Equipped for Life Podcast

Equal Rights Institute

The discussion podcast of Equal Rights Institute, a national organization that trains pro-life advocates think clearly, reason honestly, and argue persuasively. If you're looking for clear pro-life thinking, cutting-edge apologetics, and a fresh approach to abortion dialogue, you've come to the right place.

  1. Mar 26

    Political Activism in a Post-Roe World (w/ Ali Rak)

    Josh Brahm and Emily Geiger welcome Ali Rak back to the Equipped for Life Podcast to discuss pro-life political activism, now that Roe v. Wade has been overturned. Much has changed since 2020 when Ali was last on the podcast, and the main focus of this episode includes an analysis of why the pro-life movement was caught so flat-footed after Dobbs, including the poor performance on state initiatives, the abortion lobby's gained momentum, and the generally lackluster support from pro-life politicians.  The second half of the episode includes more practical advice from Ali on how pro-life people can effectively talk to their elected representatives, with different advice for whether their representative is in the majority or minority opinion, and how to communicate with representatives and their staff in a way that will be heard, respected, and even appreciated.  Finally, Ali implores all pro-life advocates (including you!) to reengage their activism with renewed vigor, as she reveals the grim truth that the pro-life movement needs support now more than ever. Chapters: 00:00:00 Reintroducing Ali Rak 00:04:30 What is going on in the legislature post-Dobbs? 00:5:40 How did the abortion lobby prepare for Roe's overturn? 00:07:13 Why is the pro-life side doing so poorly on state initiatives? 00:12:10 Why were pro-lifers caught flat-footed after Dobbs? 00:18:20 What could have been better if things had gone differently? 00:22:55 Pro-life politicians struggle to articulate the pro-life position well 00:25:05 What to do if you're in a red state 00:26:48 What to do if you're in a blue state 00:32:20 What is the pro-choice lobby after once they win?  00:35:50 "My guy is in power, so I don't have to work as hard." 00:42:07 Should citizens pick one issue at a time when talking to their representatives? 00:46:35 Finding common ground with your representative 00:50:13 If your representative is in the majority but not doing enough for life 00:54:15 What are potential traps that people should avoid when talking with representatives? 00:56:21 What can make your call worthwhile to your legislator? Related Links: EFL #56: Become an Effective Lobbyist Using These Practical Tips (with Ali Rak) Ali's Twitter/X: @alirak8710 WSJ News: Trump Tells Christians 'You Won't Have to Vote Anymore' if He's Elected Equal Rights Institute Website Equal Rights Institute Blog Equipped for Life Academy Equipped for Life Course Sidewalk Counseling Masterclass Hosts: Josh Brahm, Emily Geiger Guest: Ali Rak Audio/Video Editors: Joshua Head; Josh Brahm Publisher: Ellen Campbell

    Political Activism in a Post-Roe World (w/ Ali Rak)
  2. Jan 30

    Are Women Being Denied Care? (w/ Secular Pro-Life's Monica Snyder)

    Josh Brahm and Monica Snyder wrap up their series of recent discussions by addressing denial-of-care stories. In this episode, Monica and Josh define what a denial-of-care story is, explain why abortion bans are often blamed for causing pregnancy-related deaths, identify the actual problems behind the most sensationalized stories, empathize with tragic outcomes and legitimate pro-choice concerns, and propose courses of action that pro-life people can take to help prevent similar tragic stories from happening in the future. Related Links: California's progress with decreasing maternal mortality Secular Pro-Life's entire blog category of debunking content: https://secularprolife.org/category/debunking/ Adriana Smith and laws about pregnant patients on life support Does Texas require doctors to wait until there's no heartbeat to intervene in emergencies? (Josseli Barnica) Kaitlyn Kash Yeni Alvarez - New Yorker article ProPublica can't see malpractice, only abortion bans (Neveah Crain) ProPublica identifies their medical experts a little too subtly Are OBGYNs fleeing Idaho because of abortion laws? ERI Blog Post on Adriana Smith's case: Is It Okay to Find Edge Cases Challenging? Equipped for Life Podcast #96: Survey Review: How Pro-Life & Pro-Choice People Define Abortion (with Monica Snyder) Equal Rights Institute Website Equal Rights Institute Blog Equipped for Life Academy Equipped for Life Course Sidewalk Counseling Masterclass Chapters: 00:00:00 Introduction 00:03:09 Defining "denial of care" stories 00:05:49 Theory posited by many media outlets 00:07:26 How to go about testing this theory 00:12:32 Adriana Smith 00:22:28 Josseli Barnica 00:25:51 Categorizing the cases 00:37:10 What is the most charitable interpretation of pro-choice reactions to these stories? 00:39:01 Malpractice and the in-between cases 00:41:43 Idaho case 00:44:28 Nevaeh Crain 00:49:54 What can pro-lifers do about this? Host: Josh Brahm Guest: Monica Snyder Audio/Video Editors: Joshua Head, Josh Brahm Publisher: Ellen Campbell

  3. 12/29/2025

    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

    Do You Need Religion to be Pro-Life? (w/ Monica Snyder)
  4. 12/04/2025

    #102: Forensics and Abortion (w/ Secular Pro-Life's Monica Snyder)

    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

    #102: Forensics and Abortion (w/ Secular Pro-Life's Monica Snyder)

Ratings & Reviews

4.8
out of 5
27 Ratings

About

The discussion podcast of Equal Rights Institute, a national organization that trains pro-life advocates think clearly, reason honestly, and argue persuasively. If you're looking for clear pro-life thinking, cutting-edge apologetics, and a fresh approach to abortion dialogue, you've come to the right place.

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