Life Matters

The right to life movement is built on the idea that there is a higher law which determines what laws are just or unjust.  All Republics operate under this idea of higher principles existing above immediate desires and majoritarian ‘seizure’ of the legal moment.  An appeal to, “The laws of nature and of nature’s God,” is the predicate for America’s laws being just . This idea has, of course, been under concerted attack.  But with the passage of he Dobbs Decision, the principle has literally now been inverted in the minds of some.   Caring for mothers and their children is now being declared an immoral - even illegal act.  Senator Warren of Massachusetts has called for the closure of all crisis pregnancy centers.  Numerous Democrats have joined in, decrying the fact that the abortion of a child is not the foremost answer offered to these women at these centers.   Brian examines the overt attack against caring for babies and mothers. He includes a hearing conducted by Senator Josh Hawley of Missouri, in which t

In this episode of Life Matters, Commissioner Johnston examines the meaning of the right to life. Why does this have to be about the law? Where did this right to life come from? Did it begin at America’s founding, or is it a deeper, more widely recognized, universal truth  - a self evident truth - that everyone should take the time and interest to deliberate?   The American founders strongly felt this was so. They proclaimed to the world that they would form a new form of government that appealed to this universal, higher law, view of life and society. Now, with the Dobbs decision, the entire issue is laid at our feet. Individual states which comprise the United States, are now free to exercise the explicit God-given and constitutionally-explained authority to protect or take lives within their own borders. If a state determines that a human life can legally be taken within its borders it is authorizing capital punishment. The state itself must outline the specific rules and procedures to be followed so that

The media that supports abortion (which is a large portion of popular media), has always misrepresented what Roe versus Wade did. Roe versus Wade never gave women the authority to kill their children. Roe versus Wade never ‘freed women to do as they wish.’ Justice Blackmun’s words were explicit, and Brian quotes directly from Roe, “…the court has never recognized such a right.” Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg herself, in trying to explain Roe to radical feminists, reiterated that the decision never gave women the right to choose. “It was not woman-centered it was physician-centered.” But that did not stop radical feminists from claiming that right anyway. It did not stop the media from gaslighting, (lying directly and outrageously about objective facts,) in order to confuse you and the general public. The Dobbs decision of June 24, 2022 overturned Roe versus Wade and made very clear and concise what it would do. Roe had given all authority to determine which human lives should be killed in the course of abortion

The scope, the breadth, the depth, the width, of the right to life movement... In this episode of Life Matters, Brian shares interviews from the National Right Life Convention, 2022. It was during this convention that the Dobbs Supreme Court decision was handed down. More specifically, Brian spends time exploring the fact that the right to life impacts all aspects of our life and society. While there is a conscious effort by elites in our culture to define ‘choice’ as meaning ‘abortion,’ Brian reminds listeners that there are in fact numerous, life-affirming choices available.  The simplistic and uncaring answer of severing that unique baby’s body into pieces and discarding it has numerous and diverse alternatives.  In discussing adoption, Brian retells the true story of Jack Nicholson, the actor. Few people realize that Mr. Nicholson is outspokenly pro-life. He knows that this is contrary to many in his industry and even perhaps many of his fans. Nicholson discovered that he had been adopted when he was thir

It is somewhat ironic, as the new Supreme Court Justice Jackson is being sworn in, I marvel that so few Americans know of the previous Justice Jackson of the Supreme Court. He was one of the more brilliant and insightful,  and truly judicious individuals to have served in that capacity - Justice Robert H. Jackson.  Justice Robert H. Jackson is the only individual to have served in all three of the highest levels of American Jurisprudence. He served as Solicitor General of United States, Attorney General of the United States, as Justice of the United States Supreme Court, and would have served as Chief Justice, but the political nature of the Franklin D. Roosevelt Administration and its positioning of the Court, precluded that final honor. Finally, at least to my thinking, Justice Jackson’s single, greatest and most important position was his appointment to, as well as insistence on serving as, the chief American prosecutor in the Nuremberg trials.  These trials underscored a basic principle of law and justice

In this episode of Life Matters, Commissioner Johnston explains the actual meaning and significance of Dobbs, the recent and powerful decision of the Supreme Court overturning Roe v. Wade. The Dobbs Supreme Court decision does not ban a single abortion. What it simply does is give back to each state government what the Roe v. Wade decision took away, the ability for each state to practice its duty and “compelling state interest to protect the lives of the innocent” within their own borders. In Roe, this constitutional duty and responsibility was instead given to one individual in the case of abortion - an individual abortionist.  Brian includes the comments of former Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, who agreed that the real effect of Roe was not to give women rights, they had to get permission. All authority, and all rights were to be in the hands of abortionists alone. When the individual abortionist makes the decision to kill a particular child, he is assuming an authority which denies that child

On June 24th, the United States Supreme Court issued its Dobbs Decision which overturned Roe versus Wade.  Sadly, very few people understood Roe versus Wade.  Roe versus Wade prohibited individual states from protecting the unborn child before birth. States have a compelling state interest, a duty, to have laws that will protect lives.  States couldn’t do that under Roe.  Now, states are free to protect the lives of the child in the womb.  The states are going to have to decide to do it. California is going to continue ‘choice-abortion’.  ‘Choice’, in this instance means a person does not need a reason to kill that child.  They simply choose to do it.  There may not be anything physically wrong with the child or the mother.  It’s just a choice.  And the government is paying for that and marketing that. The right to life is the most important battle, it is the most important idea that you can consider because this gift of God, our lives, is the reason governments come into existence.  For this reason ‘governme

In this episode of Life Matters, Commissioner Johnston continues in his incisive examination of the creep of relativism into the pro-life movement. In an earlier episode Brian explained how the social teachings of the Seamless Garment, a common Roman Catholic misunderstanding of the place of the abortion issue, has led to great confusion and destruction. While many seamless garment advocates suggest that they will elevate abortion as a dominant topic of all the social issues, it in fact makes the Right To Life issue and the subject of abortion a relativistic portion of a confused moral morass of issues.  It is not, in fact, the actual teaching of the Catholic Catechism.    In ignoring the actual teachings of natural law and of the Catechism of the Catholic Church, which clearly states that society has an intrinsic duty to protect innocent lives, and that this issue of legal protection of the innocent is a foundational element of society, the seamless garment has weakened many in their understanding. In partic

In this episode of Life Matters, Commissioner Johnston pulls back the covers the relativistic social teaching that has crept into the pro-life movement called “The Seamless Garment.” Also referred to as “the consistent life ethic“ The seamless garment asserts that the right to life of unborn children is merely one of many life issues and that a focus needs to be spent on all of the plethora of these issues.  Contrary to adding to the protection of innocent life, the seamless garment has been used to undercut the protection of innocent life. Catholics routinely invoke it in the public sector, and especially to justify the leaders of the abortion movement who are Catholic. This includes individuals such as Nancy Pelosi, Joe Biden, and Gavin Newsom.  One of the clearest thinkers and spokesmen for the Catholic faith, Cardinal Mueller, is eloquent in declaring the seamless garment a false doctrine, and repudiating it for its evil and confusing nature. He rightly calls it “intellectually dishonest.” https://www.nc

In this episode, Brian brings an important warning from the National Right to Life Committee.  On May 9, 2022, Carol Tobias, president of the National Right to Life Committee, urged all supporters, members, and affiliates of National Right to Life to refrain from ANY public demonstration of support or opposition to the results of the Dobbs decision, which is expected shortly. Brian, reenforces and explains how the California affiliate has actually stopped three different events in the month of May for that reason in particular. He uses the opportunity to explain the undergirding principles of our battle, and the effective means by which we should wage our battle, because it is a battle of ideas first and foremost. How ideas are presented is crucial to their understanding  Using examples of both the history of the pro-life movement as well as the conflict of ideas throughout human history, Brian explains the notion of a “false flag” attack. This is when a superior, and more evil intended force, creates a confl

In this Life Matters, Commissioner Johnston examines the elections of Spring of 2022 in California. Most importantly, he delves into how the principles that need to be applied there, also apply everywhere that citizens have the freedom to vote. Brian puts particular emphasis on understanding the nature of the electoral and civic system under which an individual lives.  As election processes now vary from state to state, there are better ways to analyze the ballot and vote on candidates, rather than on your simple ‘feelings.’ California’s election system has been dramatically altered in the last two decades, and Californians must make an effort to grasp the nature of the top–two, “jungle primary” system. Brian places additional emphasis on the importance of understanding the power of your local vote. Whenever a centralized form of government moves into place, this top down approach allows great abuses by those who control the system. But it is much more difficult for these power-hungry bureaucrats to control t

In this episode of Life Matters, Commissioner Johnston takes the opportunity to examine California’s unique situation in the cultural battle now raging across the nation and the world. Few Californians fully realize that our form of government has been dramatically changed through extreme alteration of our method of voting and tallying votes.  But this is only one aspect of the very serious attack on our state’s form of government and our nation’s form of government. Justice Clarence Thomas explains the deeper significance of the Supreme Court leak in the midst of its deliberations. Justice Thomas is unequivocal; the very nature of America’s legal system and form of government has been attacked, with the purpose of undermining and altering America. Brian further explains how California’s open, ‘top two,’ or “jungle primary” has given, not the individual voter, but those who control political groups the authority to determine election outcomes. This is not new in history nor even in American history. Brian exp

In this episode of Life Matters, Brian Johnston interviews attorney Sheila Green regarding the current situation in California in Spring of 2022. While it is an unusual circumstance within the state, it is critically important to recognize the methods and procedures used by abortion advocates which have now become a worldwide tool.  The radicalization of political parties both in the United States and abroad has brought abortion and the killing of innocent life through infanticide and euthanasia into nearly every Western culture. This has not happened accidentally.  It is critically important that caring individuals examine closely the language and methods used by those committed to an authoritarian culture of death, as preparation and dedication to supporting wise civic activities and the prayerful involvement in wise civic action is critically necessary  n confronting this palpable evil.   Brian and Sheila examine both the stunning proposal to legalize all late-term abortion and infanticide via AB 2223, a C

In this special episode from Spring of 2022, Brian Johnston interviews Sheila Green, Esquire, Vice President of the California ProLife Council.  The California ProLife Council had filed a Freedom of Information Act request with the state in 2020 regarding the enforcement of existing law. That law, Health & Safety Code Section: 123435, specifically prohibits infanticide if a child is born alive in the course of an abortion.  The state admitted it does not enforce or investigate this law in any manner. Subsequently, the California ProLife Council began an effort to expose this intentional, non-enforcement of infanticide. Rather than begin enforcing the law, the radical pro-abortion lobby, which has complete sway over the state Democrat Party, requested that that law simply be stripped from the books and a law explicitly authorizing infanticide be put into affect! In conjunction with 45 other abortion industry proposals that would make California the nation’s and the world’s home for the abortion industry, t

This episode of Life Matters takes on current events and the whole current waterfront of legal and political battles. Brian addresses the international flavor of the right to life and why America’s founders insisted that this premise be at the heart of America’s laws. As a nation, we continue to be a magnet for all of mankind’s hopes and desires for their lives to be affirmed and protected.  Life Matters is heard internationally via short wave radio in Europe, North Africa, and the Middle East. It is heard via European Gospel Radio in Eastern Europe, the Ukraine, Russia, Belarus, etc. Many listen to shortwave radio as a starting point to learning the English language, and shortwave is still an amazing tool which crosses international borders where local oppressive governments may prohibit any broadcasts which do not reflect the values of that government. Life Matters is functioning as a communication tool and lifeline for those who know there are bigger issues in life, and that the role of just government sho

In this episode, Commissioner Johnston explores aspects of current world conflicts that are in fact directly related to the right to life. The first part of the program is an interview with author Dr. Steven Mosher, whose most recent book, Bully of Asia: Why China’s Dream Is The New Threat To World Order, is now reaching best seller status. As a graduate student at Stanford in the 1970s, Dr. Mosher was the first Western social scientist allowed access to observe and document Chinese rural life under Communism. He was deeply alarmed by the now infamous forced-abortion policies being used to control China’s population. His writings were instrumental in bringing these policies to light and to the awareness of the world. Dr. Mosher is fluent in several languages and travelled to various parts of China. He has been one of the preeminent experts on actual life under the Chinese communist government. Ironically, China has paid a price for this one-child policy and has reversed course to allow two, and now three chil

The popular media often describes American opinion as being in favor of abortion – as “pro choice”. The media also asserts that most Americans support Roe v. Wade. But a more studied examination of the facts reveals quite the opposite.  The word “choice” is intentionally used with two simultaneous meanings: Availability of abortion for just the hard cases, in case something goes “wrong”. The other, operant definition, and that which is asserted by abortion advocates, is “abortion at any time and for any reason - just because I choose it.” American opinion polls show that the average person does not support this latter definition. The average American would like to see some kinds of restrictions of unlimited abortion and a recognition and balancing act between the life of the child and the life of the mother. Because of the life or health exception specifically outlined in Doe v. Bolton, Roe v. Wade’s conjoined companion decision, none of the supposed limits suggested in Roe have any effect. The term “health”

In this episode of Life Matters, Brian Johnston takes an in-depth analysis of the state laws recently examined by the Supreme Court. He explains, in particular, the Texas law which authorizes private individuals taking civil action against an abortionist. While Brian‘s educational background is in comparative languages, he has worked for many years in the legal world, not only as an advocate (lobbyist) for many years in Sacramento and the various state capitols of the West, but as a young man he spent several years working as an assistant at a Los Angeles entertainment law firm.   Drawing on this experience, Brian explains the stark contrast between the two states’ abortion laws recently considered by the US Supreme Court. The Louisiana law simply draws a line at 15 weeks gestation and prohibits abortion beyond that date. The Texas law - the so-called “heartbeat law” - requires an abortionist to check the gestation of the pregnancy and if it’s six weeks or more, to also check for the beating heart of the chil