Quick Response #28: An Acorn Is Not an Oak Tree, So a Fetus Is Not a Child

Judith Jarvis Thomson is famous for the Violinist argument from her paper “In Defense of Abortion,” but she actually begins it with another well-known analogy: since an acorn isn’t an oak tree, a fetus shouldn’t be considered a child. Emily Albrecht explains why Thomson’s acorn analogy, while popular, is a fallacious argument that isn’t a problem for the pro-life position.

Abortion Dialogue on Campus: Outreach Stories and Trends – Part 1

Download MP3 | 1:18:10

Josh and Emily share interesting stories from their last two semesters of campus outreach, and some of the trends they’re noticing with respect to abortion dialogue among pro-choice college students.

This is part one of a two-part series, and includes the story of a young woman who chewed Josh out in Wisconsin, how Emily varies her “elevator pitch” based on who she’s talking to, the way Josh thinks about swearing at outreach, and more!

The Pregnant 10 Year-Old: Thinking Well About This Tragic Story (with Robin Atkins)

Download MP3 | 1:38:10

Everyone has been talking about the tragic case of a 10-year-old who was raped, became pregnant, and driven across state lines to get an abortion. Even President Biden referenced her story in public. Multiple ERI followers have asked us how pro-life people can answer questions about this story without sounding like a moral monster.

Josh and Emily invited licensed mental health counselor Robin Atkins to discuss the story with us. Our conversation included the rules regarding public discussion of patient information, particularly in CHINS cases, and the damage done if the rules are violated as well as how pro-life people should talk about this story.

Emily Albrecht will be speaking at the Amnion Pregnancy Center Annual Gala.

Date: October 28, 2022
Time: 6:00 - 9:00 p.m.
Event: Amnion Pregnancy Center Annual Gala
Topic: Six Practical Dialogue Tips: What We've Learned From Talking With 5,000 Pro-Choice People
Sponsor: Amnion Pregnancy Center
Venue: Brackett's Crossing Country Club
Location: 17976 Judicial Rd
Lakeville, MN 55044

Responding to 8 Types of Difficult Pro-Lifers (with Monica Snyder & Andrew Kaake – Part 1)

Download MP3 – 1:03:51

It’s the question we’re asked more often than any other, and we want to answer it carefully. The question is, “What should I do about the pro-life activist near me who is being difficult? Should I approach them differently than I do my dialogues with pro-choice people?”

Josh and Emily invited ERI Lead Editor Andrew Kaake and Secular Pro-Life’s Executive Director Monica Snyder on the show for a two-part discussion on the way they think about responding to online comments, eight common types of difficult pro-life people, and how you can respond to them.

Note: Sorry for the occasional distortion with Josh and Emily’s mics. They’ve had a good six-year run, but we’re replacing them before the next time we record (the mics, not Josh and Emily).

We also had technical issues with Monica’s video stream due to technical issues. All of her audio is there, but the video is missing sometimes.

Related Links:

Secular Pro-Life:
https://secularprolife.org

Monica Snyder for Secular Pro-Life: “Nine months of inconvenience.”
https://bit.ly/3MvqDs4

First episode of our two-part podcast with Jonathon Van Maren on AHA:
https://youtu.be/0SvNYXQqvuM

Chapters:

  • 00:00 Introducing the guests and topic
  • 02:49 Opening comments
  • 09:28 ERI/SPL’s policies on responding to comments
  • 18:58 8 Types of Difficult Pro-Life People…
  • 19:39 Type 1: The Ones With Only One (Unpersuasive) Argument…
  • 26:08 Type 2: The Ones Who Need to Stop Saying This, Now!
  • 38:20 Type 3: The Ones Who Are Very Out of Touch with Reality
  • 47:20 Type 4: The Ones Who Really Frustrate Monica