318: SB 1196 with Alex Schadenberg
Life Matters
In this episode of Life Matters, Brian interviews Alex Schadenberg of the Euthanasia Prevention Coalition. They discuss in depth the recent failure of California Senate Bill 1196 by Senator Blakespear. The irony is that the bill was not defeated by pro-life efforts. The bill was actually attacked by other pro-death organizations, lobbyist and legislators. Why would other pro-death advocates attack this measure? The prospects of passage in the California legislature are very good - the progressive Democratic Party holds a super majority in both houses. The governor would’ve gladly signed off,...
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317: Understanding Why the United States Founders Used Natural Law
Life Matters
In this episode of Life Matters, Commissioner Johnston explains the importance of not being religious in our attempts to change the laws to protect innocent human life. Johnston reminds us that America’s founders were themselves deeply religious individuals, but they understood that many of them had disagreements within their own theologies - differences in doctrine. The answer to this difficult challenge was actually found in the formation of other republics throughout history. A republic asserts that there is more than simple voting and majoritarianism in making law. Votes must be...
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316: Euthanasia Expansion
Life Matters
In this episode of Life Matters, Brian Johnston explores the rapid expansion of medical killing - euthanasia. The pattern for euthanasia advocates is to first establish a right to “assisted suicide” - a form of voluntary euthanasia – and imply that there will be protections from any abuse, and that there will be no expansion of medical killing. California Senate Bill 1169 by Senator Blakespear demonstrates again that once the idea of legalized medical killing is established, it is impossible to monitor or prevent its “It’s okay” expansion. Currently, it is very difficult to...
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315: In Vitro Fertilization
Life Matters
In this episode of Life Matters, Commissioner Johnston examines the February 2024 decision of the Alabama Supreme Court regarding in vitro fertilization. The issue of in vitro fertilization (IVF) is not a new debate, but sadly, media coverage has over simplified and reduced a deeper analysis. The issue of manipulating human beings and playing God by creating, and then destroying human lives, has grave and dramatic implications for all of society, many of which are being ignored. First and foremost is the issue of human ownership. There is no debate that these are human embryos. Yes, they can...
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314: Nationalization of Euthanasia
Life Matters
In this episode of Life Matters, Brian Johnston examines the pressure in 2024 to legalize assisted suicide nationwide in the United States. Many nations have now adopted assisted suicide throughout their borders, including Canada, Belgium, the Netherlands, Switzerland, France, in many others. The American euthanasia movement had attempted to do this through the courts, but in 1994 the Glucksberg decision by the United States Supreme Court announced there was no national “legal right” to be killed by medicine. In spring of 2024, there are 10 states that have legalized medical killing, plus...
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313: Local Elections Matter
Life Matters
In this episode of Life Matters, Brian Johnson explains the importance of elections, each and every election. More importantly, he focuses on the power of your vote the further down the ballot you go. On a statewide level, your vote is a drop in the bucket. But as various jurisdictions get smaller, the number of voters also gets dramatically smaller and this is why local elections are so important. In order to have candidates for the state legislature, or for Congress, you must draw from people with some degree of political experience. Most people who run for these...
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Life Matters 37th Anniversary Special
Life Matters
In this episode of Life Matters, Commissioner Johnston reminiscences on Life Matters beginning in 1987, on its expansion, and the many friends and allies that have brought it to this point 37 years later. Life Matters began on radio station station KCBC the 50,000 Watt (The highest wattage allowed by the FCC ) flamethrower station covering northern California. It was the northern California cornerstone for the Bott Broadcasting Network. Life Matters with Brian Johnston gradually expanded to other Bott affiliates, then to the Wilkins Network, which is a nationwide Christian broadcast string of...
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312: Red-Blue-Choice-Overturn
Life Matters
In this episode of Life Matters, Commissioner Johnston examines the real implications of Roe v. Wade, the fact that language is being used to trick people into thinking that the abortion debate has been settled - when in fact, it is only just begun in seriousness. Brian examines how the media uses semantics and semiotics – the study of signs and symbolism - to confuse the American public. The issue of red state versus blue state is but one example of how symbols are presented as truth to the public. The blue, which originally represented the Republican party, was intentionally changed...
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311: Life Film Fest international
Life Matters
Life Fest Film Festival is a very unique film festival from Hollywood California. Film festivals are an important part of the entertainment industry. This is where new filmmakers get their start and old filmmakers try out new ideas. Many film festivals are either geographically based, for example, Cannes, France or Park City and many are thematically based. Life Film Fest is an important aspect of the movie industry, and supported by many industry insiders, because of its unique and important message: the significance of each and every life, and in particular the seemingly insignificant life....
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310 - Euthanasia In Canada
Life Matters
In this episode of Life Matters, Commissioner Johnston explains the growing embrace of euthanasia in western culture. Listeners of Life Matters understand that the Right to Life debate is a debate about whether the law should allow the killing of innocent human lives. Today, after the impact of Roe v. Wade and Doe v. Bolton, medical killing has become widespread in the United States and accepted under the law. This is not simply in the act of human abortion. Numerous states have legalized “Assisted suicide”. But understand that the emotions surrounding suicide can easily be addressed...
info_outlineIn this episode of Life Matters, Brian Johnston is joined by Karen Roseberry - district Director for the California Prolife Council. Karen is also the crisis pregnancy center coordinator for California ProLife communications.
The focus of today’s discussion is on how to protect innocent babies after the overturn of Roe v. Wade. As listeners to this program know, many Americans, and even many pro-life Americans, do not fully understand what Roe v. Wade and Doe v. Bolton did.
It gave all authority of the abortion issue into the hands of one individual, the only requirement of that individual is that they have an ‘MD’ after their name. The abortionist bares all responsibilities for deciding if, where, and how an abortion is to be done.
In Roe v. Wade it is very clear the woman is not given any authority, she is only given permission in Roe v. Wade to consult with an abortionist.
The Roe v. Wade decision along with Doe v. Bolton was used to strike down the laws of all 50 states. In so doing, it robbed each and every state of its duty to legally determine if and when a human life could be taken. The Constitution refers to this as the compelling state interest to protect life.
The Dobbs decision overturn Roe and returned to each of the several state legislatures that authority to again define when and if a life can be taken and in the case of human abortion under what circumstances and what procedures are to be used.
Therefore, the right to life issue is indeed a legal issue of when a human life can or should be taken and if any prosecution should result from the unauthorized taking of life.
The pending 2022 election is the first election since this dramatic change in abortion law allowing states to again protect lives. The state can only do this through their elected representatives. Elected representatives only hold office because voters have placed them there.
For this reason it is critical that pro-life individuals understand the power of their vote because it is their vote that will determine whether or not pro-life legislators will hold office and whether their state will protect the lives of babies at any time within its borders.
Brian and Karen discuss the work of the California Prolife Council in identifying candidates all the way down the ticket to the most local of levels. This is critical because of two reasons. Firstly, many decisions are made locally - the placement of school based clinics by Planned Parenthood, defunding of local abortion clinics and services by city or county grants. The abortion industry has weaseled itself into the most local of jurisdictions and often in deceitfully clever ways. Often they are not accountable for how they spend the very money they have elicited.
Secondly, the state legislature is usually made up of elected individuals that themselves have held office at a lower, local level. This is commonly referred to in politics as “the bench”. These potential state legislators or Congressional candidates are vitally necessary for success in the future. To develop a pro-life bench for the state legislature, we must identify and support local pro-life candidates who will stand for life at the local level.
During the 2022 primary, California Prolife Council implemented a new tool, an electronic tool, to replace its earlier paper voter guides. These voter guides were establish to help elect local pro-life individuals as well as state and congressional candidates
The new Get Out the Vote tool for pro-life voters will allow any individual in the state to insert their voting address and they will be able to identify, all the way down the ballot, the pro-life candidates available in their precinct. This simple tool overcomes many of the confusing aspects of elections and civics regarding, “Which district am I in for which particular office?”
The project entails two parts. Pro-life volunteer‘s in all 58 counties will be assessing local candidates and gathering information from local candidate resources. These are then sent to be collated precinct by precinct in this huge state of 40 million people.
The resulting tool allows the pro-life cause to have much greater success at the local level. It proved itself in the 2022 primary with an astounding 80% success rate.
Each state across the nation is working, as we speak through its National Right to Life affiliate, to both identify pro-life candidates and to ensure that the pro-life voting public knows the importance of putting these candidates into office. More information can be found at californiaprolife.org and nationally at nrlc.org