Life Matters

In this episode of Life Matters, Brian Johnston examines the real implications of the recent presidential debate. Interestingly, he agrees with Pennsylvania Democratic senator, John Fetterman.

In an interview with Fox News' Shannon Bream, Fetterman points out that he himself was in apparent mental collapse and his debates with candidate, Dr. Oz of television fame were complete failures due to Fetterman's slurring and confused use of language.

It turns out that Fetterman went on to actually win the election by several points.

Brian points out that the real issues of the most recent presidential debate were not how either Trump or Biden spoke. The real issues in the debate are the ideas, the policies, the laws that are brought to bear by their respective political parties. Politics is about policy. The Democrat Party of America today is the single most radical entity that has ever existed in the United States of America. It is no longer the mildly liberal Democrat Party of perhaps your parents' generation or even of just recent years. On the abortion issue, they believe in unlimited government financed, government advertised, government promoted abortion through the ninth month and even after birth. That was admitted in the June 2024 debate! That is what Roe v. Wade and Doe v. Bolton authorized.

Listeners from both parties were deeply disturbed by Biden's failures and many Democrats want a better leader to be the puppet for their policies in order to inspire victory. But the issue, nevertheless, is not who is at the head of the party. The issue really is the policies that that party will bring to bear and who that president will equip not only his entire cabinet with, but all the appointments of the federal government.

That president's policies are going to be what the rest of their party will follow not only on the federal level, but Democrats all the way down through state and local government are influenced by the policies stated by that party's platform and plank and leadership. That was the real significance of the most recent presidential debate.

In another program, Life Matters will examine the actual debate topics and demonstrate that the Democrat Party commitment to the logic of Roe v. Wade is very present. They want to insist that Roe v. Wade and Doe v. Bolton remain the law of the land.

Who has choice? It's not women! It was only doctors who were authorized to kill, to decide when to kill and what procedures to use. Yes, in Roe v. Wade choice was given only to doctors.

In this episode of Life Matters, Brian Johnston explorers the confusion that many individuals have regarding what happened onJanuary 22, 1973. The Roe v. Wade decision is actually quite direct and explicit. There is no right of a woman to a woman's own body. Justice Blackmun, the author of Roe, was not giving women the right to do whatever they want, whenever they want, and especially with a very difficult medical procedure like human abortion.

Blackmun was explicit in both Roe, and in particular in Doe v. Bolton - only doctors would be authorized to kill. Specifically, they were to be free to decide when, where, how and for what reason, even for no reason in particular, to perform a human abortion.

They were the ones given a choice.

Later, Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, attempting to teach feminists that they still had not achieve their goal, underscored that Roe and Doe did not give women the right to choose. It only gave them a right to ask. All authority of the medical decision was to be made by a medical doctor, the now killer, the abortionist.

Brian reminds listeners that because of human psychology, and, in particular, the phenomenon known as attachment theory, human beings are emotionally supportive of young creatures, particularly young mammals. The wide eyes, mewling and 'baby sounds' bring an innate adult reaction. That would include human babies, but for some people canine babies – puppies are even more emotionally attractive!

But the crime of abortion is not that cute babies are killed and that OUR emotions are stretched by that action. The crime is that this is a human being has been killed.

That is the most startling culture change that ever hit our society. Doctors were now to kill their fellow human beings and explicitly to ignore the Hippocratic Oath. Western medicine was now destroyed.

The most trustworthy and honored profession in society has become the most evil and diabolical profession. Doctors, regardless of their personality, are under tremendous financial, sociological and cultural pressure to endorse, and when put upon, to end the lives of their fellow human beings. The foundation that Western Civilization was built on - protection of innocent lives - was now terminated.

The physician was now transformed to a paid killer.

A cursory look at the current practice of medicine reminds us that there are bizarre ideas and values, and sociological confusion, allowing doctors to say and do things that are explicitly harmful to their patients, but that was not the case before January 22, 1973.

In every state, the laws of that state regarding killing or harming were reflected by the ethos and guidelines of the medical profession, and the medical regulations, the laws, of the various states fell in line with that. Before Roe v. Wade doctors didn't kill babies because doctors didn't kill anyone.

The Oath

We must restore the Hippocratic Oath. We must focus on what the crime is, who the perpetrators are. If we make the mistake of focusing only on the victims, on how old they are, when they die, on what situations (rape, incest, difficult social circumstances) if that becomes the action of the pro-life movement, we have lost our way . We must restore the Hippocratic Oath to the medical profession. The laws of Georgia in 1973 were actually very good and reasonable and did allow doctors to determine if there were unusual circumstances, because a panel of three different doctors experienced in childbirth determine if this was indeed a problem pregnancy. They could exercise their medical judgment, and the state could still hold them responsible. That law of Georgia, which was overturned in Doe v. Bolton, was ironically one of the best state laws that protected human beings because it protected doctors from the temptation to kill.

Unless we focus on who is exercising choice, who is the perpetrator, and restore that profession to its once noble position, we cannot win. At present, the pro-life movement is not winning. It is viewed as emotional and emotions can be arbitrary. It is viewed as religious and religious doctrines can also be confusingly arbitrary.

The Hippocratic Ooath was founded on the principles of natural law and the laws of nature and nature's God. Coincidentally, that was also the premise that America's founders insisted be our guideline in making law.

Restore the Oath. That should be our goal.

In this episode of Life Matters, Brian Johnston discusses the actual nature of how a republic works. It works by representing the people through elected representation. These representatives exist at every level of government and through diversified jurisdictions .

Brian interviews Scott Peotter, a long-time pro-life advocate who has served in local jurisdictions and has enforced just laws on the most local levels, including city council.

In July 2023, Gavin Newsom attempted, in his role of governor, to force the Temecula school board to promote LGBTQ doctrines and accept Planned Parenthood abortion mandates in that district. The school board, by a very narrow margin, insisted that they are held accountable and will be accountable for the assets of that particular school district and that the governor was functioning as a dictatorial autocrat.

The school board prevailed.

It is critical to understand, if you care about the direction of our country, that we are a nation and a government that is, "of the people, by the people, and for the people" in the words of Abraham Lincoln, America's first Republican President.

If you desire for your nation, state, county or community to embrace good values in the civic realm, you absolutely must be aware, and then be involved in your local community.

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, as he himself has been supportive and wrote of participating in the intentional killing of his own mother before it was even legalized in California.

SB 1196, would no longer allow a need for terminal diagnosis, would make provision to kill those who are not a sound mind, and would remove most qualifying limitations on assisted suicide. The reason the bill was stopped is they knew it would likely pass, and that passage would send alarm bells to an otherwise sleeping public.

Assisted suicide is going on in California medical facilities. Assisted suicide is, in fact, the intentional killing of a depressed person. It is happening now and as the death lobby knows, because of media coverage or perhaps lack of coverage, most Californians have no idea California doctors are killing patients.

Brian and Alex point out that 'choice' whether it be in abortion or in euthanasia, does not actually refer to the patient. It is a medical decision and it is the choice of the doctor to do the abortion, it is the choice of the doctor to perform euthanasia. So when the term 'choice' is applied to these procedures, it doesn't mean protecting a patient. It means protecting the choice of a killing doctor, a doctor who is blatantly defying the oath that made the medical perfection respected. That Hippocratic oath is now gone.

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 according to higher laws. The founders referred to this existence of a higher law, a natural law premise, self-evident and 'revealed in nature', when they spoke of creating a more just government and founded on the principals of the laws of nature and nature's God.

It is essential for earnest pro-lifers, now that the various states are free to create new laws regarding abortion, that these pro-life advocates not be merely religious or doctrinaire advocates, but instead realize that they must build our laws on self-evident truth and be able to work within the principles of natural law and the methods of conducting a republic's business through parliamentary procedure and debate.

This necessitates setting aside our personal theology, working towards those higher laws, those common goods, and most importantly, being willing to compromise in order to get as much as we possibly can within the political process.

Johnston explains how the current debate regarding appropriate abortion measures requires an understanding of natural law theory and practice, "the laws of nature and nature's God" as the founders outlined it, and the ability and humility to compromise in order to accomplish goals.

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 monitor the use of assisted suicide in California facilities. The government is dependent on the honesty of those reporting the actions and there is no penalty for failure to fill out a report.

That being said, the new bill removes the idea that there be a six month prognosis of death. That language is changed to "a grievous and irremediable medical condition." In other words, there need not be any terminal condition!

Secondly, the new bill allows those with dementia to consent to assisted suicide, even though they have a condition that impairs their capacity to consent! The measure will now allow the use of intravenous administration of poison. Under current law, the person takes an oral dose of the poison at the time and place of their own choosing with or without witnesses.

The new bill removes any need for a residency requirement. If you live in a state where your doctor is concerned that your depression and emotions are causing you to desire suicide, you can simply travel to California, where the new doctor will kill you without any further questions being asked.

There is no requirement now, nor will there be, of psychological testing of the individuals to be killed. The 48-hour waiting period is removed. If you ask to die today, you will be killed the same day. The original California Assisted Suicide Law was scheduled to sunset by 2031. Most laws have a sunset in order to assess their efficacy. Now, medical killing - euthanasia - will be the law of the land for perpetuity.

Don't believe that euthanasia advocates want to limit euthanasia. They want to be free to dispose of any individuals whom they see fit for disposal. That's how medical killing works. That's how it worked under national socialism. That's how it worked under international socialism. That's how it works wherever the Hippocratic Oath is removed from society.

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 be preserved by cryogenic freezing, But they are indeed human and as the movie, "Jurassic Park" intimates, via IVF, there are implications to the use of science to both create, and then possibly destroy the life created. In that film, the issue revolved around using science to create dinosaurs, using cryogenic freezing of the embryos. But also shows the implications of the creation and theft of such cryogenic "property".

President Trump was clear that it is a practice that should have parameters and limits. He endorses its use only for childless couples who are unable to conceive, not for routinely 'creating human lives.'

The issue of creating living property, "playing God," is only the beginning. The idea of owning another human being is obviously at the heart of IVF issues when it comes to human reproduction. And the issue of owning a human being is clearly at the heart of both slavery and abortion. Western Civilization has recognized that it is unethical to claim ownership of another human being, much less destroy a human being you claim to own.

Brian continues the discussion by examining the work of the Swedish Council on Bioethics. In vitro fertilization is being practiced in Sweden, but there are grave implications which are impacting that culture. The Swedish culture is considered liberal and progressive, but the dire implications of owning and creating new human lives are only beginning to be understood. The Swedish Council on Bioethics is asking for a re-examination and some reasonable limitations to be put on this 'practice of medicine.'

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 the District of Columbia. There are another fourteen states that have now introduced measures for this year's legislative session.

But this belies the long-term methods, the actual approach that euthanasia advocates are taking. Initially, they propose safeguards and limits on a measure to help it get through the legislative process and legalized.

But then they "adjust" the parameters of the law. One of the most common limits is to initially say it is only for residents of their state. This is in order to prevent what is happening in Switzerland, where tourist suicide allows people to fly in and simply be killed in any of dozens of death centers established in Switzerland.

Many states that had put safeguards, like the need for multiple doctors to agree, or the need to be a state resident, or the need to be personally present with the physician (many drugs are now being prescribed via Zoom); all of those "safeguards" are now being removed. And there is concerted effort in the media, and by agent provocateur, to encourage those who are medically and emotionally vulnerable to receive their poison pills across state line via Zoom, or to travel to states where their lies will be brought to a swift and immediate end .

What all of this means is that we, as individuals. must be extremely attentive to our elderly and dependent relatives. We must ensure that, if they are in any long-term care facilities, proper emotional and medical attention is paid to them. This can only be done by personal involvement. It can't be done from afar

Just as in older cultures, it is the family, and our immediate involvement with family, that is the greatest safeguard in a confused and dying civilization willing to kill the isolated vulnerable.

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 higher offices have had experience at the local level, whether it be school board, city council. or supervisor.

Ironically, it is THESE starter positions, where your vote and the vote of your friends, make the greatest impact. By being involved in local elections, you can launch the career of people who share your values and ideals.

Many elections for city office and for school board are determined by a relative handful of votes. That handful, five or six votes, may mean nothing on the larger level, but to keep Planned Parenthood out of your school district, that handful of votes can be the key difference.

By paying attention to these local races, you are not only effective in protecting your community from organizations like Planned Parenthood and others who seek to control the minds of your children, but you're helping to elect individuals who wish to see the government make wise decisions. You're helping out individuals who share your values. You're making a difference in your state, in your region, in your community.

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 stations, and eventually was included on many stations of the Salem Radio Network.

Life Matters is also broadcast on shortwave radio through Europe, North Africa, and parts of Asia.

Brian points out there are other Life Matters radio programs, the most notable a Life Matters program which is broadcast by Australian Broadcasting System, it is not related to Life Matters with BRIAN JOHNSTON.

There are also smaller local shows that might share the name, "Life Matters." They are usually, as in the case of one, a home and lifestyle program that focuses on home economics and day-to-day life (which is a good theme! It's just not our theme!).

Brian dedicates some time to the various sponsors of Life Matters, including Mike Lindell, the Pillow Guy (use promo code: LIFE); Car Easy which is a nationwide non-profit that will take your donated car, improve it and then share the proceeds with our work. Go to Californiaprolife.careasy.org.

Another important sponsor is the Life Fest Film Festival. Go to lifefilmfest.com and you can view some of the latest creative submissions from new, as well as experienced filmmakers, making their way in the entertainment industry with positive, life-affirming films and programs. You can view at home. You don't have to travel. You don't have to rent a hotel or buy theater tickets. You can watch in the privacy of your own home. Hundreds of films are now available at lifefilmfest.com.