.org for pics.

3: Bringing speakers (pro-life apologetics, post-abortion, etc.) or hosting a debate.

4: Screening movies like "It's a Girl," "180," "October Baby" and "Bella."

5: Volunteering for the local Pregnancy Resource Center.

6: Diaper drives.

7: Traveling to the March for Life.

8: Bound4Life events. (Red tape over mouth.)

Steve Wagner from Justice For All joins Josh Brahm and Gabi Vehrs for a two-episode discussion about common terms and labels used in the abortion debate. 

In this episode they focus on the labels that both sides of the debate call the entity killed in an abortion: unborn, preborn, zygote, embryo, fetus, fetal human, baby and child.

Steve uses the word "unborn" at the beginning of a dialogue with a pro-choice person so as not to add an unnecessary impediment to the conversation, and to avoid begging the question.

Steve responds to the following challenges to his approach:

"Aren't we humanizing the unborn by calling her a 'child' or by using male/female pronouns?"

"What about when we're writing? Do we always need to make a case for the humanity of the unborn before we start calling her a 'baby' or using male/female pronouns?"

Steve Wagner from Justice For All joins Josh Brahm and Gabi Vehrs for a two-episode discussion about common terms and labels used in the abortion debate. In this episode they focus on the labels that both sides of the debate call each other: pro-choice, pro-abortion. pro-abort. pro-abortion-choice. pro-life. anti-abortion. anti-choice.

Steve, Josh and Gabi explain why they are willing to use the term "pro-choice" when beginning a dialogue, even though many pro-life people see that as an inaccurate "weasel word." 

Steve argues that he needs to ask the person in front of him a lot of questions to accurately understand what they think about abortion, and he doesn't want to create unnecessary impediments to the dialogue by using offensive terms that he doesn't even think accurately portrays most abortion advocates.

Steve also responds to the following challenges to his approach:

"But isn't 'pro-choice' the least accurate label for the other side?"

"What about when it's just pro-life people hanging out? Should we call them 'pro-aborts' then?"

"What if the entire pro-life movement decides to use gracious language while the other side uses rhetorically powerful labels? Are we giving up too much ground? What if unborn babies die because of this approach?"

"What should I do when I see other pro-life people using terms on Facebook that I think are mean or inaccurate? Should I confront the pro-life person, or just let it go?"

Finally, Steve, Josh and Gabi discuss the terms that pro-choice people often call pro-lifers: anti-abortion and anti-choice.

In the next episode, they will discuss the terms used for the unborn. (Zygote, embryo, fetus, unborn, preborn, baby, child.)

Megan Almon from Life Training Institute joins Josh Brahm and Gabi Vehrs to discuss strawman fallacies.

Josh starts the show by stating that both pro-life and pro-choice people strawman the other side all the time, and he shares several examples.

They then discuss how people can avoid making strawman arguments. How can we intentionally listen to people and ask a LOT of clarification questions to determine what they actually believe?

Josh Brahm and Gabi Vehrs have a candid conversation about the state of the pro-life movement, and some of the most important things we need to do in the next ten years to set ourselves up in a good trajectory towards victory.

Josh, Gabi and Megan Almon from Life Training Institute discuss how pro-lifers can best respond to pro-choice people who argue that abortion should be legal because the world is overpopulated or because women will die in back-alleys if abortion became illegal.

Note: Our strategy for responding to back-alley abortions relies heavily on the work of Steve Wagner from Justice For All.

The second part of Josh's interview with Brad Mattes, CEO of Life Issues Institute and host of the Emmy award-winning television show, "Facing Life Head-On." Brad answers the questions from the "Life Report Questionnaire" and more!

Questions:

1. What did you get in trouble for as a child?
2. What is your favorite movie, and why?
3. What has been the pro-life movement's greatest victory (or victories) so far?
4. What has been the pro-life movement's greatest failing or weakness?
5.  Does the pro-life movement need more unity, and if so, how can we accomplish that?
6.  Graphic Pictures: Should we use them, and if so, how, when, and where?
7.  What would you say to those who would argue that graphic pictures should be used in very public places because children don't seem to be too negatively effected by them?
8.  Stem Cell Research & Human Cloning: What should pro-lifers be doing about this, and why?
9.  What would you say to those who say it's unfair to compare the current successes of ESCR with adult stem cell research since ASCR has had more public funding until recently?
10.  What should pro-lifers be doing about human cloning now that it might actually be a reality?
11.  Assisted Suicide & Euthanasia: What should pro-lifers be doing about this, and why?
12.  Is the Netherlands a lost cause on the end-of-life issues debate?
13.  Respond to Americans who look at the problems with euthanasia in the Netherlands and respond, "That's them. We will do it better."
14.  What do you say to someone who is for assisted suicide in certain hard cases?
15.  How should pro-lifers interact with those who are pro-abortion-choice?
16.  Respond to pro-lifers who would say that we should be shouting at pro-choice people because that shows we're taking baby killing seriously.
17.  What single thing should pro-lifers be doing that most are NOT doing right now?
18.  How can pro-lifers start conversations about such a dark issue without being weird?
19.  How should pro-life people use Facebook?
20.  If people went to LifeIssues.org what could they find there?

Josh interviews Brad Mattes, CEO of Life Issues Institute and host of the Emmy award-winning television show, "Facing Life Head-On."  Check back in two weeks for the second part of this interview, where Brad answers the questions from the "Life Report Questionnaire" and more!

Questions:

1:11 - How did you get involved in the pro-life movement?

2:15 - How early was Dr. Wilke publishing pro-life literature and media?

2:54 - How do you think the pro-life movement has changed in the last 40 years, especially as it relates to media?

5:04 - What have you learned about how abortion affects men?

6:45 - What resources are available at http://LifeIssues.org?

7:32 - Tell us about your TV show, "Facing Life Head-On."

9:01 - What are some of the common themes on your show?

9:37 - How do you get Emmy nominations doing pro-life work?

10:38 - What were you hoping to accomplish by going to Ethiopia?

11:57 - What happened with the Ethiopian abortion worker you spoke to?

13:20 - Can you tell our audience about the woman you met who is suffering from leprosy?

14:14 - How has your life changed since you came back?

16:09 - What was the most difficult interview you did on Facing Life Head-On?

18:33 - Do you have a few favorite episodes looking back?

19:26 - How can we overturn Roe vs. Wade?

20:38 - Looking ahead, what will be very important for the pro-life movement to do differently as we work towards overturning Roe vs. Wade?

21:52 - Is there anti-intellectualism in the pro-life movement, and if so, how do we combat that?

Check out the Life Issues Institute website and TV show:

http://lifeissues.org

Comment on this episode at:

http://ProLifePodcast.net/175