Right to Life Radio

Kyle tells another story from campus about defusing situations, and understanding how to handle administrations that infringe upon constitutional rights. After the break, Josh shares a story and discusses effective vs. ineffective biblical arguments against abortion. The controversial question comes up: "Are Jeremiah 1:5 and Psalm 139 effective verses to make a biblical against abortion? If not, what would be more effective passages?" Finally we again have some disagreement on the show over the value of using certain passages, so don't miss the Great Theological Debate!

Topics you'll hear us talk about: - Defusing situations - Communicating graciously - How to follow on the feet of a more 'abrasive' situation. (Working as a team to meet people where they are and build common ground even when on hostile ground) - Triage, and how that relates to "life of the mother" circumstances - Finding common ground - Responding to religious pluralism ("all paths lead to the same God") - Responding to hardcore moral relativism

You can probably tell that we have a lot of fun with each other while recording these shows. Often times, the most fun we have is while we're NOT recording. More BTS moments at http://prolifepodcast.net/bts/index.html

After an exciting announcement about a few of our co-hosts, we get into a discussion about the health care bill. A lot of wonderful pro-lifer advocates have already been talking about what's in the bill, and how pro-lifers should respond to it, and we link to some of the best below. So instead of doing the same thing, I decided to have a side discussion I haven't heard other people talking about: how can we effectively talk about this bill without coming across to some as jerks who don't care about uninsured people?

Josh Brahm was recently interviewed by Immaculate Heart Radio's "Gift of Life" program. The show has an estimated audience of one million listeners, and the topics included, "why did you start a podcast in the first place;" "what topics do you often speak on;" "what do you think about Planned Parenthood;" and "why are churches not more involved in ending abortion?"

Before answering the Life Report Questionnaire, David Bereit of 40 Days for Life offers his thoughts on the most effective ways to do sidewalk counseling. Highlight: David provides a very thoughtful response to Josh's question about the pros and cons of using graphic visuals outside of abortion facilities.

Walter Hoye joins Josh in the studio to discuss his story from last year, when he was arrested for sidewalk counseling in front of an Oakland abortion facility. After the break, Walter responds to questions sent in from Life Report fans!

Topics: - Steve's book, "Common Ground Without Compromise;" - The difficulties of dialoguing with people online; - Why we shouldn't use the terms "biogenesis" and "brainwaves" anymore; - Why it takes so much time and effort to communicate well with those that are different from us; - Steve's thoughts on the personhood versus incrementalism debate, how BOTH sides have sophisticated arguments, and how they should treat each other.

From today's Link of the Week recording session.

Josh, Kyle and Jon conclude their discussion of the infamous Superbowl ad. Was it "pro-life enough," or was it masterfully innocent? After the break, they talk about pro-life voting guidelines, particularly as it relates to the controversial election of Scott Brown in Massachusetts, a pro-abortion-choice Republican.

After giving Josh a hard time for not coming on his station often enough, Ken Adams asks Josh about the podcast, as well as the murder of Dr. Tiller, the use of "new media" in the pro-life movement, faulty pro-life arguments, how to have effective dialogues with pro-abortion-choice people, and Fresno Right to Life's upcoming Walkathon fundraiser.

It's a testosterone-packed podcast with Josh, Kyle and Jon discussing the whole Superbowl Ad controversy! Just HOW insane was the reaction of the National Organization of Women on this one? Did the Tim Tebow ad venture into the problems Josh had with the "Imagine the Potential" CatholicVote ads from his infamous debate with Jon last year? These questions are definitively answered in this episode.

Josh starts the show by telling one of the most important news stories of 2009 for pro-lifers to be aware of. After the break, we respond to some listener mail in response to a recent discussion on pro-life voting guidelines.

I've always loved the bloopers compilations on DVD's, so I figured, why not do the same thing for a radio show? If you enjoy the fact that we don't always sound intelligent in the making of our show, then you're going to love this. To listen to more bloopers, go to http://prolifepodcast.net/bloopers/index.html.

Josh, Liz and Carrie respond to listener emails and a voicemail in one of the funniest episodes we've recorded in months!

Steven Ertelt, Founder and Editor of LifeNews.com takes on the Life Report Questionnaire and comments on the growing "personhood movement." Highlight: Steven's careful responses to question #4 were excellent, and added some thoughts we haven't heard on this show yet.

I've always loved the behind the scenes and bloopers specials on DVD's, so I figured, why not do the same thing for a podcast? If you enjoy the fact that we don't always sound intelligent in the making of our show, then you're going to love this. To listen and watch more bloopers, go to ProLifePodcast.net/bloopers/index.html.

I'm working hard to keep our episodes down to 30 minutes, or slightly more if needed. Every once in a while I cut sections of episodes only for time purposes, and these are a few examples of that.

1: A response to our continuing discussion around whether there are good non-religious arguments for grounding for pro-life point of view. 2: Voicemail on same topic. 3: An email to Carrie asking for her perspective on responding to those that say men shouldn't talk about abortion. 4: "Isn't pro-life a liberal view, since liberals stand up for the little guy?" 5: A thought about Planned Parenthood and the assault that took place there last Fall.

Steve Wagner, Director of Training at Justice For All finishes the Life Report Questionnaire. This is part 2 of the interview, where Steve answered the last 4 questions.

Steve Wagner, Director of Training at Justice For All takes on the Life Report Questionnaire. This is part 1 of the interview, where Steve answered the first 5 questions.

Josh was in Trinidad this last weekend doing a speaking tour. We'll be posting audio from some of his speeches and interviews over the next month, to help make up for less podcasts until January. In this radio interview, Josh discusses common ground, good versus faulty pro-life arguments, comparing Trinidad's situation with the United States as regards to abortion, and responding to the main arguments International Planned Parenthood is making for legalizing abortion in Trinidad. After the show, the young radio engineer said he had never heard the pro-life view defended in the way I talked about it. He hadn't really cared about it before, but he did now. He said he just hadn't heard anyone take my approach of using common ground and stuff.

Lila Rose and David Schmidt from Live Action join Josh and Jon to discuss the current state of the pro-life movement and how to activate your church. After the break Josh quotes Live Action's critics, giving Lila and David a chance to respond. It was a great interview.

We finish our discussion of the often terrible ways that both sides of the abortion debate have responded to the YouTube video of the assault at 40 Days for Life. Josh has a new tactic he uses with pro-lifers acting like jerks on YouTube, and he tells all in this episode. We also cover some basic dialogue tools you can use when responding to moral relativism. We've never covered that on this podcast before, but this is something pro-lifers come across a lot when discussing abortion, and you need to be prepared!

The Life Report team talks about the assault that happened at our Fresno 40 Days for Life campaign! We play audio from the assault, Carrie offers her perspective as a post-abortive counselor of the perpetrator's motives, and then we discuss the lack of media coverage before talking about the response from both sides of the debate on YouTube! Josh has a challenging question to ask pro-lifers, as well as pro-abortion-choice people at the end of the episode. Related links at http://blog.prolifepodcast.net. WARNING: The audio of the assault includes a pro-abortion-choice woman cursing at us. I've cut out the cuss words and replaced them with censorship bleeps, but if you have small kids, it still might be a little scary. Parental discretion advised.

I'm working hard to keep our episodes down to 30 minutes, or slightly more if needed. Every once in a while I cut sections of episodes only for time purposes, and this is an example of that. This was the beginning of the 2nd break, that just went too long, so I cut it.

It's part 9 of the continuing series responding to Kenna's pro-choice video: "Pro-Life Lies." The video lists 55 "pro-life lies" she's heard, and in this series, we're responding to them all! (And pro-lifers are often surprised by our stance on some of these...) In this episode, we respond to the statements: "Back alley abortions are a myth;" "Illegalizing abortion will prevent it;" "Women should have babies if the sex was consensual;" "Abortion means less gay people."

Josh, Liz and Kyle respond to a listener mail question regarding appropriate and effective responses to the question, "what if she was raped." We tackled this question in Episode 43, but we add some new thoughts that we didn't cover before, which took a surprise turn at the end that may have you in tears...Relevant links at the website.

Lila Rose, President of Live Action takes on the Life Report Questionnaire. Highlight: Lila's reaction when she hears me use the term "pro-abortion-choice." Hilarious.

Listener Mail: #1: Response to our discussion on grounding pro-life beliefs through Judeo-Christian worldview. #2: Talking points to use when someone calls pro-lifers "anti-women."

It's time for another Life Report debate! Josh brings an inflammatory pro-life article to the table for discussion, not realizing that Carrie actually likes this article! A discussion of the merits and possible hazards of an article like this are considered and debated in this episode.

Kristan Hawkins, Executive Director of Students for Life of America takes on the Life Report Questionnaire.

Josh, Liz, Carrie and Jon address the issue of aborting special-needs babies in today's show. The discussion stems from a blog entry Josh found by a mother who's doctor assumed she'd abort her baby girl when several markers for Down Syndrome were found in her prenatal tests. Josh closes the episode by asking a challenging question to pro-lifers, AND a challenging question to pro-abortion-choicers.

Josh, Liz, Carrie & Kyle respond to listener emails that have been piling up lately. You may be surprised by our response to question #3, but please listen to our arguments before making up your mind. Listener Mail: - Comment on "pro-life lies" series. - Listener found an ethics book that comments on sex-selection for IVF embryos. - "What should pro-lifers do politically if Rudy Giuliani is nominated in the 2012 election to run against Obama?"

Listen to Jason Tatham recording the new "british" voice-over for the Pro-Life Celebrity Interview shows. After doing a few takes, Jason goes on to say the line with the following accents: Irish, Cockney, French, Scottish, Texan, Virginian AND Russian!

Jay Watts, Vice-President of Development and Communications of Life Training Institute takes on the Life Report Questionnaire. Highlight: In response to question #9, Jay talks about the need for pro-lifers to be culturally relevant. Right before we recorded this interview, I had been debating my wife Hannah about whether we should include "silly" questions like #1 and #2, and Jay says Hannah's right because people need to know that pro-lifers are like them. We watch movies. We're not weirdos. We just found out about something so horrible that some of us spend our lives talking about it in an effort to stop the injustice.

LINKS AT BLOG.PROLIFEPODCAST.NET Josh and Jon sat down yesterday to address the abortion/health care debate, using, get ready for this, facts and sound reason only. Would abortion be covered in the public option health insurance even if the word "abortion" is not included? (Yes.) Has Planned Parenthood been disingenuous in their talking points on the issue? (Yes.) Have any pro-lifers (hint: Sarah Palin) exaggerated any of their claims on this issue? (Yes.) What about the Capps Amendment compromise? Is the White House now backing off on the public option? These questions and more are answered in today's show. It's longer than usual, but we wanted to be sure to be as factual and unbiased as possible, and as always, we're exposing the fibs on both sides of this debate! (Oh, and don't miss Josh's head exploding near the end of the episode over the guy who brought a gun to an Obama event.)

Jeff Zimmerman, Junior High Youth Pastor at The Bridge Church brings one of his students to join Josh and Kyle in today's podcast. They're discussing a new presentation "experiment" Josh has been doing around Fresno called "The Devil's Advocate," where the youth pastor introduces Josh to the student group as a pro-choice person, and Josh debates the youth for 10-20 minutes. It is only then that the youth pastor stands up, and informs the students that Josh is actually a full-time pro-life advocate, and this has been a mock debate. Josh then comments on what the students did well at as well as the areas that could use some improvement, and helps fill in the gaps. The purpose is to prepare the students for discussions they will have on college campuses and elsewhere, and to have these discussions in a gracious manner, learning to both stand for truth AND respect the other person.

The iPod winner is announced; we were included in OnlineBibleColleges list of "100 Incredibly Inspiring Christian Blogs;" Josh may have been wrong for nitpicking about the term "moment or fertilization" AND we discuss the use of the terms "pro-abortion," "pro-choice" and "pro-life." Relevant links at blog.prolifepodcast.net.

The Life Report team responds to listener emails that have been piling up lately. Listener Mail: 1. Responses to CatholicVote.org debate (from episode 58) 2. Responses to article condemning women for regretting their abortions (from episode 59) 3. "I think I have an alternative illustration to Francis Beckwith's on the question of when life begins." 4. "I think the issue of capital punishment will be very divisive in the pro-life community if Roe vs. Wade is overturned." (includes discussion of how pro-lifers should respond when asked how women should be punished if abortion became illegal!)

It's part 8 of the continuing series responding to Kenna's pro-choice video: "Pro-Life Lies." The video lists 55 "pro-life lies" she's heard, and in this series, we're responding to them all! (And pro-lifers are often surprised by our stance on some of these...) In this episode, we respond to the statements: "Women are meant to have babies." "An aborted child could have cured cancer." "Abortion promotes promiscuity." "Abortion promotes eugenics."

Rich Poupard, apologist and master blogger of Life Training Institute takes on the Life Report Questionnaire. Highlight: In response to question #5, Rich gives a thoughtful case for the use of graphic pictures, which leads into a discussion on the pros and cons of driving trucks down the highway with large graphic pictures posted on them.

What?! Josh screwed something up? Yup. He tells all. Includes a discussion on the most effective ways to make a difference when someone accidentally promotes a company that donates to Planned Parenthood. Josh also shares some experiences from debating pro-choice college students at UCSD last month, participating in an exhibit with Justice For All. Includes an example from pop culture you can use when discussing back-alley "coat hanger" abortions. Find out what popular pro-choice celebrity just doesn't buy into this argument.

Listener Mail Questions: 1: "Is Randy Alcorn out of line when he implies in his book that it's surprising when some atheists become pro-life?" 2: "Can you audit my internet debating skills on abortion?"

Josh recounts commenting on RHRealityCheck's blog after a recent bit of abortion-related violence, and why you should do that too! Than Carrie reacts to an article written by a pro-choicer condemning women who say publicly that they regret their personal abortion! SLIGHT DISCLAIMER: The first 5 minutes of this show are probably about the funniest 5 minutes we've ever recorded, but they have little if anything to do with pro-life issues. If you just want to hear the intellectual side of our podcast, start the show at about 6 minutes in.

Surprise, the Howard Stern show, (or at least one of their members,) is not a big fan of our show. Shocking. Josh explains. After telling that story, Josh and Jon get into a spirited debate about the popular second CatholicVote.org commercial. (The ad that was not allowed to air during the last Superbowl.) Josh's position is that while the commercial makes an effective emotional appeal, it sends the wrong message. Jon argues that most people won't think about it in the way Josh is and that the commercial should be supported in absence of better alternatives. Listen to the debate and then tell us what you think!

Johnny Gerardi, President-Elect of Notre Dame Right to Life stays for one more show on Obama at Notre Dame. This time, Josh, Johnny and Liz respond to 5 audio clips from Obama's speech at Notre Dame.

What really went on behind the scenes at Notre Dame before Obama's speech? What did the media NOT tell you? How effective were the more "fringe" pro-lifers at reaching the other Notre Dame students and faculty? Johnny Gerardi, President-Elect of Notre Dame Right to Life comes on the show to tell all. One of the best interviews we've ever had on the show. Don't miss this!

Bryan Kemper of Stand True Ministries takes on the Life Report Questionnaire. Highlight: In response to question #8, Bryan gives a passionate appeal for pro-lifers to treat abortion advocates the same way we would treat anybody else, based on his personal testimony.

It's part 7 of the continuing series responding to Kenna's pro-choice video: "Pro-Life Lies." The video lists 55 "pro-life lies" she's heard, and in this series, we're responding to them all! (And pro-lifers are often surprised by our stance on some of these...) In this episode, we respond to the statements: "The heart beats, therefore it is wrong to kill it." "Fetuses can think." "Abortion causes breast cancer." "People who can't afford children shouldn't have sex."