John explains why Bishop Thomas Paprocki of the Diocese of Springfield is banning Senator Dick Durbin, a Catholic politician, from receiving communion from Catholic Churches in his diocese. He also discusses teaching on abortion throughout the history of Christianity. Tune in!

John talks about our educational brunch on Saturday, where we'll be discussing First Amendment attacks on the pro-life movement.  We also discuss some crazy comments from Planned Parenthood CEO Cecile Richards.  Tune in!

On today's show, John Gerardi discusses the trend in the Democratic party away from pro-life candidates, a bill to extend the child tax credit to pregnant women, and some constitutional law regarding the rights of men in the abortion decision.  Tune in!

On today's show, John and Jonathan talk about developments with SB 320 and the upcoming Supreme Court arguments to challenge California's Reproductive FACT Act, which mandates pro-life pregnancy resource clinics to refer patients to abortion providers.  Tune in!

On today's episode of Right to Life Radio John Gerardi and Jonathan Keller discuss the latest in pro-life news, from SB-320 to assisted suicide. Hear more about SB-320, what this will mean for all state colleges and possibly even private colleges. For more news and updates visit www.RightToLifeCA.org

On today’s show, John talks with Bernadette Tasy from Fresno State Students for Life, Anna Arend from Students for Life of America, and Jonathan Keller from California Family Council about SB 320, the bill that would require university health centers to provide chemical abortions. Tune in!

On today’s pre-recorded episode host John Gerardi and co-host Jonathan Keller discuss the First Amendment and how it relates to the pro-life movement. Tune in to Right to Life Radio every Thursday to get the latest on pro-life news. For more info on Right to Life and to get involved visit RightToLifeca.org.

On today’s show, John discusses a new law passed in Ohio that bans abortions that target children with Down syndrome. He also discusses more issues involving fetal tissue sales. Tune in!

Today, John is joined by Jonathan Keller to discuss the Conscience Protection Act and why it needs to get passed.  The bill would protect healthcare providers who don't wish to participate in abortion, as well as insurance purchasers in California who are currently forced to buy plans that cover abortion.

On today's episode John Gerardi explains some of the big developments in the story about Planned Parenthood and the sale of fetal tissue. Tune in!

On today's show, John Gerardi discusses the disturbing trends in European countries where children with Down Syndrome are being eradicated through abortion.  He also talks about the bills being debated in Congress and various state legislatures to ban abortion when the child can start to experience pain.

On today's "evergreen" show, John Gerardi gives a tour of the Constitution to our audience, in order to help us better understand constitutional and legal questions relating to abortion.  Listen and learn something!

In this pre-recorded episode John Gerardi gives the background of constitutional law and how it relates to abortion law. Happy Thanksgiving.

On today's Right to Life Radio, John Gerardi talks about the Supreme Court's decision to hear the case regarding California's AB 775, the law that forces pro-life pregnancy resource centers to advertise for abortion.  He also discusses the settlement in the Fresno State case, where pro-life students had their display vandalized by a professor.  You're guaranteed to learn something about the First Amendment!  Tune in!

On today's show, John talks about the excellent judicial decision to halt the enforcement of the so-called "Reproductive FACT Act," the law that forces pro-life pregnancy resource centers to refer for abortions.  He also gives some update on some great new pro-life legislation being introduced in the House of Representatives.  Tune in!

On today's RTLR, John discusses the sad case of Jane Doe, the Guatemalan 17-year-old immigrant who had an abortion following an order from the DC Circuit Court of Appeals.  He also discusses the situation in the US Senate, where the confirmation of pro-life judges is being severely delayed.  Tune in and listen to learn more!

link to article 

Today on Right to Life Radio, John gives a legislative roundup for the CA Legislature. Jonathan Keller from California Family Council then joins us to discuss the Alexander-Murray Health Care Bill.

Today on Right to Life Radio, John talks about the 20-week abortion ban being debated in the Senate, and the repeal of the HHS Mandate.  Tune in!

Today on Right to Life Radio, John talks about the Pain Capable Unborn Child Protection Act, and the chances of it getting passed through the US Senate.  He also discusses the unfortunate situation of Rep. Tim Murphy from Pennsylvania.  Tune in!

On today's show, John Gerardi talks about the death of Hugh Hefner, and how he contributed to the culture of death.  He also discusses the defeat of the GOP healthcare legislation, and some good legislation to ban abortion after 20 weeks of pregnancy.  Tune in!

On today's show, John talks about changing perspectives on the First Amendment, and how it could affect the ability of pro-lifers to express their position.  He also discusses California's physician-assisted suicide law.  Tune in!

On today's show John Gerardi talks about how far left Hillary Clinton and the Democratic party will go when it comes to abortion.   

Today on Right to Life Radio, John talks about the disappointing news regarding insurance plans in California being required to cover abortion.  He also talks about the disappointing debt ceiling deal in Congress, the bad California bill AB 569, and the possible closure of the last abortion clinic in Kentucky.  Tune in!

John Gerardi continues his discussion of Planned Parenthood and their sex- and abortion-education practices.  He also discusses the abortion reversal procedure, and the closing of partial-birth-abortionist LeRoy Carhart's clinic in Maryland.  Tune in!

Kristan Hawkins' piece on Planned Parenthood's efforts within a public school in Pennsylvania

Today on Right to Life Radio, John Gerardi and Jonathan Keller discuss California's sex education laws, and how they actually mandate abortion education.  You won't want to miss it!

On today's episode of Right to Life Radio, John discusses how Iceland is eliminating its Down syndrome population through abortion.  He also discusses how different states are fighting in the court to cut off funding to Planned Parenthood.  Tune in!

On today's episode of Right to Life Radio, John Gerardi and Jonathan Keller talk about what Texas is doing to limit abortion coverage (and what California is doing to expand it).  They also discuss bad developments in assisted suicide from Belgium and the Netherlands.  John also introduces RLCC's two newest staff members: Outreach Coordinator Tania Gonzalez and Educational Coordinator Gabi Vehrs!

On today’s show John Gerardi and guest Jonathan Keller discuss the Charlie Gard Case along with a similar case out of the United Kingdom. They also speak on the Senate’s proposal to prevent what happened to Charlie and his parents from happening in the United States. The Democratic party is divided on the issue of abortion and it shows from the comments coming from politicians and party supporters like Planned Parenthood.

On today's Right to Life Radio, John Gerardi discusses the failure of Republicans in the Senate to pass a healthcare bill defunding Planned Parenthood and eliminating abortion coverage subsidies.  He also goes more in depth into the case of Charlie Gard, and talks about changes the Trump administration is making to sex education funding.  Tune in!

Today on Right to Life Radio we will be reporting on some news out of Congress that you are not going to hear on any other radio show or podcast, we guarantee it! We will also be talking about some miracle twins born at 23 weeks, as well as some more bad business from Planned Parenthood.

Miracle Twins Story

Planned Parenthood Story

On today’s show we have Casey Mattox, from Alliance Defensing Freedom, on to discuss the Fresno State Case where Fresno State pro-life students had their display vandalized by a professor.  We also take a closer look at the Charlie Gard case. 

National Catholic Register Article: http://www.ncregister.com/daily-news/who-guards-the-gards

On today's show, John talks about the insane focus on Planned Parenthood in the context of healthcare reform, speaks with California Family Council's Greg Burt about legislation and other issues in the California Legislature, and discusses an end-of-life case out of the United Kingdom.

On today's episode of Right to Life Radio, John Gerardi digs into the new healthcare bill introduced today into the US Senate, discussing its pro-life impact.  He also talks about David Daleiden's legal case in San Francisco, and how the judge dropped 14 of the 15 charges against him.

On today's show, John Gerardi discusses a new study from England on sex ed, contraception, and abortion rates.  He also talks to Pastor Tyrone Carter about the Save the Black Family Event in Fresno on Saturday, June 24, and talks about a bogus New York Times story from the Sunday Fresno Bee.

John is joined by Jonathan Keller to talk about a proposed regulation from the Trump administration to roll back the HHS Mandate for any employers objecting for moral or religious reasons.  They also talk with Arina Grossu, the Director of the Center for Human Dignity at Family Research Council in Washington, DC, about Planned Parenthood's annual report.  They also discuss the ACLU's various lawsuits against Catholic hospitals for not providing abortions. 

Arina's article: http://www.frc.org/newsroom/planned-parenthoods-new-annual-report-shows-why-its-time-to-end-taxpayer-funding

America Magazine article on ACLU lawsuits against Catholic hospitals: http://www.americamagazine.org/politics-society/2017/05/31/why-aclu-targeting-catholic-hospitals

On today’s episode of right to Life Radio, John Gerardi talks about Trump’s Federal Budget proposal. Find out what pro-life positives can be found in it. He also talks about another bad bill in California. The California State Senate is about to vote on a very dangerous bill relating to end-of-life care, SB481.  Listen live on Thursdays at my1680.com

On today's episode of Right to Life Radio, John Gerardi talks about the Trump administration's expansion of the Mexico City Policy, preventing more foreign aid funding from going to abortion.  He also talks about the silencing of pro-life students at CSU Fresno and CSU San Marcos with Jonathan Keller of California Family Council.

On today's show, John talks about the new NARAL/Women's March manifesto, a "Christian" abortionist being promoted by the New York Times, and more.  Tune in!

On today's show, John Gerardi discuss some breaking news items: the House of Representatives vote on repealing Obamacare, and President Trump's executive order on religious liberty.  

Today on Right to Life Radio, John talks with Jonathan Keller from California Family Council about the Democrats new position refusing to support pro-life candidates within the party, and they talk a little pro-life 101 on assisted suicide and euthanasia.

This legislative year in Sacramento brings with it a number of serious challenges and threats to the dignity of human life. In today's show John Gerardi talks about some of the bad bills that threaten human life and the religious liberty of pro-lifers. This episode also includes a pro-life 101 segment on abortion law before Roe v. Wade. 

In this week's episode, John talks about why the Republicans in the Senate are using the "nuclear option" to get Judge Gorsuch confirmed to the Supreme Court.  He also explains why the Supreme Court fights are so bitter, by giving a history lesson on Roe v. Wade.

John Gerardi explains why the charges against David Daleiden, from the Center for Medical Progress, are flimsy and are clearly politically motivated. Jonathan Keller is on to discuss bill AB-569 that bans religious & pro-life organizations from requiring employees to be pro-life in practice.

Read more on AB-569: http://www.californiafamily.org/tag/ab-569/

Watch the undercover videos: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCXSI8qkDPz1CZj1u9I8Wbcg

Educational Dessert: http://righttolifeca.org/events/dessert

On today's show, John Gerardi talks about the hearings for Supreme Court nominee Neil Gorsuch with Brad Dacus from Pacific Justice Institute!  He also makes fun of California Senator Dianne Feinstein for making up legal terms out of thin air.  Don't miss it!

A distracted John Gerardi multitasks between watching Notre Dame's first-round game in the NCAA basketball tournament, and hosting a radio show.  He leads off the show discussing his appearance on KSEE 24's Sunday Morning Matters tv show, chats with Jonathan Keller from California Family Council about potential conflicts between California law and the new Republican healthcare proposal, and talks Congress and the Supreme Court.

Today on right to life radio, John Gerardi talks with Jonathan Keller about the new Republican healthcare bill, regulations on chemical abortions, and some new updates from the California state legislature.

On today's show, John Gerardi talks with California Family Council CEO Jonathan Keller about the threat posed by the alleged "Children's Bill of Rights," SB 18, and the rally in protest to SB 18 on Tuesday.  They also talk about attempts to protect the First Amendment rights of pregnancy care centers in California.  Listen live from 9-10 on AM 1680 the Answer. www.my1680.com

On today's show, John talks about the death and legacy of Norma McCorvey (Jane Roe), speaks with Pastor Tyrone Carter about his Save the Black Family ministry, and gives a legislative update on bills in Washington and Sacramento.

John Gerardi discusses the Fresno Planned Parenthood protest from last Saturday, Congressional efforts to allow states to defund Planned Parenthood, the Conscience Protection Act, and more!

John Gerardi talks about Congressional efforts to defund Planned Parenthood, and speaks with Pastor J.R. Coleman from The Word Community Church in Fresno about abortion in the African American community. We also promote our Defund Planned Parenthood Tallin in Fresno on Saturday, Feb. 11, from 10-12 at Planned Parenthood Clinic at 650 Fulton St. in Fresno.

Right to Life of Central California Executive Director and Host John Gerardi is now hosting a local talk radio show on Fresno's AM 1680 The Answer. The LIFE REPORT podcast is now RIGHT TO LIFE RADIO. Tune in every Thursday live at 9 AM on AM 1680 the Answer, listen online at my1680.com, or download this podcast to get the latest on Pro-life news and local events.

This week John shares his thoughts on the new Supreme Court Justice pick and plugs this Saturday's Pro-life conference.  

It's back!  Life Report makes its triumphant return with our new host, Right to Life of Central California's executive director John Gerardi.  He's talking with California Family Council CEO Jonathan Keller about a frightening new bill from the California Legislature, and pro-life legislative developments in Kentucky and Virginia.

Life Report is produced by Right to Life of Central California. For more information visit:

www.LifeReport.org

www.RightToLifeCA.org

Join the discussion www.LifeReport.org

Outreach Director Marcos Espinoza shares some exciting testimony from the 40 Days for Life prayer vigil currently happening outside Fresno's Planned Parenthood. New host, Education Director Rebecca Peerson, interviews volunteers down at the vigil and chats with Marcos about the nuances of Sidewalk Counseling.

Life Report is produced by Right to LIfe of Central California. For more information visit:

www.LifeReport.org

www.RightToLifeCA.org

www.40DaysFresno.org

Outreach Coordinator, Gabi Vehrs, sits down with Outreach Director, Marcos Espinoza, to talk about the 40 Days for Life campaign happening this September 24 - November 3 in Fresno and across the nation. John Gerardi also explains a pro-life win regarding a buffer zone law repealed by the Supreme Court and we welcome Right to Life of Central California's new Education Director!

Life Report is produced by Right to Life of Central California

www.LifeReport.org

www.RightToLifeCA.org

www.40DaysFresno.org

We are back from hiatus! Life Report welcomes some returning faces and some new ones! Gabi Vehrs and Liz Goddard are back to discuss why we are pro-life. Executive Director Michael Salinas joins Liz to discuss the mission statement of Right to Life of Central California and how this shapes the organization's outreaches. Find out how you can get involved at the end of the episode.

www.LifeReport.org

Life Report is produced by Right To Life of Central California

www.RightToLifeCA.org

www.40DaysFresno.org

Join the discussion at http://ProLifePodcast.net/199

Life Report welcomes Abby Johnson! Abby talks about leaving Planned Parenthood and what she is doing now to help end abortion. 

Check out Abby's organization "And Then There Were None" at http://www.attwn.org

Purchase her book "Unplanned" http://www.unplannedthebook.com/

Life Report is produced by Right to Life of Central California. For more information visit http://www.LifeReport.org or http://www.RightToLifeCA.org

Host Josh Brahm and guests Eric Scheidler (Pro-Life Action League) and Timothy Brahm (Justice for All) discuss speaker Phil Plait's speech on not being a jerk when talking to people with different views. 

Eric Scheidler is the Executive Director of Pro-Life Action League; dedicated to saving unborn children through non-violent direct action. See more at: http://www.prolifeaction.org

Timothy Brahm is a Training Specialist at Justice For All. See more at:http://www.jfaweb.org

Life Report is produced by Right to Life of Central California. Visit their website at http://www.RightToLifeCA.org

Josh Brahm interviews Jonathan Keller from California Family Council and Megan Almon from Life Training Institute to discuss the pro-life bill that just failed to pass a committee in Sacramento. The goal of the bill was to prevent sex-selection abortions in California.

Post YOUR dialogue tips at http://ProLifePodcast.net/196!

Josh interviews Justice For All trainer Timothy Brahm and JFA volunteer Anthony Trent on the subtle things they're doing lately in dialogues about abortion that seem to be making them more productive.

Secular Pro-Life West Coast Representatives Monica and Ellen join Josh to discuss the Justice For All seminar they attended, and how they felt as atheists among Christians. 

They also discuss how the pro-life movement could be more welcome to atheists and when it's appropriate for Christians to evangelize their atheist acquaintances or friends.

Steven Ertelt from LifeNews.com discusses his list of pro-life pet peeves with Josh.

While obviously not all pro-life advocates do these things, many do, and Steven argues that we will be more effective as a movement if we eliminate these bad habits.

Comment on this episode at http://ProLifePodcast.net/193!

We're interrupting our series with Steven Ertelt to give you an update on the Supreme Court case, Sebelius v. Hobby Lobby Stores.

Notre Dame Law grad John Gerardi and Jonathan Keller from California Family Council explain the case and what happened during the oral arguments.

Questions:

1: Where are we in this case right now and how did we wind up here?

2: One of the issues in this case is whether or not a corporation should be considered a "person." Many people think it's crazy to call a corporation a person, that it just protects the rich and helps them get richer. What are your views on that?

3: What were some of the highlights from the oral arguments?

4: Is this about religious freedom or is it about the rights of the poor employees against their corporate employer?

5: How do you think the court will rule and why?

6: Where does the religious freedom road lead if Hobby Lobby loses this case?

Steven Ertelt from LifeNews.com discusses his list of pro-life pet peeves with Josh.

While obviously not all pro-life advocates do these things, many do, and Steven argues that we will be more effective as a movement if we eliminate these bad habits.

I spoke last month at the Students for Life of America Regional Leadership Summit at UCLA. I spent the first 54-minutes speaking about bodily rights arguments, and you can download that audio here. I spent the last 24-minutes talking about life-threatening pregnancies and taking questions.

My thinking on this subject is heavily influenced by my friend Trent Horn at Catholic Answers. Trent has done a lot of research and great thinking on this subject, and the material I presented is largely based on what Trent has written on the subject that I subsequently agreed with.

After arguing that we should treat both mother and child as patients and that in late-term situations, we can usually save both, I explain that there are still some cases where we cannot save both, particularly in tubal pregnancies.

I respond to the concern that tubal pregnancies aren't really that risky, and offer a real-world example when it was also justified to put an innocent human being's life in perilous risk.

Post your comments at http://ProLifePodcast.net/191.

Steven Ertelt, Founder and Editor of LifeNews.com, shares his expertise on the relationship between the Girl Scouts of America and Planned Parenthood. 

He also explains why the Girl Scouts have sent a threatening legal letter to LifeNews.com.

Finally, Steven and Josh discuss the boycott and whether or not local Girl Scout groups should be boycotted.

Josh concludes his interview with Jojo Ruba, former staff member of the Canadian Centre for Bio-Ethical Reform and Executive Director of Faith Beyond Belief.

After talking about the mission of Faith Beyond Belief, Josh asks a follow-up question from the previous episode, where Jojo made a comment about pro-lifers needing to be "more offensive." Josh asks, "How can you tell whether you should be more offensive or less offensive when talking to pro-choice people?"

Afterwards Jojo and Josh answer a listener mail question from Mark in Hawaii:

"I'm a new listener, and I'm trying to figure out exactly what your views are regarding human development and when a person comes into being and should be granted human rights. Most importantly and perhaps most difficult, when do you believe God endues a body/soul carrier with a soul in human fetal development and what are your reasons for that?"

The episode includes a discussion of the Equal Rights Argument that Josh and the Justice For All team have been using lately, and what Jojo and Josh think about animal rights.

Josh interviews Jojo Ruba, former staff member of the Canadian Centre for Bio-Ethical Reform and Executive Director of Faith Beyond Belief.

After talking about the pro-life presentations that have been protested and censored by Canadian pro-choice activists, Jojo answers the 9-question Life Report Questionnaire that has been answered by many other pro-life leaders in the past. I altered it a little for this interview, taking out the questions on stem cell research and euthanasia to focus more on the graphic pictures debate and how pro-lifers should treat pro-choice people.

I love this quote from Jojo, in regards to what he does when he's talking to a pro-choice person: "I say a little prayer, and the prayer is this: 'Father, show me how I can love this person today.'"

Questions:

What did you get in trouble for as a child?

What is your favorite movie, and why?

What has been the pro-life movement’s greatest victory (or victories) so far?

What has been the pro-life movement’s greatest failing or weakness?

Graphic Pictures: Should we use them, and if so, how, when, and where?

Is there a difference between showing non-graphic but disturbing images in public (like the human trafficking truck) and showing graphic images of abortion in public?

How should pro-lifers interact with those who are pro-abortion-choice?

What kind of tips are you offering students you train on how to treat pro-choice people with respect?

What single thing should pro-lifers be doing that most are NOT doing right now?

It's Gabi's farewell show! So for something special, Josh and Gabi discuss the 21 most important lessons she's learned about abortion dialogue while working with Right to Life of Central CA and Justice For All.

After shooting the Life Report episode on arguments for embryonic stem cell research, Dr. Buratovich graciously stuck around 37-minutes to answer more questions! This audio includes my new favorite fact about early human development!

Questions:

1: Ronald Bailey has argued that since somatic cell nuclear transfer can transform a nucleus from an adult cell into an embryo, then every cell in our body is a potential embryo. Since we do not get upset about all those cells we lose when we sneeze or scrape our knees, we shouldn’t get upset about the death of a bunch of embryos. I train people to respond to that by saying they’re confusing parts with wholes and talk about what an organism is. How do you respond?

2: Some argue that embryos are like acorns as opposed to oak trees. The loss of a majestic oak tree is a genuinely sad, but an acorn? We trample hundreds of those while playing with our kids at the park and think nothing of it. So people argue that embryos are similar, in that they only become valuable when they grow up. How do you respond to that argument?

3: Respond to the more intelligent pro-choice argument that would say that sentience or some other capacity is a necessary condition for being valuable.

4: But if self-awareness really is what's important, then it seems like the pro-choice person could respond by agreeing that the threshold of self-awareness isn't epistomologically knowable, but that doesn't mean that that threshold doesn't ontologically exist. Then they could do what Boonin and Singer do and just draw the line several weeks before that threshold could possibly exist. How would you respond to that person?

5: The early church made a distinction between abortion after quickening (the maternal sensation of fetal movement), which was viewed as murder, and abortion before quickening, which was not viewed as murder. Is the pro-life movement inconsistent with early church teaching?

6: How would you argue that the unborn is a living, human organism?

7: Clarify how the mother's uterus communicates with the embryo, signalling it to the optimum location to implant.

8: Can we use dead embryos to ethically make embryonic stem cell lines?

9: Should people freeze their baby’s umbilical cord blood as a deposit on future research?

Join the discussion at http://ProLifePodcast.net/187

Dr. Michael Buratovich is Professor of Biochemistry at Spring Arbor University and the faculty advisor for the SAU Students for Life club. Josh interviews him on what stem cell research is and how to respond to common arguments for embryonic stem cell research.

Purchase "The Stem Cell Epistles: Letters to my Students about Bioethics, Embryos, Stem Cells, and Fertility Treatments:" http://amzn.to/1f2rM3b

Read Dr. Buratovich's blog at http://BeyondTheDish.wordpress.com.

01:09 - How did this book come along?

04:10 - Can you explain for our listeners what a stem cell is, and why they are sought after in research for regenerative medicine?

11:03 - Can you talk about the differences between embryonic stem cell research, adult stem cell research and induced pluripotent stem cell research?  

17:18 - Many people argue that the embryo is just a tiny clump of cells with no nervous system; no heart, no consciousness, no ability to feel pain. They think it's crazy to call that an intrinsically valuable human being. What do you say to them?

18:49 - Some people think we should use cloned embryos to solve the practical issues with embryonic stem cell research? Do you believe that to be an ethical alternative?

21:08 - Some people make a utilitarian argument that all those millions of embryos in storage units are going to die anyway. They argue that we should put them to good use instead of wasting them in a cold storage unit or flushing them down the drain. How would you respond to that utilitarian argument?

24:39 - What should pro-lifers be doing about stem cell research?

Stay tuned for bonus audio with Dr. Buratovich to be posted later this week at http://ProLifePodcast.net

Listen to Josh's speech at the Students for Life of America 2014 West Coast National Conference:

Josh responds to these four common statements:
1: "I'm pro-life, but people tell me I come across like a jerk. What can I do about that?"
2: "I'm pro-life, but I don’t know how to convince people that abortion is wrong?"
3: "I'm pro-life, but I think it should be legal."
4: "I'm pro-life, but what about rape?"

We weren't able to cover everything I wanted to during the Life Report episode, but Dr. Poupard was gracious enough to spend some more time answering questions about this important topic.

1: How do birth control pllls and Plan B work, why do some people think that they are abortifacients and why do you think that they may not be?

2: Comment on article from Catholic Bioethics...Quarterly that cites studies indicating that Plan B is not an abortifacient and argues that the labels on Plan B may not mean anything. Is there a medical bias issue at play?

3: Question #1 from Dan: What about the studies cited in Randy Alcorn's book that breakthrough pregnancies while on oral contraceptives are more likely to be ectopic?

4: Question #2 from Dan: What is the state of the research on Progesterone-only pills like the mini pill and copper/hormonal IUD's?

We've been wanting to shoot an episode on this topic for several years, and it's finally done! It's sometimes a contentious topic among pro-life people, but it's an important one nonetheless. How should pro-life people think and talk about birth control, aside from the important religious debate about whether or not you should plan your family? Dr. Rich Poupard from Life Training Institute comes on the show to offer his expertise.

02:25 - Dr. Poupard summarizes what he's learned about the medical question of how birth control methods work.

04:55 - How does Plan B work according to the research and what does a woman's weight have to do with it's effectiveness?

08:45 - Do you think women are getting enough information about the effectiveness (or lack thereof) of Plan B?

09:25 - Why the new Plan B research will probably result in MORE abortifacient use, and not less.

12:32 - Were pro-abortion-choice advocates talking about the new Plan B/weight study when it came out, or have they been hesitant to discuss it publicly?

13:26 - What's the connection between abortifacient IUD's and implantables and Obamacare?

19:17 - Knowing everything you know, how would you train pro-life advocates to talk publicly about birth control?

23:24 - What should pro-lifers talk about when discussing the public policy side of this issue? Parental involvement?

26:05 - How would you answer in 60-seconds the direct question of whether Plan B causes abortions or not?

We'll be posting bonus audio with Dr. Poupard answering more questions about birth control pills and Plan B later this week at http://ProLifePodcast.net.

Life Training Institute:

http://ProLifeTraining.com

We've got an unaired episode that was never published on YouTube for technical reasons that we recently resolved. Josh Brahm and Liz Goddard interview Bobby Schindler, the Executive Director of the Terri Schiavo Life & Hope Network which works to protect the lives of the medically vulnerable and disabled from the threat of euthanasia.

Join the discussion at http://ProLifePodcast.net/185.

00:29 Can you give us a brief overview of your sister Terri's story?

04:18 Did Michael wait 30-45 minutes after Terri's collapse before calling 911?

05:27 Can you define "persistent vegetative state" for us, and whether you believe Terri was in a persistent vegetative state?

06:53 Is there an objective definition of PVS?

08:11 Did Terri fit that medical criteria for PVS?

09:04 What progress did Terri show in the first two years of rehab before Michael took her off of rehab?

10:15 What happened to the trust fund that was earmarked for Terri's therapy?

12:25 Why do you think that Michael refused to divorce Terri after moving in with Jody Centonze?

13:02 What is it that the medical professionals believed whom Judge Greer refused to allow to testify?

14:37 Is there anyway Terri could have survived without the feeding tube?

15:26 Do you know anything about recent research to determine the extent of someones brain injury?

17:01 Do you have any how often people are starved to death who are not in a PVS state?

18:30 What is the Terri Schiavo Life & Hope Network doing now, six years later?

19:49 What do you believe is still the number one misconception about Terri?

21:36 What kind of legislation could be passed that would prevent Terri's situation happening again?

22:21 How will the new healthcare law impact people with situations similar to Terri's?

23:36 Would you be in favor of legislation that would sever spousal rights on the behalf of an incapacitated person in the event where there's a clear conflict of interest, such as when the spouse acting as guardian begins a new relationship?

24:47 What would you say to people who try to frame Terri's situation as a "right-to-die issue?"

26:02 So the clear distinction for you is that food and water is basic care and that ventilators and respirators are medical care that in some cases can be stopped?

Terri Schiavo Life & Hope Network:

http://www.terrisfight.org/

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

I got a wonderful email from Andres in Santa Barbara who was in a dialogue about abortion and used an analogy about being hooked up to a machine in order to demonstrate that your personhood isn't based on your dependance. But the person he was talking to retorted, "Are you comparing a woman to a machine?!" Andres wants to know what I would suggest we do to avoid throwing people off when the analogies we use seem, at a surface level, to demean pregnant women.

In the video, I offer six tips for making clear analogies and responding to people who continue to misinterpret them.

1: Make sure you're communicating clearly.

2: Narrate the debate.

3: Suggest a golden rule for dialogue.

4: Explain that analogies are just that...analogies!

5: Explain that pro-choice people would be wise to not throw out all analogies.

6: Determine the right time to politely end the conversation.

Find more resources about bodily rights argument for abortion at:

http://prolifepodcast.net/tag/bodily-rights

Casey Vroman from Students for Life of America joins us in studio to talk about the free resources that SFLA offers to college students and now high schoolers. We believe it's important that all pro-life advocates know about these resources so that you can point students in your sphere of influence to them.

Questions:

1:55 How did you get involved with Students for Life and the pro-life movement?

3:15 How would you explain what Students for Life does to somebody who hasn't heard of SFLA before?

4:22 What is SFLA's long-term goal with campus clubs?

5:35 What is SFLA doing with high school students now?

6:46 What has it been like working with high school students?

8:18 Is SFLA planning on working with junior high students in the future, and what would you say to concerned parents about that?

10:29 What are some of the initiatives you're doing on college campuses now?

13:23 What practical resources is SFLA offering to college students?

16:14 What are some common mistakes students can avoid when starting a campus club?

19:50 Should clubs embrace a "whole life" model where they're also talking about capital punishment, sex trafficking and adoption, or should they focus on talking about abortion?

23:35 Talk to us about the Wilberforce and Steven's Fellowships.

25:20 What would be your key piece of advice for a high school student who wants a career in the pro-life movement?

Related Links:

- Visit Students for Life's website: http://StudentsForLife.org.

- Read Scott Klusendorf's "reading list for smart pro-lifers" that Josh referenced: http://bit.ly/17RnCNS

- Visit Students for Life's career opportunities page Josh referenced: http://StudentsForLife.org/Internships

Here's an outline of my main points in response to this question from Bobby: "Some pro-life people oppose 'incrementalist' pro-life laws because they always end with '... and then you can kill the baby.' What are your thoughts?

Note: Many of my arguments and thinking on these issues comes from conversations I had with Scott Klusendorf and Dr. Francis Beckwith, who both graciously spent time with me while I was working through these issues in 2007. I'm not sure now who said what and how many of these arguments are really my own, nor would I want to source any of these arguments directly to Scott or Frank without their permission. (These were all private conversations.) It's probably a fair assumption that the really smart talking points came from one of them though.

This was supposed to be a video but we had technical difficulties with the recorded video, so I'm posting the audio only.

Common ground: I agree that we don't want to communicate to people that we only care about babies that feel pain, are a certain age, not conceived in rape, etc.

I disagree that most forms of incremental legislation send that message. I think most people know how politics works.

It's one thing to endorse something, it's another thing to say what is allowed under the law. I offer a clear example of this from Gonzales vs. Carhart.

My argument is not that we should do evil that good may come. My argument is that when we pass incremental bills that will have a positive impact for the unborn, we are not actually doing evil. We are doing a good thing.

What's implicit in these bills is that we want to save all, but we know we can't, so we're going to save the most we can, and go from there. That's called graduated absolutism.

Why I'm not utilitarian: I'm not saying 'We'll kill one baby if you let another go.' It's more like if in a Japanese POW camp, the Japanese soldier tells a prisoner, 'We'll let you go, and you can either take two with you and we'll kill the other eight, or you can go alone and we'll kill all ten.' It seems like some pro-life people that support personhood amendments would say that by taking the two I'm implicitly saying you can kill the other eight. 'As long as you give me these two, THEN you can kill the POW's.' No, we value life, and we're trying to save as much as we can.

The Bible doesn't say that if you can't save all, you can't save any. The midwives in Exodus 1 weren't able to save all the babies, but they saved as many as they could, and they are praised for it. When the Pharaoh confronted them, they didn't make a pro-life argument or statement; they lied about it so that they could continue saving some! It could be argued that they were implicitly telling the leader of the land that it's okay to kill infants. They never to his face say 'You shouldn't do that.' They lied, and saved as many as they could.

William Wilberforce helped pass a bill, the Foreign Slave Trade Bill of 1806) that you could have ended with, 'and then you can sell the slave.'

Do you think it's more important to make an impact or to make a statement? I don't believe that passing a bill with a rape exception tacked onto it at the last minute sends a message to pro-choice people that we don't care about the babies conceived in rape that are sometimes killed in abortions.

Are there some pro-life bills that don't directly save many lives after they pass? Yes. (Parental notification with judicial bypass; the partial-birth abortion ban.) Yet both had educational value, especially the PBA ban.

After summarizing Abby Johnson's story, Josh asks 40 Days for Life co-founder Shawn Carney about his ministry as well as the state of the pro-life movement.

Questions:

1. How do you think 40 Days for Life has changed the pro-life movement?
2. Knowing what you know now, what would you have done differently when starting 40 Days for Life?
3. Do people often go from participating in 40 Days for Life to doing other pro-life activities? What are you doing to encourage that?
4. What do you think are the best methods for a local 40 Days for Life campaign?
5. What could RLCC do better to persuade people to participate in sidewalk counseling?
6. What has been the pro-life movements greatest victory so far?
7. What has been the pro-life movements greatest weakness?
8. What single thing should pro-lifers be doing that most are not doing right now?
9. How should pro-life people interact with those that are pro-abortion-choice?

Josh, Tim and Gabi discuss what it actually means to be open-minded, (it does NOT mean being wishy-washy,) and whether pro-life people should be open-minded too.

After wrapping up four Life Report episodes, Josh, Tim and Gabi hung out to cover some material they didn't have time to get into earlier in the day. Those topics and questions for Tim include:

1. You said, "Love does not insist on its own way; it does not need to have the last word in a debate." Does that conflict with the Stand to Reason mantra of trying to leave people with a pebble in their shoe?
2. A discussion of pro-life memes and why most of them are bad.
3. You said, "Love is not resentful, it does not dwell on the failures of those around us. Love does not rejoice at wrongdoing. It is not excited when those around us are caught in sin." What about pro-life groups like Live Action that do undercover investigative videos catching Planned Parenthood doing bad things?
4. Can you talk about how we are to love practically with those in the pro-life movement who may disagree on our political method, for example on our use of graphic images? How would you apply your piece to that?
5. Which line in the 1 Cor 13 piece do you feel is the most important, or the most contrasted by the way a lot of pro-life people actually act?

Megan Almon from Life Training Institute joins Josh and Gabi to discuss how pro-lifers can have productive conversations about Gosnell, as well as the common mistakes pro-lifers should avoid.

One of the most common questions we get is "how do you start non-weird conversations about abortion when you're not on campus next to a pro-life exhibit?" One of the easier methods is to use a story that's currently in the news. Josh thinks pro-life people can have good conversations about abortion starting with the controversy of what Gosnell did, but he doesn't think you should stop there. He uses several specific questions to lead the conversation into talking about the abortions that are less controversial to pro-choice people: abortions done on first-trimester babies that are in the womb, aren't viable, aren't conscious and don't feel pain.

After giving these questions and dialogue tips, the discussion turns to what pro-life people should NOT do when talking about Gosnell. What are the most common mistakes pro-lifers make regarding this story? Listen to the episode to find out.

Josh also briefly responds to the pro-choice argument that it's pro-lifers fault that women went to Gosnell's clinic in the first place.

Note from Josh: We shot this episode a week before Gosnell was finally convicted of murder, among other things. This content is still relevant, it just means you might change the first question from "Should Dr. Gosnell be in jail," to something like "do you think it's a good thing that Dr. Gosnell is serving a life sentence in prison?"

Last February we published two episodes with our favorite (nearly graduated) student from Notre Dame Law John Gerardi with an update on the HHS mandate lawsuits as well as answering the controversial question, "why did so many church-going Catholics vote for President Obama, again?!"  After we recorded those two episodes, we spent another 20 minutes answering questions we hadn't talked about yet, and answered a good questions sent from a listener. This is the audio from that post-episode discussion.

Topics/Questions:

1. "Tell me about states like Massachusetts, that are heavily Catholic and Irish but are totally in the tank for Obama."
2. "What do you think is the future for the bishops' involvement in politics?"
3. Karen: "Is it even possible that we really change our society legislatively, or do we need to concentrate on the hearts of women and men?"

Note from Josh: We try to get bonus audio published a lot closer to the original recording, but it wasn't as high of a priority as keeping our publishing schedule for TV and radio. As you listen to this, it'll be obvious that this was recorded before Pope Benedict stepped down.

Also, John said in this discussion that we're only "one Supreme Court justice away from overturning Roe vs. Wade." Based on some recent research that I plan on blogging about in the future, I now think this may be a bit optimistic. In other words, I think it's more likely that we have one or two justices that would overturn Roe, and a few others that we really don't know how they would rule on overturning Roe, even if they have pro-life beliefs. I hope history proves me wrong.

Josh, Tim and Gabi respond to fair questions that pro-choice people ask that we think pro-life people should be willing to answer.

In this episode, we discuss how a lot of pro-choice people believe that pro-lifers want to punish women for having premarital sex by forcing them to remain pregnant. This seems clear because we're not distributing condoms or encouraging the use of birth control, which could arguably lower the rate of unintended pregnancies and abortions. How should pro-lifers respond to this concern?

We also discuss the common conception (no pun intended) that pro-life activists are doing what they do because they're Christians. If so, is this just a ploy to force religion on people or win converts?

We end the episode by discussing a recent story of a teen who sued her parents who were trying to coerce her into having an abortion. We offer some tips for pro-life people to use this story in dialogues with their pro-choice friends.

Josh, Tim and Gabi spend the next two episodes responding to fair questions that pro-choice people ask that we think pro-life people should be willing to answer.

For example, when pro-lifers "trot out a toddler," does that mean we think women that have abortions are just as evil as mothers who kill their toddler?

They also discuss how pro-choice people are often confused when they see a picture of a six-day old embryo at implantation, and then see us point at that picture and call it a "person."