Right to Life Radio
662 episodes - English - Latest episode: 6 days ago - ★★★★ - 58 ratingsThis is the podcast for Right to Life of Central California's weekly, pro-life radio show, broadcast every Saturday from 9-10 AM on Power Talk FM 96.7 and AM 1400 in Fresno. Our host (and RLCC executive director) John Gerardi gives all the latest news on the pro-life movement in Fresno, throughout California, and nationally. Subscribe today!
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Episodes
LISTENER MAIL: The Art of Narrating the Debate; Embryonic DNA
December 19, 2012 19:53 - 12 minutes - 11.4 MBValerie from Silver Lake, Kansas emailed Life Report to ask for advice on a discouraging debate she had with her pro-choice, Christian father about abortion. Josh begins a three-part video series responding to different aspects of her email, and some of her dad's pro-choice arguments. In part one, Josh discusses the most important question when somebody states that the unborn is "not a human being," how to effectively "narrate the debate" when people don't answer our reasonable questions, a...
Listener Mail: Responding to Really Extreme Pro-Choice Arguments
November 30, 2012 23:52 - 13 minutes - 12.6 MBJosh responds to an email from Ashlen who was debating abortion with somebody who responded that parents should have the right to kill their children until they are 18 years old! She wants to know what she should have said. Josh's response includes comments on what to do when you get stumped or run out of steam and the proper introduction of humor into a dialogue.
Listener Mail: Was Margaret Sanger a Racist?
November 24, 2012 20:31 - 10 minutes - 9.89 MBJosh responds to a listener email that makes some strong claims about Margaret Sanger. Josh has a different take on Sanger's views and explains why.
Listener Mail: Economic Arguments For and Against Abortion
November 24, 2012 03:54 - 9 minutes - 9.16 MBJosh responds to an email from someone who isn't finding lots of success using economic arguments for the pro-life position. Her pro-choice friend's response is to reference "Freakonomics" and add that if the country needs more people, we should just open up the borders.
Listener Mail: You're Too Hard on Pro-Lifers; Late-Term Abortions
November 16, 2012 18:45 - 15 minutes - 14.4 MBJosh responds to an email from someone who seems frustrated that Josh mis-characterized pro-life people as being uninformed about fetal development. Other topics include late-term abortions, Down Syndrome abortions, post-fertilization age vs. LMP, and the use of the term "pro-aborts."
#158: Pro-Choice Blogger Berated by Her Own Side for Asking Embarrassing Questions about Sex-Selection Abortion
October 23, 2012 20:54 - 28 minutes - 25.9 MBJosh, Liz and Gabi respond to the story of a pro-choice blogger who wrote some things about sex-selection abortion that was deemed embarrassing by her pro-choice colleagues and publicly berated for it. Is there an inherent inconsistency in Laurie Penny's article? Can you be both pro-choice and opposed to legal sex-selection abortions? Should the other pro-choice bloggers have responded a different way? What does it mean to have an attitude of seeking truth? How can pro-lifers use this story...
#157: How Much do Pro-Lifers Need to Know About Embryology?
October 18, 2012 18:18 - 30 minutes - 27.9 MBJosh, Liz and Gabi respond to a listener mail question: how much do pro-life advocates need to know about fetal development to be adequately prepared to have good conversations with lots of pro-choice people? Ultimately, the team offers two separate lists: the minimal things you NEED to know and the things that will make you an even better advocate. The team close the show by summarizing the best arguments for the humanity of the unborn and the idea that human beings are valuable in the fi...
Pro-Choice Blogger Accuses Josh of Confusing Relativism with Libertarianism
October 08, 2012 22:59 - 33 minutes - 46.5 MBJosh and Gabi discuss the difference between moral relativism and libertarianism, in response to a pro-choice blogger who thinks we confused the two in a recent episode about a leaked Planned Parenthood document. After defining the terms, they carefully re-analyze the document to determine the validity of the bloggers accusation.
#156: David French Defends Mitt Romney to Skeptical Pro-Life Voters
October 04, 2012 17:36 - 28 minutes - 25.9 MBDavid French is a Senior Counsel at the American Center for Law and Justice. A graduate of Harvard Law School, he is a former Senior Counsel for the Alliance Defense Fund. David has written multiple books and his articles have been published by the Washington Post and Washington Times, among others. He has also founded Evangelicals for Mitt. I wanted to bring David on to respond to the most common concerns that pro-life people have about voting for Romney. And that he did... Here are the q...
#155: Is it Wise to Make Comparisons to the Aurora Movie Theater Shooting? - PART 2
September 20, 2012 20:42 - 28 minutes - 25.9 MBJosh, Liz and Gabi discuss the wisdom of pro-life activists choosing to compare abortion to recent tragedies like the Aurora movie theater shooting, or posting pro-life status updates every anniversary of 9/11. The Life Report team considers the toughest questions from the other side of this issue, and they end the 3-part discussion never fully agreeing on the subject. Note from Josh: Bryan Kemper from Stand True Ministries and now working for Priests for Life was one of the main instigator...
BONUS: Post-Episode Discussion from #154-155
September 20, 2012 20:33 - 28 minutes - 26.1 MBJosh, Liz and Gabi stayed after the two episode shoot and responded to arguments for and against Bryan Kemper's picture, from both pro-life and pro-choice people. Here are the arguments we covered: "We wouldn't hesitate to make [the Aurora] comparison if it were three year olds." “It’s the 4,000 a day that are being minimized; this is a good opportunity to make the stats meaningful to people.” “Babies are dying and we should do whatever it takes to end the apathy.” “No comparisons are ne...
#154: Is it Wise to Make Comparisons to the Aurora Movie Theater Shooting? - PART 1
September 20, 2012 20:24 - 28 minutes - 25.9 MBJosh, Liz and Gabi discuss the wisdom of pro-life activists choosing to compare abortion to recent tragedies like the Aurora movie theater shooting, or posting pro-life status updates every anniversary of 9/11. The Life Report team considers the toughest questions from the other side of this issue, and they end the 3-part discussion never fully agreeing on the subject. Note from Josh: Bryan Kemper from Stand True Ministries and now working for Priests for Life was one of the main instigator...
#153: Secret Planned Parenthood Document Exposes Their Dishonest Debate Tactics
August 22, 2012 22:47 - 28 minutes - 25.9 MBJosh, Liz and Gabi react to a leaked Planned Parenthood document that trains their volunteers to purposefully have bad dialogues with pro-life people. A stark contrast is made between the kind of dialogue that Planned Parenthood wants us to have, and the kind of dialogue we've been training people to have on this show. There are also some insights that can be made on the way Planned Parenthood directors think based on things that are said in this document.
Site Update: That Fanzy App on Facebook
August 20, 2012 18:02 - 7 minutes - 6.76 MBJosh explains a relatively new app we're using on our facebook fan page to reward our most active fans. In the past we've been rewarding with free pro-life books. Future rewards to include pro-life clothing and exclusive Life Report audio.
LISTENER MAIL: Pregnant Mom Attempts Suicide; Charged with Feticide?
August 15, 2012 20:21 - 9 minutes - 8.98 MBJosh responds to a listener mail question about a pregnant Chinese immigrant Bei Bei Shuai who attempted suicide and in the process, her baby died. She is now being charged with feticide, and pro-choice advocates are talking about this story all over the country. Josh clears up a common misconception among pro-lifers about Roe vs. Wade and the Laci Peterson Law, and offers a thought experiment to defend why perhaps this woman should be charged with something. Josh claimed that most 26-week ...
LISTENER MAIL: "I disagree with Trent Horn's definition of personhood"
August 13, 2012 18:20 - 7 minutes - 7.11 MBJosh responds to a listener who believes she found a flaw in Trent Horn's definition of personhood. Luckily, she just misunderstood Trent's definition, and strongly oversimplified it. Josh explains why and recommends some good books on the substance view of persons.
LISTENER MAIL: "I disagree with your episode on voting principles"
August 09, 2012 23:16 - 10 minutes - 9.64 MBJosh Brahm responds to a listener who disagrees with a recent Life Report episode on voting principles, featuring Scott Klusendorf and Jonathan Keller. The listener thinks we need to use long-term strategy when voting, like chess.
#152: Responding to the Infamous "After-Birth Abortion" Article
August 08, 2012 17:29 - 28 minutes - 25.9 MBJosh, Liz and Life Report's newest co-host, Gabi Vehrs, discusses that "after-birth abortion" article, including how many pro-life people responded to it, as well as a refutation of the underlying premise in the article.
#151: Recognizing and Defeating Logical Fallacies. SPECIAL GUEST: Trent Horn
August 01, 2012 23:42 - 28 minutes - 25.9 MBTrent Horn is back in studio for one more episode, to discuss logical fallacies that both pro-life and pro-choice advocates make. What is logic? How do arguments work? What are fallacies? What are the most common fallacies that pro-choice advocates make? What are the most common fallacies that pro-life advocates make? Most people know that an ad hominem is a fallacy, but they aren’t sure how to describe it or refute it. How do you refute ad hominems? What are some fallacies that peopl...
LISTENER MAIL: Does the Mother Benefit from Pregnancy? If So, Does That Negate Bodily Rights Arguments?
July 30, 2012 17:52 - 4 minutes - 4.26 MBJosh responds to a listener mail question asking whether the potential health benefits a mother receives during pregnancy negate bodily rights arguments. Check out other resources on bodily rights arguments here: http://prolifepodcast.net/tag/bodily-rights
Josh Brahm on Life Report Site Update
July 26, 2012 22:49 - 8 minutes - 8.07 MBJosh talks about the recent improvements to the functionality of the Life Report website, (ProLifePodcast.net) as well as some changes to how we're responding to listener mail now.
#150: What Makes Human Beings Valuable? SPECIAL GUEST: Trent Horn
July 25, 2012 17:19 - 28 minutes - 25.9 MBIt's Life Report's 150th episode, and Trent Horn is back in studio to discuss how pro-lifers should respond when their discussion of abortion gets down to the "metaphysical basement:" why are human beings valuable in the first place? Why should pro-lifers be concerned with answering the question “Why do humans matter?” How do pro-life advocates often answer the question? The imago dei is probably the most controversial or least understood reason, how do you understand this reason? Why s...
#149: Philosophy to the Rescue! SPECIAL GUEST: Trent Horn
July 17, 2012 22:14 - 28 minutes - 25.9 MBTrent Horn begins the show with a discussion of what a philosophy is (and isn't) and talks about why pro-life advocates need to study the discipline of philosophy. Issues Trent touches on that need philosophical reflection include: Why is killing wrong? What is a person? Do people have a right to control their own bodies? Are morals relative or objective? Trent then surveys the major philosophical contributions to these issues. (Singer, Marquis, Warren, Thomson, Finnis, Noonan, Schwartz...
#148: Violinist Reasoning. SPECIAL GUEST: Trent Horn
July 12, 2012 16:55 - 28 minutes - 25.9 MBPro-life philosopher Trent Horn explains how some pro-choice arguments don't seem so crazy if you view them through the lens of Judith Jarvis Thompson's violinist analogy instead of an anti-personhood worldview. This is very important, because we want to understand where pro-choice people are coming from, and in my experience, more and more of them are coming from a bodily rights case and not only an anti-fetal-personhood view. Trent Horn is the Coordinator of Respect Life Leadership Suppor...
#147: Notre Dame Law Student Analyzes the "Obamacare" Ruling
July 03, 2012 17:54 - 28 minutes - 25.9 MBNotre Dame law student and former Life Report guest John Gerardi joins Josh Brahm and Jonathan Keller in the studio to discuss the Supreme Court's "Obamacare" decision. Josh opens the show by focusing on how this legislation promotes abortion and tramples on religious liberty. This includes a brief explanation of why "ella" should definitively be considered an abortifacient, and not merely a contraceptive. Josh also discourages people from making baseless claims about Chief Justice Roberts' ...
BONUS: Josh Brahm Interviewed on WGSO
June 13, 2012 15:53 - 21 minutes - 29.4 MBListen to WGSO talk show host Jeff Crouere interview Josh Brahm, asking the following questions: You believe that if they communicate the pro-life position properly, that any pro-life person can go toe-to-toe with any pro-choice advocate, is that right? Don't we see a reduction of abortions across the country? What is it within the pro-choice message that you can find common ground with? You still want to see Roe vs. Wade overturned, right? What would that look like on a national level? ...
BONUS: 14-Year-Old Jillian Makes an Impact at Her School
June 07, 2012 17:46 - 11 minutes - 10.9 MBJosh Brahm interviews local student Jillian and her mom. After interviewing Josh and Kyle, Jillian wrote a paper and gave a pro-life speech to her entire class, and got very positive feedback from her teacher as well as her fellow students. Even more impressive: Jillian is just 14-years-old. Listen to her story here.
#146: Former Life Report Co-Host Carrie Guy Shares Her Abortion Story
June 05, 2012 21:57 - 28 minutes - 25.9 MBFormer Life Report co-host Carrie Guy was beloved by many fans. She brought something different to the show, as a youth pastor and a post-abortive pastors kid. She had to leave the show last year when she had baby, but she's come back for a special episode to share her story that includes having an abortion as a teen, her recovery process later, and ultimately helping other post-abortive women. Carrie also talks about how the modern church is doing responding to the abortion issue as wel...
LISTENER MAIL: "My co-worker thinks life begins at birth. What should I say?"
May 30, 2012 20:04 - 11 minutes - 10.7 MBJosh Brahm responds to listener mail from a fan who's veterinarian co-worker thinks life begins at birth. Got a question for Josh? Email it to [email protected].
#145: "Stand Up For Religious Freedom" Rallies. SPECIAL GUESTS: Eric Scheidler & Matt Yonke
May 30, 2012 17:49 - 28 minutes - 25.9 MBEric Scheidler, Executive Director of Pro-Life Action League and Matt Yonke, PLAL Communications Director join Josh via Google+ to discuss the HHS mandate and what pro-lifers can do to stand up for religious freedom via public rallies on June 8th. Topics covered: - What is the HHS mandate? - Why should Christians be concerned about it? - Is this issue about religious liberty or contraception access? - Exactly how does the HHS Mandate violate the First Amendment? - What's being done to ...
#144: Scott Klusendorf on the State of the Pro-Life Movement
May 24, 2012 23:11 - 28 minutes - 25.9 MBScott Klusendorf is a travelling pro-life speaker who interacts with all the big advocacy groups, as well as Pregnancy Care Centers. He has a unique perspective about the position pro-life advocates are in to make their case right now in history, as well as some observations about Right to Life of Central California that he requested to share in a special Life Report episode.
RETRACTION: Ray Comfort Did Not Beg the Question in "180"
May 24, 2012 18:12 - 8 minutes - 7.86 MBJosh Brahm retracts his argument in a recent Life Report episode that Ray Comfort begged the question during his 180 interviews.
#143: Does the Bible's Silence Justify Abortion? SPECIAL GUEST: Scott Klusendorf
May 16, 2012 20:18 - 28 minutes - 25.9 MBThere are some Christians and even pastors who believe the Bible's silence on abortion means that we should not speak up about the issue. Scott Klusendorf from Life Training Institute deals a devastating blow to this argument. Topics covered: - Should pro-lifers defend their view with Psalm 139, Jeremiah 1:5 and others like it? - A better biblical argument for the pro-life position; - Responding to the argument that biblically speaking, life begins at "first breath;" - Responding to the...
#142: Should Pro-Lifers ALWAYS Vote for the Pro-Life Candidate? SPECIAL GUEST: Scott Klusendorf
May 10, 2012 20:31 - 28 minutes - 25.9 MBJosh facilitates a discussion with Life Training Institute's Scott Klusendorf and RLCC's Jonathan Keller on pro-life voting principles. Topics discussed include: - the current political reality the pro-life movement is in; - the different nuances to voting for someone in the Senate, House, and Executive branches; - voting for third-party candidates; - the meaning of the word "pragmatic;" - are all "social justice" issues equivalent? For more Scott Klusendorf, check out his website: http:...
#141: Evaluating the "180" Documentary - Part 2
May 04, 2012 14:16 - 28 minutes - 25.9 MBJosh, Liz and Andrew begin a two-episode discussion of the popular pro-life documentary, "180," by Ray Comfort and Living Waters Publications. The Life Report team discuss both what they liked about the movie, and then they debate the things they didn’t like. Topics covered in part two include whether or not Ray Comfort begged the question during his interviews and how pro-lifers should use this movie
#140: Evaluating the "180" Documentary - Part 1
May 04, 2012 13:46 - 28 minutes - 25.9 MBJosh, Liz and Andrew begin a two-episode discussion of the popular pro-life documentary, "180," by Ray Comfort and Living Waters Publications. The Life Report team discuss both what they liked about the movie, and then they debate the things they didn’t like. Topics covered in part one include the value of taking more time with people and allowing them to "put the puzzle together themselves," and whether or not 180 should be considered a "training film" for pro-life people.
#139: Why Are Some Pastors Silent About Abortion? SPECIAL GUESTS: Pastor Jim Franklin & Father Larry Toschi
April 20, 2012 09:33 - 27 minutes - 25.6 MBJosh believes that some church leaders are silent about abortion because of ignorance, fear or apathy. Pastor Jim Franklin, pastor of Cornerstone Church in Fresno and Father Larry Toschi from Our Lady of Guadalupe in Bakersfield offer practical advice to pro-life congregants who want to communicate with their church leader about abortion. They close by offering practical advice to pastors on what they can and should do to be a pro-life pastor. (It’s not as much as you might think!)
#138: That HHS Mandate. SPECIAL GUESTS: Pastor Jim Franklin & Father Larry Toschi
April 11, 2012 10:13 - 28 minutes - 25.9 MBPastor Jim Franklin, pastor of Cornerstone Church in Fresno and Father Larry Toschi from Our Lady of Guadalupe in Bakersfield join Josh in the studio to talk about the HHS mandate forcing religious institutions to pay for sterilizations, contraception and the abortifacient drug, "ella."
BONUS: Josh Brahm Interviews Ray Kaczmark, Director of "To Be Born"
April 05, 2012 10:47 - 19 minutes - 17.6 MBA Catholic film studio called Spirit Juice Studios released a short pro-life film called "To Be Born" last June. If you haven’t seen it yet, you can watch it for free at ToBeBorn.com, or click the embedded video below. I had the opportunity to interview Ray Kaczmark, the director of "To Be Born," to ask him some questions about the movie.
#137: CA Senators Want to Let Non-Doctors Perform Surgical Abortions. SPECIAL GUEST: Dr. Linda Halderman
April 05, 2012 10:42 - 28 minutes - 25.9 MBAssemblywoman Dr. Linda Halderman comes to the studio to discuss a California Senate Bill that would allow non-doctors to perform surgical abortions. Dr. Halderman is a surgeon who can speak with expertise on the problems with the abortion training non-doctors across California have been given for over a year.
#136: Responding to Unusual Pro-Choice Arguments
March 28, 2012 10:14 - 28 minutes - 25.9 MBJosh, Liz and Andrew have been talking to pro-choice people for years, and every once in a while, they’ve come across some very unique arguments. We discuss how pro-lifers should respond when they come across arguments like these: "How do you know you’re human?" "If I have a tie, and giving you this tie will save your life, I still don’t have any obligation to give you this tie." "Personhood begins when you can visually determine the baby’s gender on an ultrasound." "Abortion is okay because...
#135: "Should Pro-Lifers Have Pro-Choice Friends?" SPECIAL GUEST: Steve Wagner
February 29, 2012 11:15 - 28 minutes - 25.9 MBDuring a recent episode of Life Report, Liz and Andrew became concerned by Josh’s statement that he has "pro-choice friends." Steve Wagner joins the show via Skype to talk about whether pro-life people should have pro-choice friends. What about people that say they’re "pro-life" but in action are effectively pro-choice?
BONUS: Josh Interviews Steven Ertelt of LifeNews.com
February 14, 2012 10:51 - 37 minutes - 34.6 MBWe’ve interviewed Steven Ertelt from LifeNews.com before, but this time Steven came into the studio to discuss the state of the pro-life movement in 2012, personhood bills, and voting principles. Ertelt also gives us an exclusive on a very significant change in Steven’s personal life.
#134: Chicago Tribune Uncovers Abortion Reporting Controversy
February 10, 2012 11:10 - 27 minutes - 25.5 MBJosh has been doing research and making calls to experts about the front page Chicago Tribune story that there are thousands of unreported abortions in Illinois. After explaining what’s going on, Josh has some questions for pro-choice people to consider, as well as a warning to pro-lifers about how NOT to use this story.
UPDATED JOSH BRAHM SERMON: "Ignorance, Fear and Apathy: 3 Problems the Church Faces in Confronting Abortion"
January 30, 2012 14:20 - 45 minutes - 20.8 MBThis is the recording of a sermon Josh preached on January 22, 2012 at Free Grace Church in Clovis. After presenting three questions that Christians can answer to bring moral and theological clarity to the abortion issue, Josh takes a hard look at the main reasons that many Christians remain silent on the abortion issue, and how a proper understanding of the Gospel resolves all three of them. Josh closes with the three things that every Christians should do MINIMALLY about abortion.
#133: Should Pro-Lifers Boycott the Relay for Life?
January 17, 2012 10:17 - 28 minutes - 26.1 MBMany people donate money to the American Cancer Society through their annual Relay for Life events. But the ACS funnels some of that money to killing human embryos for stem cell research. Should this fact cause pro-life people to donate to alternative cancer organizations? Josh thinks so, but Liz and Andrew disagree. Watch the biggest internal debate from Life Report season one.
#132: Bad Pro-Life Video Mocks Scarlett Johansson / Donald Trump’s Pro-Life Views
January 04, 2012 11:17 - 27 minutes - 25 MBTopic 1: Satirical Pro-Life Video Depicts Scarlett Johansson in KKK Robe for Promoting Planned Parenthood The Life Report team discusses this question: assuming for sake of argument that PP is in fact a racist organization, is it wise for pro-lifers to make satirical videos like this? Why or why not? Topic 2: Donald Trump’s Pro-Life Views are Grounded in Irrelevance The Life Report team explains why this has got to be the worst attempt ever at grounding the view that abortion should be leg...
#131: "I’m Friends with a Future Stem Cell Scientist"
December 07, 2011 10:28 - 25 minutes - 23.6 MBListener Mail: 1: "Should we use a different word than ‘abortion,’ because that word can also refer to a natural miscarriage?" 2: "One of my friends at school is planning on becoming an embryonic stem cell research scientist. Is there a unique way you would discuss the issue of life with an abortionist or a stem cell researcher?" Includes a discussion on whether you should ever end a friendship with a pro-choice person or stem cell scientist. For more information on stem cell research, visi...
#130: Do Emotional Appeals = Logical Fallacies?
October 27, 2011 15:39 - 28 minutes - 26.6 MBTrent Horn, Director of Youth Outreach with Project Defending Life joins the show via phone to discuss whether emotionally appealing arguments are automatically fallacious. Josh and Trent have both recently been countered by debaters who immediately object whenever they make an argument that pulls on peoples heartstrings. Certainly some appeals to emotion are fallacious, but are all of them? What are common fallacious appeals to emotion that pro-lifers and pro-choicers make while debating abo...
#129: Is Planned Parenthood Racist?
October 13, 2011 10:26 - 28 minutes - 26.4 MBJay Watts from Life Training Institute join the Life Report team via Skype for a round table discussion on whether modern day Planned Parenthood is actually a racist organization. Jay offers a brief biography on Margaret Sanger and the two most significant events in her life. In response to the question of whether Sanger was racist, Jay responds that "racist" is too limiting a term for her. Also discussed are the stats that seem to implicate Planned Parenthood in targeting minorities, as wel...