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PODCAST: Richard Dawkins Retweeted My Article, and What We Can Learn From That

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Download Audio MP3 | 00:06:31

This is a short follow-up piece to the article I wrote about Richard Dawkins and his views on abortion and Down Syndrome that I read in last week’s audio blog. The response that we got from that piece when it was published was quite remarkable, so I use it as a case study for some of the things we talk about. Being extra intentional about understanding people and having clarity before responding to their views can make a huge difference for how pro-choice people respond.

Related Links:

Click here to share the original article.

Click here to subscribe to the podcast in iTunes!

Subscribe to the Equipped for Life Podcast on Apple Podcasts or Spotify. Subscribe to ERI’s other podcast on Apple Podcasts or Spotify.

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Four Practical Tips for Responding to the Burning Fertility Clinic

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A pro-choice argument in the form of a series of arrogant tweets recently went viral. You would think that with all that bravado, there would have been something new or interesting, but, no, it was just the same argument that has been around for decades. Disappointing as the argument was, I did find it interesting that, the last time I experienced this argument on a college campus, the person making the argument had a similar aggressive tone.

For some reason, pro-choice people tend to think this argument demolishes the pro-life view, so it’s important to be ready to respond to it efficiently (meaning you need to focus on just a couple of disanalogies, not all of them) and persuasively (meaning you need to convince them that you aren’t just weaseling out of a problem with your view).

Estimated reading time: 8 minutes.
Timothy Brahm responding to the burning fertility clinic argument.

Tim talks with Ann (mostly obscured) with two pro-life volunteers watching.
Photo credit: Justice For All. Used with permission.

Here’s what I did at a Justice For All outreach at UCLA in May of 2016. (You can find much of what I did in Robert George and Christopher Tollefsen’s book Embryo: A Defense of Human Life, which I highly recommend. Robert George also wrote this excellent article recently.)

Ann: So if life begins at conception, what would you do if you were in a burning fertility clinic and you had to choose between saving a born baby and ten frozen embryos?

Tim: That’s a great question and I’m happy to answer it, but it’s a good example of the principle that it’s easier to ask a hard question than it is to answer it. Are you willing to give me a few minutes to answer, or are you just trying to trap me?

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COURSE PODCAST CLIP: Sidewalk Counseling Tips – Part 2

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Every other Wednesday we publish a new episode of the Equipped for Life Podcast, available to everyone who purchases our course, “Equipped for Life: A Fresh Approach to Conversations about Abortion.” Generally, these podcast episodes won’t be available to the general public, but we plan on releasing short clips from the episodes every Thursday, to give you a sense of what these podcasts are like.

In this episode of the Equipped for Life Course Podcast, Tim and I continue our interview with Jacob on the topic of sidewalk counseling.

Download Audio MP3 | 00:06:32

In this clip from the full episode, you’ll hear Jacob explain how he often starts a conversation outside an abortion clinic.

Click here to subscribe to the ERI podcast in iTunes.

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PODCAST: Understanding What Richard Dawkins Actually Believes About Abortion and Down Syndrome

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Download Audio MP3 | 00:12:37

Several years ago, Richard Dawkins tweeted something that became very controversial and blew up in pro-life and pro-choice circles. He was attempting to explain why, given the choice, he would abort a baby with Down Syndrome. Dawkins published a very helpful article the following day, apologizing and explaining his views more clearly.

This audio blog is a piece I wrote attempting to help pro-life people better understand where he is coming from as well as how better to refute his argument. I think trying to get into Dawkins’ shoes will be a good exercise because if we’re going to refute a bad idea, we really need to understand it first. We need to refute the strongest version of an argument if we’re going to offer the strongest possible refutation.

Related Links:

Click here to share the original article.

Click here to subscribe to the podcast in iTunes!

Subscribe to the Equipped for Life Podcast on Apple Podcasts or Spotify. Subscribe to ERI’s other podcast on Apple Podcasts or Spotify.

Using Digital Media to Save Lives

Learn how to use digital media effectively to engage your campus and change hearts and minds. Timothy Brahm, with years of experience communicating with people online, will specifically touch on the topic of how to engage with people via social media.

Date: January 20, 2018
Time: 8:00 a.m. - 7:00 p.m.
Event: SFLA National Conference East Coast
Sponsor: Students for Life of America
Venue: FBC Glenarden Event Center
Location: 600 Watkins Park Drive
Upper Marlboro, MD
Public: Public
Registration: Click here to register.

Want us to speak to your group? Click here to check our availability!