Equipped for Life Podcast

This is the first of a two-part series with Muslim intellectual Dr. Javad Hashmi. In this episode Josh interviews him about his journey from pro-choice to pro-life and how Muslims think about moral culpability and human value. They spend the rest of the episode having an impromptu nerdy philosophy debate about personhood.

Javad T. Hashmi is a board-certified emergency physician, former Fellow of Medical Ethics at Harvard Medical School, and a PhD candidate in the Study of Religion (Islamic Studies) at Harvard University. In addition to his medical training, Dr. Hashmi holds a bachelor's and master's degree in Arabic & Islamic Studies from U.C. Berkeley and Harvard respectively.

Chapters: 00:00 Introducing Javad 01:30 Javad's story from pro-choice to pro-life 04:35 A primer on American Muslim politics 09:46 Javad's story continued 14:06 On compassion for post-abortive women 16:12 Thinking through the complexities of moral culpability and abortion 19:40 The role (or lack thereof) of religion in the abortion debate 26:44: What Muslims think about "first breath" and human value? 33:43 More on the Muslim view of human value 45:51 Javad interacts with how ERI staff think about personhood

Related links:

Pro-Life Apologetics: The Equal Rights Argument: https://youtu.be/louYc-9cvE0

Equal Rights Institute Website: https://EqualRightsInstitute.com

Equal Rights Institute Blog: https://Blog.EqualRightsInstitute.com

Equipped for Life Course: https://EquippedCourse.com

Sidewalk Counseling Masterclass: http://SidewalkCounselingMasterclass.com

Host: Josh Brahm Guest: Dr. Javad T. Hashmi Audio/Video Editor: Chapter One Films & Josh Brahm Publisher: Jen Westmoreland

Robin Atkins is back to discuss mental health, informed consent, abortion risks, the level of counseling in abortion facilities, and more.

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:

Refuting "Abortion as Self-Defense" (video): https://youtu.be/B2TakKSUawA

Refuting "Abortion as Self-Defense" (article): https://bit.ly/32fHZWi

Medical Apartheid: The Dark History of Medical Experimentation on Black Americans from Colonial Times to the Present: https://amzn.to/3e8Mjvw

American Association of Pro-Life Obstetricians and Gynecologists or AAPLOG (for abortion risks): https://aaplog.org/

You can learn more about the Turnaway Study here: https://turnawaystudy.com

Listen to our first episode with Robin Atkins to hear her thoughts on the Turnaway Study: https://bit.ly/3uUUelI

Watch Josh Brahm's faulty pro-life arguments speech: https://bit.ly/2VrhYSm

Contact Robin @TruthAgape on Twitter: https://twitter.com/truthagape

Chapters: 0:00 Introduction

1:34 Why tokophobia cases are increasing

4:13 How can people learn to advocate for themselves better with their doctors?

5:34 How informed consent relates to the abortion debate

9:38 Is it wrong for pro-life ultrasound laws to require internal ultrasound procedures?

12:04 Is it anti-free-speech to require doctors to say things required by a pro-life informed consent law?

16:40 How satisfied are you with the informed consent bills that pro-lifers pass?

19:04 How would you respond to the clinic worker who says they're just there to provide the service their client wants?

22:39 Should there be screenings before an abortion?

24:10 Assessing the level of counseling and/or care given to women in abortion facilities

28:16 Where should people go for the most accurate explanation of abortion risks?

29:42 What would it take for a clinic worker to become qualified to give anything called "counseling" to the client?

31:26 What are the accurate risk factors for abortion?

38:04 Is the abortion causing these symptoms or are women who were already more likely to experience these post-abortion symptoms having abortions?

41:38 On minors having abortions

47:25 On pro-choice women using women who are suffering as a shield, and how pro-lifers should respond to her

50:39 On abortion in the case of rape

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.

Robin Atkins is back to discuss psychology in debate. 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:

Listen to our first episode with Robin, on adoption vs. foster care vs. abortion

Dialogue Tip: Tell Them That They Can't Offend You

We referenced our mutual friend Petra Wallenmeyer who is now a writing intern at ERI, as well as the Content Director for the Human Defense Initiative. Read her articles here.

Our first Humor in Dialogue podcast

A Comedian Shares Tips for Using Humor in Dialogue

Should Pro-Lifers be Snarky? (with Dank Pro-Life Memes)

Charisma on Command YouTube channel

Brant Hanson's book, "Unoffendable: How Just One Change Can Make All of Life Better"

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.

Chapters:

00:00 Introduction

02:00 Defining communication

03:44 Navigating debates, in-person and online

05:53 Clarifying the labels "speaker" vs "listener"

08:25 How do you help someone who is constantly offended by the other side?

13:36 Ideology-driven vs. topic-driven debate

17:31 How do you get past people's defenses?

20:03 Should our primary goal be to change minds?

24:49 Timing and empathy matters

26:27 On anecdotal evidence and miscarriage

31:54 On benevolent trolling and the use of snark

43:31 When is it time to end an unproductive conversation?

47:25 If self-awareness is important, how can people who aren't self-aware discover and work on that?

49:11 Why is civil discourse so low right now, and what can do we about that?

59:27 What is it you'd like people to take from the "Unoffendable" book?

This is a companion discussion to our first episode with Robin Atkins, "A Different Perspective: Adoption vs. Foster Care vs. Abortion", which you can watch here: https://youtu.be/yChl-sReTP0

The primary question being discussed is whether sidewalk counselors should NEVER bring up adoption, or whether they should RARELY bring up adoption. Both Jacob and Robin would change each other's minds in small ways during this discussion!

Robin Atkins 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 and has very interesting thoughts on the topic of abortion.

This is the first of three episodes with Robin. In this episode, Robin discusses the differences between newborn adoption, foster care, and abortion.

Related Links:

Listen to the bonus discussion Jacob Nels had with Robin Atkins about whether sidewalk counselors should EVER bring up adoption: https://youtu.be/HaUJMcEgpcQ

Previous ERI Podcast with Jacob Nels - "Why Sidewalk Counselors Should Not Recommend Adoption"

You can learn more about the Turnaway Study here: https://turnawaystudy.com

VIDEO: Pastors, You Can Reduce Abortions in Your Church | Pro-Life Theology in Practice

ARTICLE: One Thing Every Pastor Can Do to Prevent Abortions in Their Congregation

Purchase "Alarmist Gatekeeping" by Dr. Deborah Garratt

Contact Robin @TruthAgape on Twitter

Chapters:

00:00 Announcement about bonus discussion

02:20 Introducing Robin

04:54 The ERI podcast episode Robin disagreed with

07:05 Common ground about adoption

09:45 The purpose of foster care

10:16 Problems and potential solutions

16:34 Should all foster kids be reunited with their bio parents?

18:27 Foster care issues continued

19:03 Safe haven babies

24:16 The damage done to the foster community from pro-choice people

25:25 The Turnaway Study

30:11 Do all women instantly regret their abortion?

33:51 Clarifying how foster care works

38:56 Eugenics and adoption

42:26 Children's rights and consent

50:07 Does abuse happen in foster care as often as people think?

54:34 Reforms that would improve the newborn adoption system

59:55 Why sidewalk counselors shouldn't bring up adoption (at least most of the time)

1:02:59 How churches could respond to unwed pregnancy better

1:11:17 Contrasting adoption and foster care with abortion

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.

Jonathon Van Maren joins the podcast for the second part of a discussion on what is going on with a hostile anti-abortion group called Abolish Human Abortion (AHA). In this episode, Jonathon discusses the history of the pro-life movement and why it needs to be understood, AHA's "Free the States" strategy, and what pro-life organizations and sidewalk counselors should do about them.

Related Links:

Jonathon Van Maren: How "Abolish Human Abortion" Gets History Wrong - Part 1

Jonathon Van Maren: How "Abolish Human Abortion" Gets History Wrong Again - Part 2

ERI Podcast: "Should Women be Prosecuted if Abortion Becomes Illegal?"

"Defenders of the Unborn" by Dr. Daniel K. Williams

"Abortion Rites" by Marvin Olasky

"Operation Rescue" by Randall Terry

"Wrath of Angels: The American Abortion War" by Jim Risen & Judy Thomas

Debate: Pro-Life Incrementalism vs Abolitionist Immediatism (Gregg Cunningham vs. T. Russell Hunter)

If you want to see Abolish Human Abolition's account of who they are to assess it on its own terms, read "The Five Tenets of Abolitionism" on the AHA webpage

Chapters:

00:00 Introduction

04:12 Understanding the history of the pro-life movement

12:50 Why didn't the rescue movement succeed?

19:30 Will simply calling abortion "murder" end it?

20:17 Why the pro-life movement needs to understand it's own history

21:37 Is Jonathon doing the same thing as AHA does by critiquing them?

24:25 Would their "Free the States" strategy work?

28:48 Does AHA support throwing aborting women in jail?

36:28 How AHA's strategy seems defined by being simplistic

41:26 Reacting to Hunter exclaiming how sick he is of abortion

43:02 What should sidewalk counselors do when "abolitionists" are preventing them from saving babies?

54:03 Should pro-life organizations distance themselves from AHA?

Jonathon Van Maren is the Communications Director for the Canadian Centre for Bio-Ethical Reform. His writings have been translated into more than six languages, and published in the National Post, National Review, First Things, The European Conservative, The Federalist, The American Conservative, The Stream, the Jewish Independent, the Hamilton Spectator, Reformed Perspective Magazine, among others. His insights have been featured on CTV, Global News, and the CBC, as well as over twenty radio stations. He regularly speaks on a variety of social issues at universities, high schools, churches, and other functions in Canada, the United States, and Europe.

Equal Rights Institute Website: https://EqualRightsInstitute.com

Equal Rights Institute Blog: https://Blog.EqualRightsInstitute.com

Equipped for Life Course: https://EquippedCourse.com

Sidewalk Counseling Masterclass: http://SidewalkCounselingMasterclass.com

Host: Josh Brahm Guest: Jonathon Van Maren Audio/Video Editor: Chapter One Films & Josh Brahm Publisher: Jen Westmoreland

Disclosure: The books above are Amazon affiliate links. This means that, at zero cost to you, ERI will earn an affiliate commission if you click through the links and finalize a purchase.

Jonathon Van Maren joins the podcast to discuss what is going on with a hostile anti-abortion group called Abolish Human Abortion (AHA). This is the first of a two-part series. In this episode, Jonathon discusses AHA's origin, their slander of the pro-life movement, how they are not Wilberforce-style abolitionists, and how they're attempting to rewrite their history now.

Emily pulls back the curtain to explain the ways that her club leaders established a good working relationship with their administration, dealt with vandalism, connected with the pro-choice club, and more!

00:00 Introduction

02:11 Coaching other clubs

04:26 Managing a club's image

07:24 Dealing with vandalism

29:36 The importance of outreach

31:03 Campus rules for outreach

46:34 Explaining why you do outreach

47:48 Be transparent

54:55 The pro-choice club on campus

1:13:22 When in doubt...

1:18:38 If a club wants advice...

Related Links:

Email Emily at: [email protected]

How One Club Changed Their Campus (Extended Interview with Emily Albrecht)

Emily's First Outreach Mistakes

Emily's First Dialogue Mistakes

Here's the meme Josh referenced toward the end: Trying Kombucha for the First Time

Now that she has talked about the initial outreach mistakes the Oles for Life club at St. Olaf made, Emily discusses their initial dialogue mistakes. Toward the beginning, she blows Josh's mind by explaining how many of their member's musical backgrounds made it easier for them to critique each other without anyone's feelings getting hurt. (We bet this same thing applies to lots of artists and others too.)

Chapters:

00:00 Introducing the topic;

01:39 Mistake #1: Not knowing your strengths and weaknesses;

14:36 Mistake #2: Making dialogues formulaic;

20:39 Mistake #3: Not being willing to stand on the facts;

24:35 On handing people better pro-choice arguments;

30:05 Mistake #4: Forgetting that 'clarity is our friend';

33:20 Why pro-choice people can misunderstand the 'trot out a toddler' technique;

38:00 Bearing as much burden of proof as possible;

40:08 Mistake #5: Struggling to end the conversation.

Refuting "Abortion as Self-Defense": https://bit.ly/32fHZWi

When They Bite the Bullet: http://bit.ly/34Z9Rw2

Our regular listeners have heard by now about the great successes of Oles for Life, the pro-life student club at St. Olaf College. In this episode, Emily Albrecht pulls the curtain back to share five mistakes their club made when they began doing outreach.

This episode will be followed by one on specific dialogue mistakes they made during their outreaches.

Chapters: 00:00 - Introducing the topic; 03:11 - Outreach at St. Olaf; 04:39 - Mistake #1: Fear of starting to do outreach; 15:11 - Mistake #2: Poorly designed outreach table; 28:53 - Mistake #3: Struggling to start conversations; 34:33 - Mistake #4: Not being ready to explain their purpose; 40:45 - Mistake #5: Not being intentional about who is at the table.

Related Links:

How One Club Changed Their Campus (Extended Interview with Emily Albrecht): https://bit.ly/30JAfdd or https://youtu.be/HoSwkt1wFdY

Abortion Images: A Case for Disagreement without Division: http://bit.ly/2vli3Ja

Here are links to some example dialogues we've recorded:

Josh Brahm and Rebecca Haschke at Students for Life Conference: https://youtu.be/tSKfxYHSarU?t=1690

Example Dialogues: Pro-Life Tim and Pro-Choice Rachel: http://bit.ly/2O8eFIH

Example Dialogues: Pro-Life Josh and Pro-Choice Tim: http://bit.ly/354n72x

Example Dialogues: Pro-Life Rachel and Pro-Choice Tim: http://bit.ly/2KjM7uz

Responding to the Astute Observation That I Am a Man: http://bit.ly/2vV31tA