Life Matters

In this episode of Life Matters , Brian focuses on the very specific nature of a very specific political party: the Democrat Party of the United States. He finishes with a comparative and contrastive look at the striking difference between a Democracy and a Republic. As an explanatory template, he uses a recent publication from a Democrat Party operative and New York Times contributor, Terry Golwa...

In the second part of our episode on natural law as a legal predicate, Brian explains at length why Christians should be the most comfortable with this idea - instead of insisting that their theology be the predicate for approaching the issue of life in America's laws.  Using raw political power to pass a measure that conforms with our religion is not actually an exercise in just law or a recognit...

In this extraordinary episode of Life Matters, Brian Johnston explores the biological miracle of twinning. More to the point, he explains in detail how even identical twins are not identical. The twins can share exactly the same DNA, but God still makes each of us unique, even individual "identical twins." The bottom line is that human beings are not merely naked apes or mammalian animals. Human b...

In this episode of Life Matters, Commissioner Johnston takes a straight-forward look into what the overrule of Roe v. Wade actually means for our nation and our state. He reads from the decision and cites several other matters of court precedent, including Doe v. Bolton . Johnston explains that not a single baby is protected in the language of the Dobbs decision. Instead, the Court simply apologiz...

The year 2022 was an extraordinary year for life. Roe versus Wade was overturned through the Dobbs decision of the United States Supreme Court. The Court was very clear, however, that it is a narrowly-drawn decision. Instead of doctors being the arbiters of when an abortion is appropriate (which was the conclusion of Roe  and Doe ), under Dobbs , "the regulation of abortion has been returned to th...

In this episode of Life Matters , Brian Johnston conducts an interview with Laura Lehmus, a Finnish director, currently residing in Germany. This interview is part of a series, exploring the Life Fest Film Festival. Life Fest is that unique film festival, dedicated to honoring those films which underscore the significance of an innocent human life, and in particular the seemingly insignificant lif...

This episode of  Life Matters  explores the net results of the 2022 elections. In particular, the challenge is the dominant media narrative that somehow the pro-life issue lost in 2022 when, in fact, quite the opposite took place.  With the overturn of Roe v. Wade there were 12 states that passed pro-life legislation.   In each of those states the signing governors were affirmed and reelected. It...

In this episode of Life Matters, Brian Johnston gives a brief history of the Life Fest Film Festival which has been held in Hollywood, California for 12 years! This is the first of a special iteration of Life Fest which will be entirely visible from your home. All films and workshops, all breakout sessions will be available to you directly, and a special season pass is available for your viewing i...

Every Life Matters episode makes itself applicable to the immediacy of the news and the times, but simultaneously, Mr. Johnston explains the times in their context.  He underscores the evergreen and important principles that are needed in these times.  This episode is the penultimate episode leading up to November elections, 2022. Brian underscores the many misunderstandings that pro-life individu...

Each and every Life Matters podcast is designed to equip listeners for very specific and detailed understanding of particular aspects of the fight to protect innocent lives. This episode of Life Matters, recorded in October 2022, addresses itself to a very specific and ongoing issue in this fight for life. It focuses on the election coming to an end on November 8th.   It gives a much deeper, detai...

In this episode of Life Matters , Brian Johnston pointedly focuses on elections in 2022. This is the first election since the overturn of Roe versus Wade . Because of that, the disposition of the elected representatives will be of considerable importance.  As usual, Brian goes into extraordinary depths to help individuals understand the details of the Right To Life fight for legal protection of th...

Commissioner Johnston explores the first election after the overturn of Roe versus Wade . Brian goes in depth into why this election, and in fact, every subsequent election, will require a vibrant and knowledgeable pro-life electorate. Brian explains that it is in fact the laws that have been at stake all along. That Roe versus Wade was significant only in that it overturned the laws of all 50 sta...

n this episode of Life Matters, Commissioner Johnston explains why it's important to understand the nature of Roe v. Wade , and the fact that it gave all authority only to doctors, an authority that the Constitution says is that of the states.   Life and death legal decisions are to be determined state by state and by the legislators of that state. Many pro-life individuals errantly believe in the...

In this episode of Life Matters , Brian Johnston is joined by Karen Roseberry - district Director for the California Prolife Council. Karen is also the crisis pregnancy center coordinator for California ProLife communications. The focus of today's discussion is on how to protect innocent babies after the overturn of Roe v. Wade . As listeners to this program know, many Americans, and even many pro...

With the overturn of Roe v. Wade and the implementation of the Dobbs Decision , each state will now have the authority to create new laws protecting innocent human life. But there are some dangers, and we must consider well how these laws are to be presented. Most importantly, we must realize that every abortion has two victims: obviously the child, but the mother herself is a victim of the act of...

In this episode of Life Matters, Commissioner Johnston returns to the subject of public opinion polls and Americans' real attitudes regarding the legalization of human abortion. Johnston reminds us that we must focus on what the right to life debate is.   It is not about emotions, or feelings, how much we like babies, or our personal religious upbringing.  Very specifically, it is a legal question...

In this episode of Life Matters, Commissioner Johnston explores the idea of popular opinion polls. At election time, the media will often present what they claim to be public opinion on the issue of abortion. It is critically important to understand that, very often the general, and unspecific nature of the terms used does not often reflect a valid view of public opinion. More specifically, generi...

The right to life movement is built on the idea that there is a higher law which determines what laws are just or unjust.  All Republics operate under this idea of higher principles existing above immediate desires and majoritarian 'seizure' of the legal moment.  An appeal to, "The laws of nature and of nature's God," is the predicate for America's laws being just . This idea has, of course, been...

In this episode of Life Matters, Commissioner Johnston examines the meaning of the right to life. Why does this have to be about the law? Where did this right to life come from? Did it begin at America's founding, or is it a deeper, more widely recognized, universal truth  - a self evident truth - that everyone should take the time and interest to deliberate?   The American founders strongly felt...

The media that supports abortion (which is a large portion of popular media), has always misrepresented what Roe versus Wade did. Roe versus Wade never gave women the authority to kill their children. Roe versus Wade never 'freed women to do as they wish.' Justice Blackmun's words were explicit, and Brian quotes directly from Roe , "…the court has never recognized such a right." Justice Ruth Bader...

The scope, the breadth, the depth, the width, of the right to life movement... In this episode of Life Matters , Brian shares interviews from the National Right Life Convention, 2022. It was during this convention that the Dobbs Supreme Court decision was handed down. More specifically, Brian spends time exploring the fact that the right to life impacts all aspects of our life and society. While t...

It is somewhat ironic, as the new Supreme Court Justice Jackson is being sworn in, I marvel that so few Americans know of the previous Justice Jackson of the Supreme Court. He was one of the more brilliant and insightful,  and truly judicious individuals to have served in that capacity - Justice Robert H. Jackson.  Justice Robert H. Jackson is the only individual to have served in all three of the...

In this episode of Life Matters, Commissioner Johnston explains the actual meaning and significance of Dobbs , the recent and powerful decision of the Supreme Court overturning Roe v. Wade . The Dobbs Supreme Court decision does not ban a single abortion. What it simply does is give back to each state government what the Roe v. Wade decision took away, the ability for each state to practice its du...

On June 24th, the United States Supreme Court issued its Dobbs Decision which overturned Roe versus Wade.   Sadly, very few people understood Roe versus Wade.   Roe versus Wade prohibited individual states from protecting the unborn child before birth. States have a compelling state interest, a duty, to have laws that will protect lives.   States couldn't do that under Roe.   Now, states are free...

In this episode of Life Matters, Commissioner Johnston continues in his incisive examination of the creep of relativism into the pro-life movement. In an earlier episode Brian explained how the social teachings of the Seamless Garment, a common Roman Catholic misunderstanding of the place of the abortion issue, has led to great confusion and destruction. While many seamless garment advocates sugge...