Life Defenders

Life Issues Institute
  • 4.0 (8)
  • Education
  • Updated Weekly

Welcome to Life Defenders—your trusted home for pro-life news, information, and commentary. Hear from leading voices in the movement, expert guests, advocates, and people whose firsthand experiences have revealed the realities of abortion. Join us for honest conversations, compelling stories, and the truth you need to stand for life.

  1. 17h ago

    Are Pro-Life Equal Protection Laws the Answer?

    Love the show? Text us your feedback! This week we talk with Abby Johnson about why “equal protection” is splitting the pro-life movement and why she believes the law has to treat abortion like the crime we say it is. If you’ve ever wondered why some pro-lifers whisper about “equal protection,” this conversation brings it into the open. Victor and Abby talk through the debate that’s dividing the movement: should the law treat abortion as a true equal-protection crime against an unborn child, and if so, who is accountable when it happens?    She explains why she now supports equal protection, even after years inside Planned Parenthood and years of hearing the familiar script that “women are the victims.” We get specific about what changed in the real world: the rise of abortion pills, the growth of self-managed abortions, and why the old strategy of targeting only doctors no longer matches the facts. If abortion is called murder, we ask, what does consistency require when the “provider” is increasingly the person taking the pills?    We also talk strategy after Roe v. Wade, and Abby doesn’t hold back about the problems with a state-by-state approach. We explore federal protection arguments, the 14th Amendment, the optics fears that shape pro-life politics, and the cracks that show up when leaders won’t say publicly what they admit privately. Abby shares concerns about “band aid” laws like enforcing Comstock without addressing the deeper issue, plus why education and even a sunset period could be part of a serious path forward.    If you care about abortion law, equal protection, the abortion pill era, and where the pro-life movement goes next, listen all the way through. Subscribe, share this with a friend, and leave a review with your take: what does justice require here? Support the show

  2. Sep 29

    What to Do When Doctors Say Your Baby Won’t Survive with Dr. Robin Pierucci

    Love the show? Text us your feedback! A prenatal diagnosis can hit like a tidal wave, and the next sentence too often comes fast: “You can terminate.” We slow everything down and talk about a different path, one rooted in medicine, ethics, and love. Dr. Robin Pierucci, a board-certified pediatrician and neonatologist with a master’s in bioethics, joins us to explain what perinatal hospice and perinatal palliative care actually are, who they’re for, and why the goal is never to “give up,” but to care well when a child may face a life-limiting condition.    Dr. Pierucci challenges the “lethal diagnosis” mindset and reminds us that diagnosis is not equal to prognosis. She shares what parents can say to slow things down and give themselves room to breathe before making a decision. We discuss how “comfort care” can sometimes become a euphemism for neglect, why clinicians can be overly cynical about “quality of life,” and why no diagnosis ever cancels the first and most important fact: it’s a baby. We look at two specific diagnoses trisomy 13 and trisomy 18. Dr. Pierucci shares how individualized care and ethically grounded decision-making protect families from being pushed toward outcomes that were never inevitable.    You’ll hear why a thoughtful birth plan matters, how trauma-informed care helps parents think clearly, and the concrete steps families can take, from setting boundaries with providers to asking smarter questions about prenatal testing. If you or someone you love is navigating a prenatal diagnosis, see the resource links below. Subscribe, share this conversation with someone who needs steadier ground, and leave a review to help more families find it. Program Resources: www.fetalconcerns.com www.prenataldiagnosis.org www.benotafraid.net Support the show

  3. Sep 22

    How an Aborted Baby SUED the Abortion Industry!

    Love the show? Text us your feedback! A $200,000 wrongful death settlement tied to an abortion case is not a headline you hear every day. This week on Life Defenders our guest, Mike Seibel, a plaintiff-side malpractice attorney, walks us through how informed consent failures can become the fulcrum for civil litigation against abortion providers, clinics, and even the wider abortion pill pipeline.  Mike defines what “informed consent” is supposed to look like when abortion is treated as healthcare: clear disclosure of risks, proper screening for ectopic pregnancy, ultrasound dating, and communication of black box warnings. He then shares with us the real-world consequences when those standards of care are ignored, including a case involving consent while intoxicated on methamphetamine and another involving a late-term abortion process that ended in sepsis. Then we discuss how personhood arguments can surface in state tort law, why viability and state statutes matter, and what it could mean if more jurisdictions recognize wrongful death claims connected to lack of informed consent.    Lastly we zoom out to the playbook: how other attorneys might replicate this approach, what legislative tools could make these cases less risky for plaintiffs, and why public awareness campaigns like billboards can shift culture by treating abortion harms like any other product or medical injury claim. We also talk candidly about professional backlash and the personal cost of fighting for life and why faith and perseverance keep the work moving.    If you find this conversation valuable, subscribe, share it with someone who cares about patient safety and informed consent, and leave a review so more listeners can find the show. RESOURCES Mike's website is: https://abortioninjury.com/ Support the show

  4. Sep 15

    The Truth about Late-term Abortion

    Love the show? Text us your feedback! “Late-term abortion isn’t even a thing.” That claim gets repeated so often it can start to sound like settled fact, but we don’t think the public can afford comforting myths. This week we sit down with Dr. Kathi Altman, a retired board-certified OBGYN and associate scholar with the Charlotte Lozier Institute, to sort out what people mean by “late-term,” what the data suggests about abortions later in pregnancy, and why “rare” can still mean thousands of lives every year.    Dr. Altman also tells her personal story, including performing abortions earlier in her career, what she saw in clinical practice, and the moments that forced her to re-examine the humanity of the unborn. We discuss how language can sanitize violence, why viability keeps shifting with medical technology, and why the same medications used for labor induction, including mifepristone and misoprostol, raise hard questions when the goal changes from delivery and care to ending a life.    We also dig into the legal and cultural side: laws that allow abortion up to birth, the debate around born-alive protections, and why silence in churches can leave people with their moral compass set by politics and pop culture. If you want an unfiltered conversation about late-term abortion, fetal development, women’s health, and what a pro-family culture could look like, this one is for you.    Subscribe for more conversations like this, share the episode with someone who avoids the topic, and leave a review with your biggest takeaway. Support the show

  5. Sep 8

    Would Equal Protection Hurt Pregnancy Centers?

    Love the show? Text us your feedback! How do we speak truth with real compassion without losing the goal of protecting babies? This week on Life Defenders we discuss this and other tough questions with Breanne a post-abortive Christian and pregnancy help leader. Breanne shares her story with clarity and humility, from choosing abortion as a teenager to finding healing, faith, and a calling to help women on the brink of the same decision. Breanne shares her thoughts as a post-abortive woman on the debate shaping pro-life strategy right now: should abortion be treated like any other homicide, or is exempting the mother necessary for compassion and effective outreach? We talk about why “criminalizing women” is a loaded phrase borrowed from the abortion industry, why law acts as a teacher that reshapes culture, and why consistency matters if we expect anyone outside our movement to believe what we say. Then we get practical about the current landscape: chemical abortions, pills shipped through the mail, women going through painful and risky processes alone, and where abortion pill reversal (APR) fits into a bigger plan to save lives. Breanne explains why she doesn’t believe equal protection would destroy pregnancy resource centers, and why truth-telling and love have to stay together if we’re serious about protecting both mom and baby. If you care about ending abortion, not just managing it, this conversation will challenge you to think harder and act clearer. Subscribe, share this with a friend, and leave a review so more people can find Life Defenders.  Support the show

  6. Sep 1

    Gen Z Leads The Pro Life Shift

    Love the show? Text us your feedback! Two high school students, Josie Bushman and Clara Gates are doing what a lot of adults only talk about: building community, taking heat for it, and still showing up with calm conviction. This week Josie and Clara share how young pro-life leaders learn to speak about abortion without losing their humanity or their friends, even when the lunch table gets tense and the comments turn sharp. Get honest information about pushback, fear, and the awkward moments that come with taking a public stand.    What actually grows a pro-life club on a Catholic high school campus? Posters that spark curiosity, meetings that cover more than one life issue, and steady participation in events like the March for Life. They explain the reality of school limitations, why some students stay quiet even when they agree, and how simple visibility can “plant seeds” without turning every conversation into a debate. You will learn practical ways to build a pro-life club, navigate tough conversations, and use your own sphere of influence with courage and restraint. If you have ever wondered how to start a student club, find a trusted adult ally, or get involved locally when you feel alone, you will leave with a practical path.    We discuss about a wider shift many people are noticing in Gen Z: renewed interest in faith, youth groups, and traditional values, plus the role social media plays in making courage feel contagious. Finally, we address the most common pro-abortion arguments they hear day to day and what resources help students respond with clarity. Subscribe, share this with someone who needs courage, and leave a review with the moment that challenged you most. Support the show

  7. Aug 25

    We Cannot Call It Care If It Kills

    Love the show? Text us your feedback! You trust your doctor with your body, your family, and sometimes your life. So what happens when medicine starts treating “do no harm” as optional and replaces it with a customer-service mindset where the request matters more than the ethical guardrails?    This week we talk with board-certified OB/GYN Dr. Christina Francis, CEO of the American Association of Pro-Life Obstetricians and Gynecologists, to unpack what the Hippocratic Oath was really trying to solve. The Hippocratic tradition drew a hard line between healing and intentionally harming patients, and that line still matters for trust in healthcare today.  We trace how abortion helped shift medical ethics toward an autonomy-first provider model.     We also discuss how major medical associations like ACOG(American College of Obstetrics/Gynecology) shape standards of care and influence court decisions, especially on politically charged issues such as abortion, abortion pill reversal, conscience rights in medicine, physician-assisted suicide, and transgender medicine. You will learn how to choose an OB you can trust, share clear questions to ask your doctor and what to look for in hospitals and professional affiliations to find physicians committed to do no harm.    If this conversation challenges you, share it with a friend, subscribe for more Straight Talk on Life Issues, and leave a review. What questions would you ask your doctor after hearing this? Resources Home page for AAPLOG Find a pro-life doctor Support the show

  8. Aug 18

    Chelsea Painter Davis discusses IVF, Disability, and Human Worth

    Love the show? Text us your feedback! “It's deeply offensive to think that a child only has value if it meets a certain profile standard that not even necessarily a parent, a purchaser sometimes is trying to find,” Chelsea Painter Davis. IVF is sold as a hopeful shortcut to parenthood, but hope doesn’t erase the ethical math happening in the lab. This week we talk with Chelsea Painter Davis, an IVF survivor and disability advocate known as the viral Blind Mom, about why IVF can’t be treated as a value-neutral “family building” tool when embryos are created, graded, frozen, and destroyed. We wrestle with what a consistent pro-life ethic demands, how disability screening can become eugenics, and what ethical alternatives could look like for people facing infertility. Chelsea shares her personal story, from learning she was conceived through in vitro fertilization to becoming blind after a pulmonary embolism linked to hormonal birth control. That lived experience sharpens the conversation around disability and value, especially when she describes being pushed toward termination after an abnormal ultrasound during pregnancy. We unpack how quickly “likely disability” can turn into a cultural permission slip to end a life, and why that mindset echoes inside IVF when embryos are screened for traits and “undesirable” outcomes.    We also dig into the bigger picture: embryo selection and destruction, the commodification of human life, and why the word “purchaser” shows up when fertility becomes a marketplace with limited oversight. From the question of frozen embryos in cryo storage to the tension between political pragmatism and moral consistency, we try to name what’s true without treating IVF-conceived people as anything less than fully human.    If you found this conversation clarifying or challenging, subscribe for more, share it with someone who cares about IVF ethics and disability, and leave a review so more people can find it. What’s the hardest question you think the IVF industry avoids? Resources: Chelsea's Instagram Created to Live Support the show

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About

Welcome to Life Defenders—your trusted home for pro-life news, information, and commentary. Hear from leading voices in the movement, expert guests, advocates, and people whose firsthand experiences have revealed the realities of abortion. Join us for honest conversations, compelling stories, and the truth you need to stand for life.

Information

  • Creator
    Life Issues Institute
  • Years Active
    2023 - 2026
  • Episodes
    148
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © 2026 Life Defenders
  • Show Website
    Life Defenders

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