Life Matters

The right to life isn’t just about the tragedy of abortion, which needs to come to an end.  It’s about restoring the right to life for all individuals who are vulnerable. Today we talk again with Wayne Cockfield.   He is the Vice President for Medical Ethics for the National Right to Life Committee.  We will discuss how medical ethics is an essential part of the right to life and also Wayne’s experience in receiving ethical care, but also his being at risk of receiving unethical care for life circumstances that left him very vulnerable.   The purpose of medicine is to care for the vulnerable.  However, in today’s society, medicine, changed by law, has given way to a “freedom” of doctors to kill vulnerable patients they deem unworthy or unnecessary to be alive.  How frightening that the power to decide over life or death is in the hands of those meant to treat people in need. You must be aware, be prepared, and be equipped to care for you and your loved ones in this battle.

Brian interviews Dr. Joel Brind, Professor of Biology and Endocrinology at Baroque University, City University of New York. Dr. Brind is world renowned for his research and exposure of the abortion breast cancer link, a direct linear connection that the scientist demonstrated as incontrovertible In Brian’s introduction he explains a deeper issue that is often lost in the abortion debate and in this important battle of ideas: the push for abortion is actually a concerted part of the war against motherhood. This war against motherhood is the part of a larger cultural battle that includes the false claim that human beings are what is harming the planet, that there is a “problem” of overpopulation, and that young women should not embrace or look forward to the idea that motherhood is a good thing. This ideological battle that necessarily includes killing young children in the womb, is harmful to women and to all humankind, as it is only through motherhood that human beings can come into the world. The laws of nat

Western civilization is unique in that it recognizes the value of the human person, and the significance of a single human life. In this edition of Life Matters, Brian examines the cultural influence of that basic premise and explorers a recent Hollywood film: The Martian. In The Martian, an exploration journey to Mars is dramatically altered and the significance of a single life becomes the central concern of a distant crew, an overextended NASA, the nation, and even the world.  A similar story of risking the lives of others to save one individual's life occurs frequently in battle, but it is Western culture that most poignantly embraces the ‘no man left behind’ philosophy.   Brian relates the powerful nature of this life protecting ethic via a true story. During World War II, through the unique methods of submarines in recovering downed pilots, all the lives of the subs crew are put at risk. The Japanese culture and the soldiers attempting to kill the airman and sink the sub found this so foreign and foolis

Life Matters interviews Wayne Cockfield of South Carolina.  He is the Vice President for Medical Ethics for the National Right to Life Committee. Wayne recently testified in the South Carolina legislature regarding the ban of dismemberment abortions. We recommend if you have very young children you may not want them to hear this as this discussion on the importance of the dismemberment abortion ban does bring the focus onto what actually happens in the abortion. Be ready for a surprise turn about seven minutes in, because Wayne Cockfield makes this whole debate regarding abortion procedures very, very real and in his own person he humanizes the nature of the abortion dismemberment debate. Later in the program Wayne talks about his experience losing his legs in Vietnam and how dehydration was actually used to save his life. He knows how difficult and painful dehydration is and how today, medicine is using dehydration not to save lives, but to take them.

Brian interviews Carol Tobias, President of National Right to Life.  Carol discusses the rapid implementation of euthanasia in Canada. She also outlines the year ahead for Prolifers in the United States.

In this edition of Life Matters Brian interviews Karen Cross, Political Director for the National Right to Life Committee. Karen explains the importance of pro-life individuals understanding the civic process and how to elect lawmakers who will vote to protect innocent lives. She explains her experience in West Virginia in trying to pass pro-life legislation and being thwarted by a pro-abortion committee chair. After deciding to find a candidate to replace that individual, not only were they successful in replacing the pro-abortion legislator but they were then able to pass the Woman's Right to Know Bill in West Virginia. Karen explains how pro-life legislation like the Hyde Amendment have saved millions of lives; millions of human beings are alive today because of the Hyde restriction on government funding of abortion. Karen then changes emphasis and explains how well-meaning pro-life people can actually work against their own interests if they don't understand the need to unite behind a winning candidate.

Since the early 70s, Dr. John Willke and his wife Barbara were significant in publishing a handbook on abortion and abortion questions and answers; two books that went into multiple editions around the world and provided the pro-life movement with clear and concise facts as to what really happens in abortion and the cost to both lives and cultural values. Dr. Willke went on to become president of the National Right to Life Committee for many years the 1980s and early 90s. The second part of the program Brian dedicates to a pro-life convert, Dr. Bernard Nathanson who had nearly the opposite beginnings. He began as an abortion advocate and was one of the principal founders of the National Abortion Rights Action League (NARAL). Dr. Nathanson personally oversaw more than 75,000 human abortions, acts which he came to deeply regret. On one floor of a hospital he would fervently work to save the life of a child with a disability and on another floor of the same hospital a perfectly healthy child would be killed fo

This is an important update on Senate Bill 320.  Senate Bill 320 would mandated that in California state colleges and universities young women be given RU486 the abortifacient drug. This is not a morning after pill.  This drug is only taken when the woman knows that she's pregnant and the child is well along. It attacks woman's body first by preventing it from giving any more nutrition to that child.  Only then does the child die.  It results in a spontaneous miscarriage when that young woman can least control of the situation. She sees the baby. She sees the clots of blood.  It's extremely unpleasant.  Once a woman has had this she does not want another one. But, with your tax money, we pay for it.  Ask your state senators to vote “No” on Senate Bill 320. 

In 1973, the laws of all 50 states were overturned; laws that had protected the children in the womb, laws that carefully outlined what a doctor should and should not do. The impact of that decision has been incredible. The significance for your culture, the significance to the right to life, is quite extraordinary and unless you look at it you won't understand the dramatic changes that have faced our society and the culture in which you live. It is you that can bring about change when you apply yourself to restoring the right to life.  Today's program is dedicated to an old friend of the right to life movement, Dr. Mildred Jefferson, MD. Dr. Jefferson was the first black woman to graduate from Harvard Medical School. She was a central part of the founding of the National Right to Life Committee in 1973. I served on the board of the National Right to Life Committee as a delegate from California during the late 80s, early 90s.  Dr. Jefferson, who had served on the board in the 70s, returned again representing

In today’s program I will speak with Dr. Mark Hoffman, PhD who is a clinical psychologist and chairman for the Stop Assisted Suicide Coalition.  You can find out more information at stopassistedsuicide.com Many of you know that I've been involved in the assisted suicide battle for many years starting with Kevorkian, but also with Derek Humphry the founder of the Hemlock Society who came here specifically to get this nation to embrace euthanasia and assisted suicide. I had many interviews with Mr. Humphry and I wrote a book about it called, Death As A Salesman: What's Wrong with Assisted Suicide because that's what this is.  This is the selling of death. Californians are now getting ready in the legislature to legalize the promotion and essentially, selling of suicide. That's Assembly Bill 282 which we will discuss in today’s program. You can go to stopassistedsuicide.com to find out more and to download a petition. This petition is applicable across the nation and we will get it to legislators in your particu

What were abortion laws before Roe v Wade? Where did they come from? Science and the law. Dr. Horatio Storer defended life as a fact-asserting advocate. British Common Law protected children after quickeningbecause that was the most advanced and conferrable science. "Homunculus." With the advancement in scientific medicine conception was confirmed as the start of human life when mammalian conception was witnessed under the modern microscope in 1836. The British Common Law followed in protecting children from the time of conception. American Dr. Horatio R. Storer was studying in Edinburgh and came back to encourage each of the United States to now respect those human lives, even as they now had freed and protected slaves. From 1860 to 1880 he campaigned until all states protected that child, his second patient. Dr. Storer is also known as the Father of Gynecology. His education underscored that the child in the womb was a vulnerable human being. Started in 1857, recruited the AMA to assist righting the injusti

Today we are talking about an insidious drug - RU486. We're not talking about the morning after pill. The morning after pill has been marketed as kind of a backup contraception. It can be an abortifacient if conception has taken place, but primarily the morning after pill is designed to prevent conception so it's only taken when sex has already happened or shortly thereafter. RU486 is NOT contraceptive in nature. RU486 is only taken when a woman is pregnant. In fact, it can only be taken after the child is somewhat developed. The child has to be at least six or seven weeks old and doctors will insist that a woman be further along in her pregnancy in order for this drug to really kill the baby.  A lot of abortionists refer to use of RU486 as medical abortion and that's a little bit ironic because abortions that are done by a doctor would be medical. What they're trying to imply is a distinction between the use of this drug RU486 as a medicine and surgical abortion. But, as you can tell in the language game, it

The goal of assisted suicide is to legalize euthanasia.  Assisted suicide is really a form of voluntary euthanasia.  The problem is, not all the people that advocates think should have the benefit of euthanasia will volunteer. So these “advocates” want to make sure that those folks who just can’t bring themselves to make the decision, or maybe aren't “smart” enough to know their own suffering, or understand that their life is so limited that they’d be better off dead, their goal is to make sure that they can also dismiss those lives in their “compassionate” way.  The way they do that is by advancing intentional, medical dehydration and you need to watch out for it in nursing homes and hospitals throughout the country.

Brian outlines an overview of Ronald Reagan and his stalwart commitment to life.  Ronald Reagan, the 40th President of the United States, was the only president to publish a book while in office, Abortion and the Conscience of the Nation. Numerous quotes and portions of Reagan speeches punctuate Brian's commentary on the Reagan years. These incisive stories on adoption, the need to stop abortion, and the political challenge of addressing law as both Governor and President are instructive and inspiring. Brian also retells the story of being befriended by Judge William Clark, Justice of the California High Court, National Security Advisor, Secretary of the Interior and many other important, yet less vaunted roles.   Judge Clark was the man that Reagan's official biographer considered the 'one individual spiritually closest to Ronald Reagan.' "... there is purpose and worth to each and every life. " - From Ronald Reagan's tombstone.

Years ago I used to counsel in front of an abortion clinic in Santa Rosa, California.  That clinic is gone now, but at that time, a young woman and I would prayerfully talk to those that were coming in.  She would talk to the young ladies and if there was a gentleman, I would talk to him.  Numerous times that guy did not want to talk, he would in fact, push or punch me.  It takes a lot of self-control in that circumstance but it points out that abortions are actually done to help the man.  He wanted to make sure that abortion happened regardless.  He didn’t want to be accountable.   Harvey Weinstein, who is Hollywood’s greatest single donor to Planned Parenthood and the abortion industry, as you know, routinely abuses women and routinely uses them sexually.  Abortion helps men.  It hurts women.

Brian Johnston discusses how to impact our culture with the message of life. He’s joined by Joe Langfeld of Human Life Alliance. Human Life Alliance provides excellent cultural impact communication tools for people everywhere to use where they see fit. It’s very good to have spoken to Joe about culture and how Human Life Alliance is addressing the culture and communicating in an image inclined world of memes. What an excellent resource they are. It's important to understand the nature of culture. Brian lives on the banks of the Sacramento River. It's the largest river in the state of California. Where the Sacramento river is joined by the American, at the confluence of those two rivers, is where the town of Sacramento was founded. That's because it was the farthest inland you could actually come up from the sea, through the bay, and come inland with a seagoing ship to Old Sacramento. Culture is a lot like a river. Culture flows. It is the result of contributing factors and streams that are upstream. Little ri

On January 22nd of each year, we mark the anniversary of the tragic Roe v. Wade decision.  But that decision can’t be understood unless you also read the companion Doe v. Bolton decision.  It came down the same day and was designed to work in tandem with Roe.  It declared that we don’t know when life begins and gives no recognition to the child in the womb.  Doe v. Bolton goes much further and explains that abortions are really done for a woman’s health and that in defining a woman’s health, all factors: physical, emotional, psychological, familial, a woman’s age, anything, can be considered relevant to the well-being of that patient.  The child is disregarded completely. Doe v. Bolton and Roe v. Wade have legalized abortion on demand.

In January of 1973 the Supreme Court's Roe v. Wade and Doe v. Bolton decisions overturned every abortion regulation in every state of the United States. There have been many demonstrations and lots of emotions, but what were the specifics of these decisions? Every state had passed their laws as a result of Dr. Horatio Storer's efforts. He is the Founder of Modern Gynecology. He campaigned to pass election laws in order to to protect the child whom he considered, 'his second patient.' Commissioner Johnston reads detailed citations from both the Roe and Doe decisions, and interviews Carol Tobias, President of National Right to Life Committee.

So much of what goes on in our culture is influenced by ideas, by the ideas that you have about those things, about the words that are used to express the idea and sometimes those words are intentionally misleading. They're meant to mislead you and to mislead your loved ones.  In this episode of Life Matters we're going to talk about the legislature and the fact that laws are made by people that you elect every two years.  That's when you get a chance to hire someone to make laws for you.  If you don't pay attention to the work they're doing for you, to the laws that they're proposing, well, that's your responsibility to get rid of someone when they consistently make bad laws.  It's a great gift that we live in one of the greatest nations on earth because you have the ability to influence your own laws and you'll be held responsible for that.  You can't point your fingers at others.  You're going to have to take up that burden and pay attention to the ideas and the battle of ideas in which were in. We're goin

Life Matters interviews John Cox, Candidate for California Governor - the only prolife candidate for California governor endorsed by the California ProLife Council PAC. Brian interviews Mr. Cox by phone and they discuss one of the candidate’s core values: the importance and joy that comes from personal responsibility, the abortion issue, the position of both the Democratic Party and the Republican Party, the need to drain the Sacramento swamp, and the many things that the average Californian can do to dramatically change our culture right now, right where they are. This is an exciting and important Life Matters broadcast that is paid for by the California Prolife Council PAC.