LIFE MATTERS MINUTE:
Each a concise and incisive exploration and examination of important issues of life; vitally important issues, that have largely gone unexamined in a busy and
self-centered world.
A stunning admission from the state of California in response to a legal freedom of information act request. The state department of health services has admitted on February fourth of twenty-twenty, they will pay for all abortions through all nine months of pregnancy, regardless of the gestational age, regardless of the medical questions. There need not be any medically indicated reason for either mother or child. Why is that?
Roe v. Wade and Doe v. Bolton were very specific. It allows the abortionist to decide and the health defined in Doe said the abortionist’s interpretation of the emotional and sociologic health of the mother. That means if they want to do the abortion, they can.
This is an important update on Senate Bill 320. Senate Bill 320 would mandated that in California state colleges and universities young women be given RU486 the abortifacient drug. This is not a morning after pill. This drug is only taken when the woman knows that she's pregnant and the child is well along. It attacks woman's body first by preventing it from giving any more nutrition to that child. Only then does the child die. It results in a spontaneous miscarriage when that young woman can least control of the situation. She sees the baby. She sees the clots of blood. It's extremely unpleasant. Once a woman has had this she does not want another one. But, with your tax money, we pay for it. Ask your state senators to vote “No” on Senate Bill 320.
The goal of assisted suicide is to legalize euthanasia. Assisted suicide is really a form of voluntary euthanasia. The problem is, not all the people that advocates think should have the benefit of euthanasia will volunteer. So these “advocates” want to make sure that those folks who just can’t bring themselves to make the decision, or maybe aren't “smart” enough to know their own suffering, or understand that their life is so limited that they’d be better off dead, their goal is to make sure that they can also dismiss those lives in their “compassionate” way. The way they do that is by advancing intentional, medical dehydration and you need to watch out for it in nursing homes and hospitals throughout the country.
Years ago I used to counsel in front of an abortion clinic in Santa Rosa, California. That clinic is gone now, but at that time, a young woman and I would prayerfully talk to those that were coming in. She would talk to the young ladies and if there was a gentleman, I would talk to him. Numerous times that guy did not want to talk, he would in fact, push or punch me. It takes a lot of self-control in that circumstance but it points out that abortions are actually done to help the man. He wanted to make sure that abortion happened regardless. He didn’t want to be accountable.
Harvey Weinstein, who is Hollywood’s greatest single donor to Planned Parenthood and the abortion industry, as you know, routinely abuses women and routinely uses them sexually. Abortion helps men. It hurts women.
In January of 1973 the Supreme Court's Roe v. Wade and Doe v. Bolton decisions overturned every abortion regulation in every state of the United States. There have been many demonstrations and lots of emotions, but what were the specifics of these decisions? Every state had passed their laws as a result of Dr. Horatio Storer's efforts. He is the Founder of Modern Gynecology. He campaigned to pass election laws in order to to protect the child whom he considered, 'his second patient.'
Commissioner Johnston reads detailed citations from both the Roe and Doe decisions, and interviews Carol Tobias, President of National Right to Life Committee.
You know the Right To Life is made up of people of faith and some of no faith in particular, but that’s okay because this isn’t really about OUR faith. It isn’t about OUR personal theology. This is about whether or not that child in the womb is a human being. Science has demonstrated that indeed it is. It’s not because I believe that child is unique. Science has declared that, that the chromosomal structure of that unique individual will never again exist.
This is about self-evident truth. This is about the facts. This is about the laws of nature and of nature’s God. That’s how we make laws in America.
So, when you’re tempted to slip into theology as the basis of changing our laws, make sure that you recognize the facts are on our side and facts are terrible things to waste.
Western Civilization underscored the uniqueness of every human life, particularly in the Hippocratic Oath where the doctor swears he will never, ever kill even the most vulnerable. Christianity reinforced this commitment to individual innocent lives. Christians, more than anyone else, should now be committed to protecting the value of each and every life.
You’ve often heard it said, “Well, everyone has a right to die.” But is that true? If everyone has a right to die then I’m going to live forever because I simply will not exercise my right to die. It’s an absurd statement that hides a much deeper and sinister meaning. What they’re really saying is they would like to cause people to die or they feel someone should be dead, they’re just not dead enough yet so they want to do the act. That’s a very different verb. Dying is intransitive. We’re all going to die. But not all of us will be killed and that’s the verb they don’t want to bring themselves to say. To cause someone to die, whether it’s yourself or another, it’s killing.
Brian reminds us of the book “On Death and Dying” where Dr. Elisabeth Kübler-Ross outlines the emotional challenges that face everyone confronting a terminal diagnosis.
Denial, anger, bargaining, despair and then finally acceptance; these emotional roller coaster challenges are universal when confronting a terminal diagnosis. Surrendering to the despair or anger or denial, and killing the depressed patient, accomplishes nothing. Kübler-Ross was adamant this was in fact the richest opportunity in the patient’s life for emotional and psychological growth.
The desire for suicide is an emotional desire. Suicidal emotions can be treated. Killing the patient because of their emotional inclinations is not addressing those emotions.
Is there a right to die? If there is, then I will live forever because I refuse to exercise my right!
The phrase, “right to die” is used to imply that everyone should be free to determine their own death. This desire is from the fear of a painful or difficult death. But the resources are there to deal with even the most difficult of pain. If you or a loved one are in pain the answer is not “kill the patient,” but instead get another doctor!
The phrase, “right to die” is actually very deceitful, as it is used to promote something quite different. It is not about letting people die a natural death - that is already quite legal. No, this phrase is used to sell a completely different verb and action. It’s used to justify killing a patient whom someone feels “should be dead” and therefore, “we’re going to make that happen”. It is a phrase used to get you to accept the killing of ill and medically dependent individuals.
Statistics have consistently shown that abortion is being used as a racial tool. In the year 2016 for example, while Michigan’s population is 14% black, 50.5% - more than half of all the abortions in Michigan were done on black babies.
Nationwide, while 13% of the population is black, 36% of all abortions were done on black babies. This should not be surprising as Margaret Sanger, the founder of Planned Parenthood, was herself a eugenicist. She also founded and implemented the “Negro Project”, designed to eliminate large portions of the black population. In order not to alarm the black populace to this genocide, she intentionally recruited black pastors to sell the idea to the black population.
Abortion is an evil action; but abortion done for racial purposes is inescapably evil.
Dr. Ben Carson points out that most of us instinctively want to protect helpless creatures and sometimes go to great lengths to do so. He outlined the many commercials about abused animals and the fact that many construction projects are often delayed or even canceled in order to protect an “endangered” insect, amphibian, or fish. His real concern is while that’s fine, and he’s not suggesting that we abandon our efforts to save baby seals or other animals, but wouldn’t it be good to also consider including human fetuses and babies in that list?
In the battle of ideas we understand that ideas have consequences. If bad ideas are allowed to have control of people’s actions they will make bad actions. One such bad idea is the myth of overpopulation, which has been disproven. And yet, it is often presented as if it’s true in order to justify killing other vulnerable human beings, but it was disapproved long ago.
Thomas Robert Malthus came up with the idea in 1798 and he used it to justify killing the vulnerable and needy because they were contributing to the overpopulation problem. But contrary to his prediction, the world is not ending in thirty years and in fact human beings have been proven to be our greatest asset in society and not “things we throw away.” OverpopulationIsAMyth.com brings out the many facts regarding actual population facts and the many myths that are used to prop up killing vulnerable human beings like unborn children, the elderly, and the disabled.
Go to OverpopulationIsAMyth.com to find out more.
While government sponsorship of healthcare may sound “fair” or as if we will be sharing, but there is much more at stake. We must first realize what healthcare is.
It refers to the health of your body. Your body is where you live. As your health fails you want to have the best healthcare available because should your health fail entirely, it is your life that is at stake. In government sponsored health care the government is controlling the fate of your life. Many people fail to understand the grave pressures that government healthcare will put upon the lives of its citizens, because government is the one that will make life and death decisions over your life.
Some people say that California law will never recognize the need to protect an unborn child in the womb or the right of that child in the womb to have a right to life. They don’t understand that the laws of California already do that. It’s called fetal homicide and Scott Peterson is sitting in jail for having killed both his wife and his unborn child. He was given two sentences for killing two unique human beings.
The law is based in objective facts. It is the pro-abortion position in Roe versus Wade that is not based in objective facts or the basic principles of the law. The vulnerable child in the womb was protected under the law before Roe v. Wade and once Roe v. Wade is overturned we will again need to assert the basic, objective facts of life and the law's responsibility to protect children in the womb." The facts are on our side and facts are terrible things to waste.
Euthanasia advocates like to present themselves as “helping people to die,” but that’s not really true. Everyone is going to die, that’s a natural process. Their goal is to actually kill people - to cause them to die. That is an entirely different verb. Today, in the Netherlands, more than one out of every twenty people who do die are in fact, intentionally killed by one of those whose job it was to care for them. There is no longer a need for terminal diagnosis, there is no longer a need for a request. Doctors are killing because it’s what suits them. This is what always happens when medicine is free to be used as a killing implement.
On Life Matters we discuss life, culture, and the battle of ideas and those ideas are often expressed in words and phrases. We must be aware of the true meaning of the words and phrases that are often misleading us to get us to accept the killing of other human beings. One such example is the phrase “terminating a pregnancy”. But, pregnancy is a condition. It does not necessitate killing a human being. For example, most pregnancies are terminated in a very natural way. It’s called birth! The use of such a phrase, “terminating a pregnancy” is dishonest and meant to cover up what’s really being done. It’s as if a murderer, who is planning to kill his wife declares, “I think we need to end our marriage.” While it is true that murdering his wife will end the marriage, it doesn’t reveal what is really at stake. It’s intentionally misleading and so is the language that is used to kill vulnerable human babies.
Actor James Franco has a YouTube channel entitled “Philosophy Time.” He recently had a Princeton University ethicist explain the morality of early term abortion. Her rationale was simple, but still convoluted; she says there are two different kinds of fetuses - one with a future and one without.
Those that have a future are considered of moral worth. Those who are “terminated” are without moral significance. Mr. Franco appeared skeptical, the idea that moral worth is determined by the whim of another did seem to be an odd assertion. Perhaps it would’ve been good to ask, “What about mothers who change their minds?”
If the mother had decided that the child had unique, moral significance, but then was convinced to change her mind, did the child’s moral significance magically change? And the child, whom she meant to abort but was unsuccessful in aborting, was born and lived, is that not a morally and ethically protected individual? Why?
Charlie Gard - Government Interference in Life & Death
Government ruling in the UK interferes with the right to life of an infant whose parents are fighting to give their child every chance to live and to not end his precious life because they are ordered to do so.
Human Experimentation & Organ Harvesting
In 2015, David Daleiden exposed Planned Parenthood and while the charges against him were recently dropped, the activities and experiments against human life continue within that organization and others and the battle for the right to life rages on.
Reproductive Rights
Brian Johnston comments on the misuse of the term, "Reproductive Rights."
James Jenkins - The "Unborn" Debate
James Jenkins, chairman of the California Pro Life Speakers, discusses the debate regarding what defines the "unborn."
Peter Singer - Euthanasia-Infanticide Supporter
Peter Singer is the Chair of Bioethics at Princeton University and has long been an advocate of euthanasia, abortion, and infanticide.
Socialist Medical Science with Winston Churchill
Science, used as a means to harm or destroy human life, is perverted science, and is detrimental to the right to life of the human race as beings created in the image and likeness of God.
Life Film Festival
Life Fest is the film festival dedicated to showcasing films that reinforce the intrinsic worth of innocent human life and the profound significance of each life.
RU-486
RU-486, a powerful new drug that destroys human life from within a mother's womb.
Good Hospice v. Bad Hospice
Commissioner Johnston compares good hospice care versus bad hospice care and invites listeners to become a part of the fight for the Right To Life in California. To help stop the tragedy of assisted suicide, go to StopAssistedSuicide.com and help us win the Battle of Ideas.
Mosquitoes and Dogs
Advocates of assisted suicide misrepresent the nature of the law and why we protect the lives of human beings above that of other animals. They make false statements like “we’re kinder with sick dogs then we are to sick people.” This thinking misrepresents the facts. To help stop the tragedy of assisted suicide, go to StopAssistedSuicide.com and help us win the Battle of Ideas.
The Purpose of Government
American founders believed life was unique and extraordinary. They established laws and our entire form of government on the belief that you have a Creator and your Creator has given you certain inalienable rights. The government did not give you those rights. The government did not give you life. It is the job of the government to actually protect your rights and in particular the foundational Right To Life. A government that fails to do that is not a just government because a just government derives its authority and power from the value of the lives governed and not the other way around.
Canadian Organ Harvesting
Doctor assisted suicide was legalized in Canada in 2016. By early this year widespread organ harvesting of patients killed by physicians had already begun. In March 2017 the National Post of Canada published a front page article wondering if a person had agreed to donate organs but then decided to change their mind about being killed, felt additional pressure on them to go through with it?
Actualities of Why We Walk San Francisco
Brian Johnston speaks on the actualities of why we participate in Walk San Francisco and invites listeners to become a part of the culture of life and fight for preserving the Right To Life in California. For more information go to californiaprolife.org.
The Facts About Abortion
Brian Johnston shares some alarming facts about abortion and invites listeners to become a part of the fight for preserving the Right To Life in California. For more information, go to californiaprolife.org and help us win the Battle of Ideas.
California ProLife Council
Commissioner Johnston invites listeners to become a part of the fight for preserving the Right To Life in California. For more information, go to californiaprolife.org and help us win the Battle of Ideas.
The Real Significance of Mercy Killing
Many American states are now embracing the idea that the laws should be changed to legalize killing a patient in the name of compassion but this is a very ominous change. Commissioner Johnston reads an article that appeared in the New York Times in 1933. The the new national-Socialist government of Germany had proposed the compassionate killing of incurable patients. This small beginning was the origin of the human holocaust that spread from incurable “Aryans” to defective Germans, then to unwanted races like the Jews, the gypsies, and the Poles. Killing human beings in the name of compassion is a very bad idea. The group targeted for such compassionate elimination always seems to grow.
Mary Shelley
Science is meant to be a tool, a tool of learning, just like a butchers knife or a scalpel is simply a tool, the moral judgment of those who use the tool is critical. It can be used for good or it can be used for great evil. In 1816 a young girl Mary Shelley wrote an incredible marvel describing the combination of the industrial revolution with medical science and the danger of it’s lacking a moral compass.
Sanctity of Human Life Created in the Lab
An article in the British newspaper the Telegraph on March 2nd, 2017, declares that artificial human life could soon be grown from scratch in the laboratory after scientists successfully created a mammal embryo using only stem cells growing embryos which supposedly help researchers to study the fairly early stages of human life but also prove controversial and raise ethical questions about what constitutes human life?
The House of Lords
Brian Johnston shares what the House of Lords decided September 11th, 2015, on the matter of assisted suicide through the use of a a 750 page report that can be found at http://www.patientsrightscouncil.org.
North Texas Hospice Medicare Fraud Scheme
Brian Johnston reads a hospice story ripped from today’s headlines in the Dallas News, March 2, 2017, "…The owner of the Texas hospice company allegedly encourage employees to overdose patients for monetary gain is among sixteen individuals charged…in a sixty million dollar medicare fraud scheme." What should truly alarm you is that they're indicted for taking money from the government and not for intentionally killing patients.
Tax Funded Abortion
The abortion industry is financed by the government on many levels federal, state, county and sometimes municipal. But there is no other 'choice' industry that enjoys such government sponsorship. You can choose any car you want but the government doesn't have to buy it for you.
Using The Term "Mother"
In the appendix to his book 1984, George Orwell explains how the minds of citizens in that dystopian world were controlled, it was through the use of language known as ‘Newspeak.’ In 2017 the British Medical Association instructed all personnel to change their use of language in a booklet titled, “A Guide To Effective Communication- Inclusive Language In The Workplace.” Physicians were specifically guided to never call a pregnant woman a mother. Sadly, unless regular people fight for the use of language and self evident facts, the Right To Life will be stripped away, if not by law, then through the dishonest manipulation of ideas via language.
Facebook Police
What is the purpose of the law? To do everything for you? To take care of all your needs? Or are there clear, essential qualities to the law and nature of government. According to America's Founders, the first and foremost is the protection of lives. And the pro-life movement believes exactly that.
Judgement At Nuremberg (1961)
Brian Johnston speaks of the film, Judgement At Nuremberg (1961) and how it relates to the Battle of Ideas going on in today's world.
Relativism
If an individual embraces 'Relativism', (the idea that truth is 'changeable' at different times and different places), then there are no objective facts, no definitive truths on which to agree.
Judge Neil Gorsuch
Ideas have consequences. The need for clear and concise ideas is important when those ideas become laws. Judge Neil Gorsuch understands the basic idea of civilization, protection of the vulnerable.
March For Life 2017
As the crowds begin to peacefully gather January 27th, 2017, Brian Johnston speaks on the reason why we March For Life in Washington D.C. every year since 1973.
Post-Truth
Ideas have consequences. In 2016 the Oxford English Dictionary declared 'post-truth' to be the word of the year. It describes a situation where emotions are superior to facts in any given situation. In the Battle of Ideas, lives are truly at stake. Should emotions trump facts when it means taking human lives?
Assisted Suicide and the 5 Stages of Grief
Elizabeth Kubler Ross, author of "On Death and Dying," described the inevitable 5-Stages of Grief that every individual faces, as well as the emotions of their loved ones, when dealing with a pending death. The theme of her book that to surrender to those emotions rather than grow through them is a tragic mistake. Legalizing assisted suicide is not designed for those we care for; it is to deal with those we no longer wish to care for.
Penumbra
The Roe v Wade decision struck down the law of all 50 states. In the decision Justice Blackmun admitted a right to an abortion was not to be found in the Constitution but instead 'emanated from a penumbra' (Latin: almost a shadow) of the Constitution. Judges who look to the Constitution will soon overturn the sweeping and controversial dismissal of human lives. Will you be ready for that?
Oscar Nominated Film, Arrival (2016) and Language
Commissioner Johnston explains his interest in language and the significance of language carrying ideas that can have great consequences. The importance of film, entertainment, and his commentary on the Oscar Nominated science-fiction film, Arrival (2016) and it's view on language.
Dangers of Doctors Killing Patients
Medical ethics - the Hippocratic Oath and subsequent 'rules of conduct' have prohibited the powerful knowledge of human health and anatomy from being used to kill patients. 'Once a Doctor can determine who should live and die, they becomes the most dangerous man in the state.' Christof Huefland - 1789 The great danger of physician assisted suicide has only led to abuses.
Is Pain A Good Reason To Kill?
It is often asserted that one would not want to die in pain. And they don't ... the pain management is available for even the most difficult of pain. Post mortem of those who commit suicide have shown that in fact 'pain' is rarely if ever invoked as a reason for a patient to take suicidal poison. Instead it is 'autonomy' - to control things and 'go out on my own terms is the most common reason, This is an indicator of a VERY treatable condition - depression. Elizabeth Kubler-Ross outlined this attitude as being very common with terminal diagnosis - the 5 stages of depression. She urged patients and clinicians to NEVER surrender to depression, but instead receive the dynamic benefits that come from facing and walking through such depression.
You Are Unique
You are a unique member of mankind. Your gift of life, your incredible uniqueness is the message of the pro-life movement, And if you're worthy of consideration, every human being is. You can make a difference right where you are. You can affirm the Culture of Life. You can help blunt the Culture of Death. We'll be glad to help you and get you resources, so that you can make a difference.
