LifeBeat Right to Life of Michigan

In this episode of LifeBeat, we introduce ·Life. The Other Choice.,· an organization-wide refresh built around our new multi-media ads that includes the ads, a new website and brand refresh. We also provide updates on the ·Death with Dignity Act,· a package of bills that were introduced in the Michigan Senate last November and are likely to be heard in committee sometime over the next couple of months. The package of bills would legalize physician-assisted suicide in Michigan. We wrap up the episode with a summary of new polling from the Marketing Resource Group. The poll results were extremely encouraging, with an overwhelming majority of Michigan voters in favor of retaining parental consent, informed consent and safeguards against the use of tax dollars to pay for abortions.

Wesley Smith graciously spoke at our 45th Annual Legislative Day hosted just last week on May 1. He shared new developments and his insights on defending against physician-assisted suicide. We then had the privilege of continuing the conversation on our LifeBeat podcast. Lawyer and award-winning author, Wesley J. Smith, is the host of the Humanize podcast and Chair of the Discovery Institute·s Center on Human Exceptionalism. In 2004, he was named one of the nation·s premier experts in bioengineering by the National Journal. In 2008, the Human Life Foundation named him a Great Defender of Life for his work against assisted suicide and euthanasia. Smith·s book, ·Forced Exit: Euthanasia, Assisted Suicide and the New Duty to Die,· has become a classic in anti-euthanasia advocacy. He has published hundreds of articles and appeared on thousands of TV and radio programs across the U.S. and internationally. Smith is often called upon by members of the legislative and executive branches of government to advise on issues within his fields of expertise.

In this LifeBeat episode, Brian Cusack, RLM Development Director takes a deep into his family life and why parental consent is so important to him as a father and grandfather. We discuss the recent attacks on parental consent by Governor Whitmer and her allies even though 70% of Michigan voters are in favor of parental consent (Marketing Resource Group 2023 poll). We end the episode by discussing why parents should be on alert and ready to protect parental consent, the law that in turn, protects their children.

In this Faith in Life LifeBeat feature, Ken Stults sits down with Terri Marcroft to discuss adoption and supporting women in unplanned pregnancies. Terri Marcroft is the adoptive mom of a 23-year old young woman who is the love of her life. Terri·s all-time favorite action hero is her daughter·s birthmother, who made an adoption plan while she was a senior in high school. In 2008 Terri identified the need to more actively suggest adoption: today 1% of young US women facing unplanned pregnancy choose adoption for their babies, while there are about two million couples in the US hoping to adopt. After ten years of parenting, and 25 in high tech marketing, she founded UnplannedGood.org in 2010. Terri leads the Unplanned Good efforts to encourage people to consider making an adoption plan when facing an unwanted pregnancy. She hopes to spread the word that adoption can be a blessing for all involved.

In this LifeBeat feature, we discuss how parental consent is on the chopping block. We take a deep dive into the history of Michigan's parental consent law, how proposal 3 impacted it and how it is currently being threatened by the governor and her allies. We also provide an overview on the ACLU's recent report "In Harm·s Way" which outlines why they are in favor of parental consent being repealed in the legislature. For more information and resources on parental consent, check out our website www.rtl.org.

In this Faith in Life LifeBeat feature, Ken Stults, our Faith Outreach Coordinator, joins Tina, a mother who experienced unconditional love and support from her family, church community and Bethany Christian Services after an unplanned pregnancy. Tina describes how her church rallied around her and how God spoke to her, leading her to release her baby to a loving family. For more information on help services and adoption, check out our website https://rtl.org/pregnancy-help/.