Living Pro-Life

In this powerful episode, Brian sits down with Melissa Ohden, founder and CEO of the Abortion Survivors Network, to share one of the most extraordinary stories you’ll ever hear. Melissa is one of the few people in the world who survived a late-term saline infusion abortion—and now, as a wife, mom, advocate, and leader, she works every day to support other survivors and expose the truth about what abortion really is.

Melissa opens up about her own miraculous birth, the nurse who refused to leave her to die, and the long physical, emotional, and spiritual journey that followed. She explains what the Abortion Survivors Network does, why survivors’ stories matter, and how many more children survive abortions than most people realize. We dive into new research on the abortion pill, the alarming rise in failed abortions, and the stories buried beneath the headlines.

The conversation also tackles the reality of post-Dobbs America: state-level abortion ballot initiatives, the ongoing fight in Missouri over Amendment 3, and why pro-lifers can’t afford to “sit back” now. Melissa and Brian break down how legal changes are impacting women, babies, and families, and why protecting life will increasingly depend on educating voters and providing compassionate support.

We also discuss recent news stories—like the Kentucky cheerleader arrested after concealing her newborn—and what they reveal about the deep confusion and isolation so many women face.

Whether you’re new to these issues or have been in the pro-life movement for years, this conversation will challenge you, inspire you, and give you a deeper understanding of abortion, survival, and hope.

Learn more or get connected:
👉 Abortion Survivors Network: abortionsurvivors.org
Support for survivors, families, medical professionals, and advocates—plus research, resources, and ways to get involved.

In this powerful and candid conversation, Guiding Star Project Founder & CEO Leah Jacobson joins the show to talk about the real state of women’s healthcare, the birth of the Guiding Star movement, and why supporting women through pregnancy, birth, and beyond is essential to a truly pro-life culture.

Leah shares the surprising story behind Guiding Star’s beginnings, how a college awakening and early work with young women sparked a nationwide vision, and why today’s maternity care deserts are leaving millions of women without access to safe, compassionate birth options.

We dive into:

• The gap between what Leah thought she was launching and what God actually built

• Why maternity care access is collapsing—especially in rural America

• The rise of “birth trauma” and why so many women leave the delivery room saying “never again”

• How Guiding Star is responding through ethically aligned, community-based women’s health and birthing centers

• What it really takes to open a center—midwives, courage, creativity, and a sacrificial mindset

• The connection between being pro-life and being truly pro-birth

• Leah’s personal journey as a mom of soon-to-be eight

• The need to walk with women through pregnancy, birth, breastfeeding, and the vulnerable postpartum season

If we want women to choose life, Leah argues, we must guarantee that they have a safe, dignified place to give birth, not just survive it. This episode is an honest, hopeful, and deeply important conversation about the future of women’s health, the role of pro-life communities, and how we build a culture where every woman and every child can thrive.

In this episode, OB-GYN and CEO of the American Association of Pro-Life Obstetricians and Gynecologists (AAPLOG), Dr. Christina Francis, joins us for an in-depth conversation on life-affirming medicine in a post-Dobbs America.

Dr. Francis breaks down AAPLOG’s newly released practice guideline—addressing some of the most misunderstood and emotionally charged situations in medicine: when a mother faces a life-threatening pregnancy complication and physicians must consider separating mom and baby. She explains how pro-life medical professionals evaluate these moments ethically, what is and is not an abortion, and why the misinformation surrounding miscarriage, ectopic pregnancy, and emergency interventions is putting patients at risk.

We also explore the growing debate around abortion pill reversal, the intent behind induced abortion, and how hospital-based obstetric care differs from elective procedures performed at abortion facilities.

Then, Dr. Francis shares her remarkable personal journey—from witnessing her first delivery in medical school, to serving as a missionary physician in Kenya, to being challenged by a friend to step boldly into pro-life advocacy. Today, as the CEO of AAPLOG, she leads an organization founded in 1973, representing thousands of life-affirming medical professionals.

We wrap with a look at major legal battles surrounding mifepristone, the FDA, and what’s at stake for both doctors and patients nationwide.

This episode is a must-listen for anyone seeking clarity, compassion, and evidence-based insight into women’s healthcare and the pro-life movement.

In this powerful conversation, we sit down with author Leah Libresco Sargeant to explore the ideas behind her newest book, The Dignity of Dependence: A Feminist Manifesto—a provocative and deeply thoughtful challenge to modern assumptions about autonomy, womanhood, and what it really means to be human.

Leah argues that true feminism must honor women as women, not as interchangeable versions of men. She explains how our culture’s fear of dependence—whether in pregnancy, disability, aging, or marriage—has shaped everything from abortion politics to end-of-life decisions, and even how we understand our own dignity.

We talk about:

• What “pro-life feminism” actually looks like

• Why dependence is not a flaw but a fundamental part of being human

• How the logic of abortion harms not just the unborn, but women, the elderly, and the disabled

• The role men play in a culture that honors vulnerability

• Marriage, asymmetry, and why keeping score destroys relationships

• Dating apps, marriage decline, and why recovering real community may be the key

• Leah’s own journey from identifying as pro-choice to embracing a radically different understanding of human dignity

• The family stories—joy, grief, pregnancy, miscarriage—that shaped this book

Leah brings deep insight, personal experience, and rare clarity to issues often overshadowed by politics and polarization. Whether you’re pro-life, pro-choice, or still figuring out what you think, this episode offers a fresh moral vision that challenges easy assumptions and invites more humane conversations.

Her book The Dignity of Dependence releases this October.

This is a thoughtful, candid, and truly eye-opening discussion you won’t want to miss.

In this episode, we sit down with Army Major and Physician Assistant John ___ — a man whose unlikely journey from military deployments to medical ethics research produced one of the most influential fetal pain papers ever published.

John is the co-author of “Reconsidering Fetal Pain,” the #3 most-read article in the history of the Journal of Medical Ethics—a paper cited in multiple briefs to the U.S. Supreme Court and one that challenged long-standing assumptions about when preborn children can feel pain. And he wrote it while serving overseas… sometimes literally in the woods, on military exercises, finishing edits between field duties.

In this conversation, John opens up about:

• How becoming a father awakened his pro-life convictions

• The impact of the David Daleiden undercover videos, and why they pushed him into fetal-pain research

• How he connected with a leading pro-choice neuroscientist — and why the two of them co-authored this groundbreaking paper

• Why their research suggests fetal pain may begin as early as 12 weeks, a radical departure from previous assumptions

• How the Supreme Court, Mississippi legislators, and medical ethicists used his work in key legal arguments

• Why the Hippocratic Oath, the Oath of Geneva, and medical history point clearly toward protecting life

• The disturbing parallels between today’s slogans (“abortion is healthcare”) and the historical misuse of medicine

• Why building bridges — even with pro-choice scholars — is essential to long-term pro-life progress

• How secular and religious pro-lifers can work together without compromising values

• Why ordinary people shouldn’t wait for credentials to make a difference

• His upcoming retirement from the military and passion for continuing this work as a civilian researcher

This is one of the most thoughtful, nuanced, and candid episodes we’ve ever released — blending science, ethics, personal conviction, and the surprising story behind a paper that shifted a global conversation.

Featuring:
John ___ — U.S. Army Major (PA), Medical Ethics Researcher, Guest Author for Secular Pro-Life, Co-Author of “Reconsidering Fetal Pain.”

In this episode, we sit down with Cassidy Shooltz, a young, bold, and deeply convicted embryo advocate from Michigan whose pro-life story is anything but ordinary.

Cassidy shares how her passion for defending human life began in childhood, shaped by the story of her triplet siblings and the pressure her mother faced to “selectively reduce.” From there, her convictions only grew, ultimately leading her to a rescue in Washington, D.C., where she and others entered an abortion clinic to offer women help and alternatives. The decision resulted in arrest, prosecution, and jail time, but also unexpected miracles, including powerful conversations behind bars that changed lives.

Cassidy opens up about:

• Why she calls herself an embryo advocate and how language shapes the way we value human life

• Her arrest during a D.C. rescue, the court process, and what those two days in jail taught her about courage and conviction

• Her vision for ending abortion globally, and why she believes the culture is more ready for change than we think

• The staggering worldwide impact of abortion, with over a billion children lost — and what that means for nations, families, and the future

• How her career in healthcare influences her advocacy, and why she believes abortion has no place in medicine

• What doctors DON’T tell parents about selective reduction, fetal development, and truly life-affirming care

• The personal, spiritual, and cultural costs of the sexual revolution, and why so many people are longing for something better

Her story is fearless, deeply human, and rooted in hope, a reminder that everyday people can disrupt injustice and that compassion for the smallest among us can transform a culture.

Featuring:
Cassidy Schultz — Embryo Advocate, Pro-Life Activist, Nursing Assistant, Volunteer with Grand Rapids Right to Life

In this episode, Maryland State Freedom Caucus Director and founder of Freedom From Violence Maryland, Ali Rak, shares her remarkable journey from calling herself “pro-choice” to becoming one of the most effective pro-life grassroots organizers in the country.

Ali opens up about the moment everything changed; an unexpected pregnancy, a frightening ultrasound, and the realization that the issue she’d been told never to question was far more human than political. Her story moves from personal conviction to public action, launching her into leadership roles in apologetics, grassroots activism, legislative battles, and statewide referendum fights.

We also dive into:

• Why she broke with the pro-choice label and how a single pregnancy changed her worldview

• The explosive impact of the David Daleiden undercover videos and how they brought her into frontline activism

• Maryland’s 2024 abortion referendum—what went wrong, what was learned, and what other states must understand before facing similar battles

• The real lessons from Ohio, Michigan, and Kansas referenda

• Citizen lobbying 101 — how flipping one senator stopped physician-assisted suicide in Maryland

• Her leadership during COVID, grassroots pressure, and how ordinary citizens can push back on overreach

• Life as a mom of six, homeschooling, marriage, faith, and finding purpose when “balance” feels impossible

This conversation is packed with strategy, inspiration, and practical insight for anyone who feels small in the face of big cultural battles. Ali proves that ordinary people can do extraordinary things; one phone call, one meeting, one brave “yes” at a time.

Featuring:
Ali Rak — Maryland State Director, State Freedom Caucus Network
Founder, Freedom From Violence Maryland

In this episode, Eric Scheidler, Executive Director of the Pro-Life Action League, exposes a growing crisis in prenatal care that too few people are talking about: false prenatal testing and the pressure it places on women to abort healthy babies.

Eric breaks down how early diagnostic tests, flawed accuracy, and a culture that treats pregnancy like a problem are leading to hundreds, possibly thousands, of preventable abortions every year. He shares eye-opening stories from neonatologists, parents, and decades of sidewalk outreach that reveal how often women are coerced, pushed, or pressured into abortions they don’t want.

We also dive into:

• The shocking reality behind countries claiming to have “eradicated” Down syndrome

• Why so many abortions are unwanted, coerced, or driven by fear

• How pro-life advocates can respond in states with extreme abortion laws

• The mission and history of the Pro-Life Action League — and why local activism still changes lives

• Practical ways YOU can get involved, find support, or help families facing difficult diagnoses

This conversation challenges assumptions, uncovers hidden injustices, and equips listeners with truth and compassion.

Featuring:
Eric Scheidler, Executive Director — Pro-Life Action League
Learn more at ProLifeAction.org

The United Nations might seem distant, but what happens there shapes global policy on life, family, and faith.

This week, Brian sits down with Austin Ruse, President of the Center for Family and Human Rights (CFAM), a pro-life and pro-family organization in special consultative status with the UN. Austin shares how his unlikely journey from New York magazine publishing to global advocacy led him to the front lines of international policy.

Together, they discuss what’s really happening inside the UN:

• How CFAM helps block a “global right to abortion”

• The fight over gender definitions in international law

• Why population decline is a growing global crisis

• How small, determined groups can stand up to powerful global institutions

Austin’s story is both surprising and deeply encouraging proof that conviction and persistence can make a global impact

#ProLife #LivingProLife #AustinRuse #CFAM #UnitedNations #ChooseLife #FaithAndCulture

In this episode, Brian sits down with Jor-El Godsey, President of Heartbeat International, an organization supporting thousands of pregnancy help centers in over 100 countries. Together, they dive into one of the most urgent and controversial topics in the pro-life movement today: abortion pill reversal.

Jor-El explains what chemical abortion is, how it has become the dominant form of abortion in the U.S., and why Heartbeat International is fighting lawsuits in multiple states over their life-saving work. He also shares remarkable stories of women who changed their minds—and the babies who are alive today because of it.

Beyond the headlines and legal battles, this conversation reveals the compassion, science, and human stories behind a movement offering women one last chance to choose life.

Topics include:

• How the abortion pill works—and how it can be reversed

• The rise of chemical abortions post-Dobbs

• Why Heartbeat International is being sued by California and New York

• Real stories of abortion pill reversal success

• What’s next for the pro-life movement and pregnancy help centers