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

Josh Brahm and Monica Snyder return to discuss the question: "Do You Need Religion to be Pro-Life?" The conversation touches on practical and philosophical points, including discussion about objective and subjective morality and its relationship with deism, as well as Monica's experiences responding to both pro-life and pro-choice people who raise a scrutinizing eyebrow when they realize that they are talking with a pro-life atheist.    Links:   Secular Pro-Life Secular Pro-Life: "Is belief in God necessary for the pro-life cause to succeed?" Secular Pro-Life: "Where do atheists think human rights come from?" A couple of examples of pro-choice religious-ish-ness: "'Where does life begin?' is a spiritual question" "We invited the child's spirit to revisit Earth another time." Human Life Review: SYMPOSIUM: What's God Got to Do with It? Secular Pro Life's blog of sources about moral realism from non-theistic perspectives "Is God Necessary for Morality?" Debate between Shelly Kagan and William Lane Craig Pew Research Center study on religiously unaffiliated people (specifically the "Beliefs & practices" tab)   EFL Podcast on Stanford persuasion study   Retten Til Liv (Denmark Right to Life) Equal Rights Institute Equal Rights Institute Blog Equipped for Life Academy Equipped for Life Course Sidewalk Counseling Masterclass Chapters:   00:00:00 Introduction   00:00:46 How both sides react to pro-life atheists   00:03:29 How do you respond to the pro-choice people?   00:13:15 Responding to pro-lifers   00:20:10 Examining demographic trends, statistics, and labels   00:27:27 Widening the tent to welcome atheists and other alt pro-lifers   00:35:50 How do you respond to the nihilist as an atheist?   00:42:52 Will the Pro-Life Movement survive increasing secularity?   00:47:57 Do you need religion to be pro-choice?   00:52:57 Can pro-life Christians evangelize without being off-putting?   01:04:18 Wrap-up   Host: Josh Brahm   Guest: Monica Snyder   Audio/Video Editors: Joshua Head, Josh Brahm   Publisher: Ellen Campbell

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: Testing biological tissue for abortion drugs "Was the Infant Born Alive?" A Review of Postmortem Techniques Used to Determine Live Birth In Cases of Suspected Neonaticide National Right to Life: Joint Open Letter: Criminalizing Women Who Have Abortions is Not Pro-Life ERI Statement: Should Women Be Prosecuted for Illegal Abortions? Secular Pro-Life Equal Rights Institute Equal Rights Institute Blog Equipped for Life Academy Equipped for Life Course Sidewalk Counseling Masterclass 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

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: It's about the babies, not your sex life: 5 examples   Josh Brahm: Relational Apologetics Tips: How to Cultivate Friendship Amidst Challenging Conversations   Josh Brahm's speech on relational apologetics   Gallup's Moral Acceptability poll   Episode 47: Should Pro-Lifers be Snarky? (with Dank Pro-Life Memes)   Episode 49: Defining the Word "Abortion" Will Change Your Dialogues (with Dank Pro-Life Memes)   Episode 100: Celebrating 100 Episodes! (with the Whole Staff!)   Memes to End Abortion (formerly "Dank Pro-Life Memes"): https://www.facebook.com/MemestoEndAbortion   Pro-choice groups we mentioned who are worth following:   Center for Reproductive Rights   ANSIRH: Advancing New Standards in Reproductive Health   Jessica Velenti   Jen Hamilton   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

We brought the entire staff on for our 100th episode! The team planned the outline without Josh, and the result was a fun, retrospective celebration of the podcast. Related Links: Ellen's first blog post:  "Is It Okay to Find Edge Cases Challenging?" Ellen's most recent blog post:  "What Should We Call Them?" Joshua's episode on the podcast: Listener Mail: Can You Be a Professional Musician AND Pro-Life? Rebecca's talking head video: How to Dialogue with Crazy Extremists: Three Lessons I Learned from Teaching Philosophy   Our first podcast with Rebecca co-hosting: Genuine or Performed? Acting Skills in Honest Dialogue Josh's article the atheist responded to:  Why I Hope Gosnell Doesn't Go to Hell Ellen's favorite episode: Response to Pro-Choice Propaganda Rebecca's favorite episode: The whole Equipped for Life Course Joshua's favorite episode : Responding to "Back-Alley" Abortion Arguments Emily's favorite episodes: An Analysis of HBO's "Unpregnant" Film Become an Effective Lobbyist Using These Practical Tips (with Ali Rak) Josh's favorite episodes: Humor in Dialogue A Comedian Shares Tips for Using Humor in Dialogue Defining the Word "Abortion" Will Change Your Dialogues (with Dank Pro-Life Memes) Why Do They Always Ask About Rape? Tim Hull's favorite episode: Survey Review: How Pro-Life & Pro-Choice People Define Abortion Equal Rights Institute Website Equal Rights Institute Blog Equipped for Life Academy Sidewalk Counseling Masterclass Chapters: 00:00 Introducing the whole staff! 02:39 Would you rather fight 10 duck-sized bears or five bear-sized ducks? 15:33 How Josh got started with podcasting 17:57 Reacting to one Josh's first podcasting videos  23:30 The evolution of Josh's facial hair 28:56 Why did Josh start the Equipped for Life Podcast? 31:37 The "Course Bonus Content" Era 35:16 The "Josh/Rachel" Era 42:14 The "Josh/Emily" Era 48:17 The "Is Monica a Co-Host?" Era  50:43 Josh likes technology 56:09 The "Podcast Relaunch" Era (feat. Monica's Still Here) 1:00:08 Podcasting with Josh for the first time 1:06:57 Everyone's favorite episodes (and a few stories) Co-Hosts: Josh Brahm, Emily Geiger, Rebecca Carlson Guests: Joshua Head, Ellen Campbell Audio/Video Editors: Joshua Head, Josh Brahm Publisher: Ellen Campbell

It's October, and 40 Days for Life campaigns are in full swing! Josh, Emily, and Rebecca share and react to short video tips sent in from pro-life activists from around the country on how to effectively participate in your local 40 Days for Life campaign. (SPOILER ALERT: it's not as hard as you think!) Watch the video version of this episode here 40 Days for Life website A Sidewalk Counselor's Run-Ins with Police and an Overzealous Security Guard - Part 1 A Sidewalk Counselor's Run-Ins with Police and an Overzealous Security Guard - Part 2 Sidewalk Counseling Masterclass Anonymous Sidewalk Counselor Blog Article Equal Rights Institute Website Equal Rights Institute Blog Equipped for Life Academy Equipped for Life Course Chapters: 00:00 Introduction 07:40 Tip #1: Herb Geraghty 13:43 Tip #2: Rebecca Carlson 19:45 Tip #3: Kristi Burkhart 24:52 Tip #4: Michael New 28:07 Tip #5: Emily Geiger 32:26 Tip #6: Jim Burke 38:04 Tip #7: Rebekah Dyer 41:24 Tip #8: Josh Brahm 45:33 Tip #9: Jay Watts 50:45 Tip #10: Salem 40 Days for Life 57:46 Tip #11: Tyson Langhofer 1:02:37 Tip #12: Anonymous 1:09:47 Tip #13: Alan Shlemon 1:13:09 Tip #14: Blake Moser Hosts: Josh Brahm, Emily Geiger, Rebecca Carlson Guests: Herb Geraghty, Kristi Burkhart, Michael New, Jim Burke, Rebekah Dyer, Jay Watts, Salem 40 Days for Life, Tyson Langhofer, Alan Shlemon, Blake Moser Video Editors: Joshua Head, Josh Brahm Publishers: Ellen Campbell, Josh Brahm, Emily Geiger

LIGHTNING!!! (in slow motion). In this podcast, Josh Brahm and Monica Snyder from Secular Pro-Life sort through listener mail from SPL's mailbag and give quick responses to several questions and requests. Part 2 of 2 addresses eight main topics, to include the biological case for the unborn, how to combat viral misinformation, the concept of abortion as healthcare, why women advocate for abortion, the medical necessity of third trimester abortions, what to do if the pro-choice person jumps topics, if brain activity should define personhood, and counseling resources for nonreligious, post-abortive women. Part 1, in case you missed it ERI Blog: Is Abortion 14 Times Safer Than Childbirth? ERI Podcast: The Pregnant 10-Year-Old: Thinking Well About This Tragic Story (with Robin Atkins) ERI Quick Response: The Embryo isn't Human Josh referenced the Biology module of the Equipped for Life Course. You can learn more about the course at:  https://EquippedCourse.com Little Souls at Rest SPL: Fixed That Meme For You SPL: Guardian article "What a pregnancy actually looks like" erases embryos The Guardian: What a pregnancy actually looks like before 10 weeks, in pictures Support After Abortion Equal Rights Institute Website Equal Rights Institute Blog Equipped for Life Academy Equipped for Life Course Sidewalk Counseling Masterclass Chapters: 00:00 Introduction 00:22 "HOW do people still argue that the fetus isn't alive?" 18:55 "Care, Abortion Care, Health Care" 20:20 How can women not only accept the brutality of abortion, but fight for it? 21:56 What makes third-trimester abortion medically necessary? 27:48 What if the pro-choice person keeps jumping topics? 40:35 Josh on analogies 45:26 Why not use brain activity to classify personhood? 52:02 Is there counseling for post-abortive women who are atheist or agnostic? 1:04:44 What about the 10-Year-Old Rape Victim? Host: Josh Brahm Audio/Video Editors: Rachael Urquidez & Joshua Head Publisher: Ellen Campbell

LIGHTNING!!! (in slow motion). In this podcast, Josh Brahm and Monica Snyder from Secular Pro-Life 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):  https://bit.ly/3IqOM6P Dallas Morning News: Choosing Thomas -- Inside a family's decision to let their son live, if only for a brief time: https://youtu.be/ToNWquoXqJI?si=hN4PkhrV8_GSE2h6 ERI Podcast: When They Bite the Bullet https://youtu.be/4gnjKN3BOH0 Pro-Choice people complaining about abortion and ableism: https://www.protectchoice.org/article.php?id=140 https://rewirenewsgroup.com/2014/10/17/pro-choice-movement-excludes-people-disabilities/ https://www.salon.com/2013/04/28/all_the_ways_you_judge_my_son/ https://www.huffpost.com/entry/lucky-to-be-alive-zika-co_b_9166762 SPL Blog: Pro-Choice vs. Pro-Life Vocabulary https://secularprolife.org/2022/09/pro-choice-vs-pro-life-vocabulary/ SPL Blog: No, Abortion Pills Aren't Safer Than Tylenol  https://secularprolife.org/2023/08/no-abortion-pills-arent-safer-than-tylenol/ Equal Rights Institute Website:  https://EqualRightsInstitute.com Equal Rights Institute Blog:  https://Blog.EqualRightsInstitute.com Equipped for Life Academy: https://EquippedForLifeAcademy.com Equipped for Life Course:  https://EquippedCourse.com Sidewalk Counseling Masterclass: http://SidewalkCounselingMasterclass.com 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

We recorded another episode with Secular Pro-Life's Monica Snyder, our favorite practically co-host, to discuss Secular Pro-Life's recent survey on the differences between how both sides of the issue define abortion. A critical part of clear communication is making sure you and your dialogue partner are using the key words in the same way. Pro-life and pro-choice people often mean VERY different things when they use the word "abortion," but they don't know that, and miscommunication ensues.  This episode will help you avoid that miscommunication. The ERI team offers several practical dialogue tips stemming from what we can learn from this survey. Related Links: Take SPL's survey SPL blog post: How pro-lifers and pro-choicers define abortion: results from SPL's survey Figure 1: Which scenarios are abortions? Figures 4 and 5: Pro-choice and Pro-life perspectives Figure 6: Is it an abortion if it doesn't cause death? Figure 7: Is a miscarriage an abortion? Figure 8: Are there ethical abortions? The journal article that originally gave Monica Snyder the idea for this project: "Technically an abortion": Understanding perceptions and definitions of abortion in the United States EFL Podcast: Defining the Word "Abortion" Will Change Your Dialogues (with Dank Pro-Life Memes) Charles Camosy: Beyond the Abortion Wars: A Way Forward for a New Generation Chapters: 00:00: Introducing the survey 04:48: Figure 1: Which scenarios are abortions? 25:14: Figures 4 & 5: Pro-choice and pro-life perspectives 27:55: Figure 6: Is it an abortion if it doesn't cause death? 31:34: Figure 7: Is a miscarriage an abortion? 33:07: Is a C-section an abortion? 41:52: Figure 8: Are there ethical abortions? 56:39: Should we define abortion? ERI Links: Equal Rights Institute Website Equal Rights Institute Blog Equipped for Life Academy Equipped for Life Course Sidewalk Counseling Masterclass Hosts: Josh Brahm, Emily Geiger, Rebecca Carlson Guest: Monica Snyder Audio/Video Editors: Joshua Head, Josh Brahm Publisher: Ellen Campbell

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: https://youtu.be/i5pSzvfwE5U   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? https://secularprolife.org/2025/07/are-abortion-pills-harming-the-environment   Secular Pro-Life's proposed miscarriage remains protocol: https://secularprolife.org/disposition-protocol   FDA letter calculating risk of mifepristone: https://bloximages.chicago2.vip.townnews.com/wyomingnews.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/1/fa/1fa0ca64-daa9-11ef-b904-c373297d6ab4/67941f1aa495e.pdf.pdf   The fish study: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0166445X19305004?via%3Dihub   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

Trent Horn forwarded us a great question, so Josh brought ERI Club Coach/Video Editor Joshua Head onto the show, as Joshua is also a professional musician. Joshua went above and beyond, creating a list of tips for musicians in college as well as post-college. This is a pretty niche topic, and admittedly, it sometimes turned into two musicians nerding out with each other. But it was a great question, and we wanted to be able to point people somewhere to get tips on this. Enjoy the conversation. Trent and Laura Horn's announcement and a prayer seeking the intercession of Venerable Aloysius Schwartz for Laura's healing: https://youtu.be/Ilj3CDGGkQg Chapters: 00:00 Quick note about Trent and Laura Horn 01:58 Introducing Joshua and his pro-life experiences at St. Olaf and Johns Hopkins University 9:04 Listener question on how to be a pro-life activist without tanking your music career. 16:15 Advice for musicians in college 38:58 Advice for musicians out of college Related Links: Equal Rights Institute Website:  https://EqualRightsInstitute.com Equal Rights Institute Blog:  https://Blog.EqualRightsInstitute.com Equipped for Life Academy: https://EquippedForLifeAcademy.com Equipped for Life Course:  https://EquippedCourse.com Sidewalk Counseling Masterclass: http://SidewalkCounselingMasterclass.com Host: Josh Brahm Guest: Joshua Head Audio/Video Editor: Josh Brahm Publisher: Ellen Campbell & Josh Brahm