Equipped for Life Podcast

The discussion podcast of Equal Rights Institute, a national organization that trains pro-life advocates think clearly, reason honestly, and argue persuasively. If you’re looking for clear pro-life thinking, cutting-edge apologetics, and a fresh approach to abortion dialogue, you’ve come to the right place.

#104: Are Women Being Denied Care? (w/ Secular Pro-Life's Monica Snyder) 01/30/2026

#103: Do You Need Religion to be Pro-Life? (w/ Monica Snyder) 12/29/2025

#102: Forensics and Abortion (w/ Secular Pro-Life's Monica Snyder) 12/04/2025

#102: Forensics and Abortion (w/ Secular Pro-Life's Monica Snyder) After much anticipation, Josh Brahm FINALLY gets to interview Monica Snyder from Secular Pro-Life about her background and expertise in Forensics. Monica explains how her work in forensics and DNA analysis affects her view on the abortion issue, particularly when it comes to questions about the justice system and why we shouldn’t prosecute women who have had abortions. Content warning: Includes discussion of forensic rape kits as well as methods of testing whether a baby was aborted instead of miscarried. Links: National Right to Life: ERI Statement: Chapters: 00:00:00 Introducing Monica’s forensics credentials and background 00:03:25 Describing the Innocence Project 00:06:25 Monica describes her forensics work 00:09:30 Real forensics vs. TV forensics 00:15:50 Why rape cases are difficult to prosecute 00:21:40 Where forensics touches the abortion debate in a post-Dobbs world 00:24:45 Distinguishing abortion pills and miscarriage? 00:34:16 Concerns with attaching criminal penalties to women who have had abortions 00:41:55 What rights do convicted people have? 00:48:35 What would a dystopian prosecution of all women who had abortions look like? 00:49:50 What is a more realistic interpretation of pro-lifers who want to attach criminal penalties to abortion look like? 00:51:10 Plea deals and public defenders 00:54:40 ‘Steel-manning’ the pro-lifers who want to attach criminal penalties to abortion 00:58:10 Trauma associated with miscarriage 00:59:45 Relevant questions from real cases 01:02:20 WARNING: Morbid description 01:03:45 Conclusions from Monica 01:06:30 Josh’s eyewitness testimony story 01:11:16 Monica’s eyewitness testimony story 01:13:55 Applying this to a recent case 01:17:25 Wrapping up Host: Josh Brahm Guest: Monica Snyder Audio/Video Editors: Joshua Head, Josh Brahm Publisher: Ellen Campbell /episode/index/show/equippedforlife/id/39267245

#101: It’s About the Babies, Not Your Sex Life (w/ Monica Snyder) 11/20/2025

#101: It’s About the Babies, Not Your Sex Life (w/ Monica Snyder) Content warning: This whole episode is about sex. It’s probably not the episode to listen to around your kids. Secular Pro-Life’s Monica Snyder returns to the Equipped for Life Podcast for another series of episodes, beginning with the topic, “It’s About Babies, Not Your Sex Life.” Stemming from real-life conversations, Monica and Josh identify many of the various factors that contribute to pro-choice perceptions or labeling of pro-life people as being “anti-sex” and then respond accordingly to each factor. The Dynamic Duo also provides some fun commentary on the symbiotic relationship between Secular Pro-Life and Equal Rights Institute, and how the pro-life movement as a whole can benefit from similar relationships. Finally, towards the end, Josh and Monica talk about how snark might be a good last-resort effort in a dialogue situation. Secular Pro-Life: Josh Brahm: Episode 47: Episode 49: Episode 100: Memes to End Abortion (formerly “Dank Pro-Life Memes”): Pro-choice groups we mentioned who are worth following: Chapters: 00:00 Introducing the argument we’re responding to 06:05 Steel-manning the pro-choice argument 12:36 What do pro-life and pro-choice people mean when they use the term “anti-sex”? 20:12 Why pro-life organizations should stop bringing LGBT politics into their events 22:18 Subdivisions within conservatism 25:11 More reasons why some pro-choice people think pro-lifers are “anti-sex” 30:02 Responding to the steelman arguments 41:58 Conversation starter idea 44:40 Counter-examples 47:25 Counter-examples to the counter-examples 49:54 On the rape exception 53:26 Both sides sometimes use the word "sex" in simplistic, unclear ways 58:30 We need to ask more questions 1:02:20 We need to have conversations in-person more often 1:04:32 Helpful pro-choice people to follow Host: Josh Brahm Guest: Monica Snyder Audio/Video Editors: Joshua Head, Josh Brahm Publisher: Ellen Campbell /episode/index/show/equippedforlife/id/39109295

#100: Celebrating 100 Episodes! (with the Whole Staff!) 11/06/2025

#99: Practical Tips for 40 Days for Life Volunteers 10/10/2025

#98: Listener Mail: Lightning Round! Part 2 (w/ Monica Snyder) 09/25/2025

#97: Listener Mail: Lightning Round! Part 1 (w/ Monica Snyder) 09/18/2025

#97: Listener Mail: Lightning Round! Part 1 (w/ Monica Snyder) LIGHTNING!!! (in slow motion). In this podcast, Josh Brahm and Monica Snyder from sort through listener mail from SPL’s mailbag and give quick responses to several questions and requests. Part 1 of 2 (this episode) covers seven main topics, namely, whether the “pro-life movement” should actually be called the “anti-abortion movement”, the availability of abortion pills, discrimination against children with disabilities, how to welcome secular members into a pro-life space, if we should boycott pro-choice media, trying to understand how a pro-choice person thinks, and whether pro-choice activists reject pro-choice moderates. Cut Article (advises women on abortion pills to say they are having a miscarriage): Dallas Morning News: Choosing Thomas -- Inside a family's decision to let their son live, if only for a brief time: ERI Podcast: When They Bite the Bullet Pro-Choice people complaining about abortion and ableism: SPL Blog: Pro-Choice vs. Pro-Life Vocabulary SPL Blog: No, Abortion Pills Aren’t Safer Than Tylenol Equal Rights Institute Website: Equal Rights Institute Blog: Equipped for Life Academy: Equipped for Life Course: Sidewalk Counseling Masterclass: Chapters: 00:00 Introduction 01:22 Should we change our name to the “anti-abortion movement”? 05:46 The availability of abortion pills for use in self-managed abortions 17:53 Children with disabilities: discrimination in the womb and after birth 34:02 How do we make non-religious people feel welcome? 47:47 Should pro-lifers boycott pro-choice cultural content/celebrities? 58:20 Do pro-choice people actually believe their talking points that have repeatedly been refuted? 1:03:15 Do abortion rights activists reject moderate pro-choice people? Host: Josh Brahm Guest: Monica Snyder Audio/Video Editor: Rachael Urquidez Publisher: Ellen Campbell /episode/index/show/equippedforlife/id/38266535

#96: Survey Review: How Pro-Life & Pro-Choice People Define Abortion (w/ Monica Snyder) 09/04/2025

#95: No, Abortion Pills Aren’t Harming the Environment 08/22/2025

#95: No, Abortion Pills Aren’t Harming the Environment Yes, abortion pills are harmful to women and unborn children. We're pro-life. But when you take an honest look at the evidence, there is no evidence that abortion pills are poisoning our wastewater. This episode includes a visual slideshow, and can be viewed at our YouTube channel here: Content warning: If you have experienced pregnancy loss, this may not be the episode for you. There’s an inherent graphic nature to the kinds of claims we’re offering factual and philosophical arguments against. While we kept the conversation as tame as possible, we know this is a very difficult subject for people who have lost one or more children, so please take care and pay attention to your body if you choose to listen to this episode. Secular Pro-Life’s Monica Snyder joins Josh, Emily, and Rebecca to discuss the relatively recent argument from certain pro-life organizations that abortion pills and/or embryonic remains are poisoning our wastewater. We consider and respond to the strongest arguments for this claim and address the real harm this can have on people who have experienced miscarriage. Related Links: Secular Pro-Life: Are abortion pills harming the environment? Secular Pro-Life’s proposed miscarriage remains protocol: FDA letter calculating risk of mifepristone: The fish study: Chapters: 0:00: Welcome Monica Snyder from Secular Pro-Life 1:08: Introducing today's topic: abortion pills, the environment, and our wastewater 3:57: The strongest arguments that abortion pills are harmful to the environment 23:50: Responding to embryonic/fetal remains going into our wastewater 35:18: Responding to Mifepristone going into our wastewater 43:12: The FDA/EPA's letter 49:11: How does this conversation affect people who have experienced miscarriage? Hosts: Josh Brahm, Emily Geiger, Rebecca Carlson Guest: Monica Snyder Audio/Video Editors: Josh Brahm, Joshua Head Publisher: Ellen Campbell /episode/index/show/equippedforlife/id/37924605

#94: Can You Be a Professional Musician AND Pro-Life? 07/24/2025

#93 How to Have Better Conversations About IVF 07/10/2025

#92 Genuine or Performed? Acting Skills in Honest Dialogue 06/26/2025

#91: Intellectual Honesty, Transparency, and Observations about the Pro-Life Movement (with Apologist Dr. Randal Rauser) 06/22/2023

#91: Intellectual Honesty, Transparency, and Observations about the Pro-Life Movement (with Apologist Dr. Randal Rauser) Josh's favorite Christian apologist, Dr. Randal Rauser, joins the show. Randal describes himself as "progressively Evangelical and generously Orthodox." Josh asks him about open-mindedness, his observations about the pro-life movement, when it's appropriate to call leaders out publicly, and the difference between an "agitation apologetics model" and an "agreement apologetics model." While Josh doesn't agree with everything Rauser believes, that's not the point, and this isn't a debate episode. Josh found this to be a good opportunity to listen to the views of a very careful thinker in spite of the fact that they don't agree on everything within the abortion debate. Related Links: Randal Rauser's website: Randal's YouTube channel: Randal interviews Josh about the state of the abortion debate: Randal debates Trent Horn on abortion: Randal's book, "Jesus Loves Canaanites" ERI Blog: "Abortion Images: A Case for Disagreement without Division" Equal Rights Institute Website: Equal Rights Institute Blog: Equipped for Life Course: Sidewalk Counseling Masterclass: Chapters: 00:00: Introduction and thoughts on intellectual honesty 07:33: On trying to convince people to be open-minded 11:20: Defining what it means to be a “Progressive Evangelical” 15:05: What would he say to more conservative Christians who are concerned about Progressive Evangelicals? 17:30: How would Randall describe his views on abortion? 23:20: What are his observations about the pro-life movement from outside of it? 27:26: What advice would he give to pro-life leaders? 29:45: A discussion on when it’s appropriate to call other leaders out in public for poor behavior 40:35: What practical things can people do if they want to transition from agitative apologetics to more of an agreement apologetics model? 42:52: Final thoughts on deception and transparency Host: Josh Brahm Guest: Dr. Randal Rauser Audio/Video Editors: Josh Brahm Publisher: Ellen Campbell /episode/index/show/equippedforlife/id/27235959

#90: The Psychology of Persuasion (with Secular Pro-Life's Monica Snyder) 06/08/2023

#89: Undercover at an abortion clinic while 28-weeks pregnant (with Secular Pro-Life's Monica Snyder) 05/03/2023

ERI Update - Spring 2023 04/06/2023

#88: What Should the Pro-Life Movement Do Now? (with Secular Pro-Life's Monica Snyder) - Part 2 03/30/2023

#87: What Should the Pro-Life Movement Do Now? (with Secular Pro-Life's Monica Snyder) - Part 1 03/16/2023

Announcement: Podcast Production Changes 03/15/2023

#86: ERI LIVE: Q&A with Josh at Fusion City Church 01/12/2023

#86: ERI LIVE: Q&A with Josh at Fusion City Church Josh Brahm was invited to answer questions about abortion late last year at Fusion City Church in Kannapolis, NC. Pastor Brian Duncan had preached on abortion the week prior and asked Josh to help field the questions that came from the congregation afterward. *Sorry for the bad audio during the intro. I forgot to grab the better audio before I formatted the SD card. Chapters: 00:00 Introduction 03:19 Pastor introduces Josh 04:05 Josh summarizes the origin of his pro-life work 05:25 Pastor Brian on self-defense and the right to life 07:40 What if the mother's life is at risk? 11:34 But isn't every pregnancy potentially life-threatening? 17:19 What about cases of rape or incest? 20:24 How would you respond to the argument that the unborn aren't biologically human until they become a fetus? 23:33 "If someone should have the choice to use drugs or have multiple sexual partners, should they also not have the choice to have an abortion?" 26:38 How would you respond to a pro-choice Christian who says this: "My personal issue with the entire Roe v. Wade overturn was not so much the abortion aspect but the loss of bodily autonomy for me and my sisters and daughters. If the movement wasn't so rooted in the dirty word of abortion, I think many people would have an easier time thinking of Pro-Choice as having a choice over one's body which everyone has and almost everyone exercises to some degree. People choose to eat a vegan diet or a carnivore diet, both with very different reactions in the body. People choose to drink energy drinks despite the consequences of heart damage. People choose to be vaccinated or not, both with varying outcomes. People choose to smoke cigarettes or drink alcohol. People choose to give their boy child a circumcision or not, way before the child is 'self-aware', both offering varying outcomes. Saying "my body, my choice" is not pro-murder. It is pro-autonomy, and I have no issues with that whatsoever." 31:43 What are some areas where pro-life people sometimes don't follow their logic to their natural conclusion? 34:01 Final thoughts Related Links: Host: Pastor Brian Duncan Guest: Josh Brahm Audio/Video Editor: Josh Brahm Publisher: Jen Westmoreland /episode/index/show/equippedforlife/id/25526490

#85: Behind-The-Scenes: Emily on MSNBC (with Tim Hull) 11/02/2022

#66: AHA: The Anti-Abortionists Who Fight Other Pro-Lifers (with Jonathon Van Maren - Part 1) 09/30/2022

#84: Abortion Dialogue on Campus: Outreach Stories and Trends - Part 2 09/28/2022

#84: Abortion Dialogue on Campus: Outreach Stories and Trends - Part 2 Josh and Emily share interesting stories from their last two semesters of campus outreach, and some of the trends they're noticing among pro-choice college students. This is part two of the series, and includes the story of protesters apologizing to us, why we might change the way we promote Emily's speeches, the creative ways the pro-choice students at St. Olaf are now countering our outreaches there, an innovative pro-life response to a Jainist, and an improved response to people who bite the squirrel bullet! Then they discuss trends and recommendations for future pro-life outreaches. Josh and Emily share interesting stories from their last two semesters of campus outreach, and some of the trends they're noticing among pro-choice college students. This is part two of the series, and includes the story of protesters apologizing to us, why we might change the way we promote Emily's speeches, the creative ways the pro-choice students at St. Olaf are now countering our outreaches there, an innovative pro-life response to a Jainist, and an improved response to people who bite the squirrel bullet! Then they discuss trends and recommendations for future pro-life outreaches. Related Links: Abortion Dialogue on Campus: Outreach Stories and Trends - Part 1: How One Student Group Radically Changed Their Campus Culture: The Equal Rights Argument: How Josh Should Have Dealt with a Hostile Audience in Canada: Firebombings and Vandalism: Planned Parenthood Must Condemn Jane’s Revenge: How Should Conservatives Respond to the Disturbing Trend of Campus Censorship? Six Ways I’ve Seen Pro-Choice People Try to Censor Pro-Lifers: Abortion and Medical Necessity: Improving the Pro-Life Approach: ERI LIVE - What Should I Say in a Post-Roe America? Defining the Word "Abortion" Will Change Your Dialogues (with Dank Pro-Life Memes): A Simple Change That Instantly Communicates a Nuanced Approach to the Abortion Debate: Why I Changed My Pro-life Elevator Pitch: Abortion Images: A Case for Disagreement without Division: Godwin's Law Wikipedia: Equal Rights Institute Website: Equal Rights Institute Blog: Equipped for Life Course: Sidewalk Counseling Masterclass: Co-Hosts: Josh Brahm & Emily Albrecht Audio/Video Editors: Joshua Head & Josh Brahm Publisher: Jen Westmoreland /episode/index/show/equippedforlife/id/24515652

#83: Abortion Dialogue on Campus: Outreach Stories and Trends - Part 1 09/08/2022

#82: Responding to 8 Types of Difficult Pro-Lifers (with Monica Snyder & Andrew Kaake - Part 2) 08/11/2022

#82: Responding to 8 Types of Difficult Pro-Lifers (with Monica Snyder & Andrew Kaake - Part 2) It's the question we're asked more often than any other, and we want to answer it carefully. The question is, "What should I do about the pro-life activist near me who is being difficult? Should I approach them differently than I do my dialogues with pro-choice people?" Josh and Emily invited ERI Lead Editor Andrew Kaake and Secular Pro-Life's Executive Director Monica Snyder on the show for a two-part discussion on the way they think about responding to online comments, eight common types of difficult pro-life people, and how you can respond to them. Click here to listen to part 1: Note: Sorry for the occasional distortion with Josh and Emily's mics. They've had a good six-year run, but we're replacing them before the next time we record (the mics, not Josh and Emily). We also had technical issues with Monica and Andrew's video streams due to technical issues. All of their audio is here, but the video is missing. Related Links: Secular Pro-Life ERI Bodily Rights Materials Landing Page Speech: Monica Snyder on Deconstructing Three Pro-Choice Myths Speech: Monica Snyder speaks at the Dobbs #EmpowerWomenPromoteLife rally Equal Rights Institute Website: Equal Rights Institute Blog: Equipped for Life Course: Sidewalk Counseling Masterclass: Chapters: 00:00: Introduction 01:24: Type 5: The Ones Who Are Hurting the Movement 11:17: Type 6: The Ones Who Don't Understand the Argument... 25:53: Type 7: ...Or the People Making the Argument... 33:36: Type 8: ...Or the People Getting the Abortions 47:27: How can pro-life advocates encourage members in these categories to think or act differently? 1:09:19: Are we being hypocritical for pointing out difficult types of pro-lifers? Co-Hosts: Josh Brahm & Emily Albrecht Guests: Monica Snyder & Andrew Kaake Audio/Video Editor: Chapter One Films & Josh Brahm Publisher: Josh Brahm /episode/index/show/equippedforlife/id/24026319

#81: The Pregnant 10 Year-Old: Thinking Well About This Tragic Story (with Robin Atkins) 07/26/2022

#81: The Pregnant 10 Year-Old: Thinking Well About This Tragic Story (with Robin Atkins) Everyone has been talking about the tragic case of a 10-year-old who was raped, became pregnant, and driven across state lines to get an abortion. Even President Biden referenced her story in public. Multiple ERI followers have asked us how pro-life people can answer questions about this story without sounding like a moral monster. Josh and Emily invited licensed mental health counselor Robin Atkins to discuss the story with us. Our conversation included the rules regarding public discussion of patient information, particularly in CHINS cases, and the damage done if the rules are violated as well as how pro-life people should talk about this story. Robin is a licensed mental health counselor, specializing in reproductive issues. She also has a philosophy degree. She spent four years doing home-based therapy with the Department of Children's Services. She's a pro-life advocate with an atypical perspective on some of the issues surrounding abortion. Related Links: The source that Robin read from about laws governing confidentiality in CHINS cases: . Reprotection: She Found His Grace Abortion Recovery (Serena Dyksen) Book: She Found His Grace: A True Story Of Hope, Love, And Forgiveness After Abortion: Here are the medical studies we referenced regarding young pregnancies: Too much too young? Teenage pregnancy is not a public health problem: What's so bad about teenage pregnancy? Why I Changed My Pro-life Elevator Pitch: “Abortion is Healthcare”: A Misogynistic Non-Argument: ERI resources on responding to the question of rape: Previous episodes with Robin Atkins: A Different Perspective: Adoption vs. Foster Care vs. Abortion: Mental Health and Informed Consent in Abortion: A Mental Health Counselor on Psychology in Debate: Bonus Discussion about Whether Sidewalk Counselors Should EVER Bring Up Adoption: Chapters 00:00 Introducing Robin and this story 06:23 CHINS cases and why the fact checkers got this story so wrong 35:14 Can abortion treat the trauma of rape? 53:31 Examining an apparent contradiction in what Robin said about how Ohio treats these crimes 57:36 Is it actually more physically dangerous when a young person is pregnant? 1:19:02 How should abortion laws treat a situation where a doctor claims that their patient has a life-threatening pregnancy? 1:27:26 How should pro-life people talk about cases like this? Disclosure: The book above is an Amazon affiliate link. This means that, at zero cost to you, ERI will earn an affiliate commission if you click through the link and finalize a purchase. /episode/index/show/equippedforlife/id/23861973

REPLAY: What Should I Say in a Post-Roe America? 07/05/2022

#80: Responding to 8 Types of Difficult Pro-Lifers (with Monica Snyder & Andrew Kaake - Part 1) 06/07/2022

#79: The Latest Research on Fetal Pain (with John Bockmann and Bridget Thill, MD, MS) 05/19/2022

Equipped for Life Podcast

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