Roger Marsh: Welcome to Dr. James Dobson's Family Talk. I'm Roger Marsh. On behalf of everyone here at the Dr. James Dobson Family Institute, thank you for making us a part of your day. And if you like what you hear on this program, please be sure to tell a friend. And make sure to join us on Facebook to comment on today's program as well just search for at Dr. James Dobson's Family Talk on Facebook.
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Well on today and tomorrow's program, we have very special broadcasts for you. We have an interview that was recorded recently backstage at a Dr. James Dobson Family Institute event in Colorado Springs, Colorado. The event was organized by Dr. Dobson and it included some noteworthy speakers, and one of those at attendance was Janet Porter, the Heartbeat Bill Pro-Life advocate and champion. Our own Dr. Tim Clinton caught up with Janet to talk about the amazing turn of events this year, plus the joy in praise we offer up since Roe v. Wade was overturned, sending the issue of abortion back to the States to decide.
Now, before we begin the broadcast let me tell you a bit about our guest today. Janet Porter is the founder of Faith to Action and the architect of the pro-life Heartbeat Bill that ensures that if a heartbeat is detected, the baby is protected. Heartbeat bills have been introduced in 30 states so far, have been passed by 14 of them. Ms. Porter chronicled her decade long battle to save babies in her book called, A Heartbeat Away. She played a role in amplifying the pro-life message during a decade's long fight against the pro-abortion industry. And her efforts were vital in expanding public awareness of God's design for the beginning of life, which undergirded the overturning of Roe v. Wade and the fight for life from the Supreme Court back to the States.
Previously, Janet served as legislative director for Ohio Right to Life where she successfully lobbied for the passage of the nation's first partial birth abortion ban. Janet Porter also worked as a national director for the Center for Reclaiming America, founded by Dr. D. James Kennedy where she initiated the Truth in Love campaign that featured ex homosexuals in newspaper and television ads. She has appeared on CNN's Anderson Cooper 360, Fox and Friends, NBC's Today Show, the ABC Evening News, ABC's 2020, ABC News Nightline, and even the CBS Morning Program. Well, let's join Dr. Tim Clinton and Janet Porter right now in a time of thanks, praise, reflection, and clarity right here on Family Talk.
]Dr. Tim Clinton: Hello and welcome into Family Talk, the broadcast division of the Dr. James Dobson Family Institute. I'm Dr. Tim Clinton, co-host here at Family Talk. Honored to serve alongside Dr. Dobson as the resident authority on mental health and relationships here at JDFI. I also serve as President of the American Association of Christian Counselors.
Janet, Dr. Dobson says as regards, I know the two of you have quite a history standing strong together on life.
Janet Porter: Yes, Doctor, I got to tell you, he has always been there, whatever the issue is, wherever the battle's the hottest. Martin Luther said that if you are not fighting where the battle is the hottest, then you are a traitor to the cause. Well, Dr. Dobson has always been there on the front lines, always been right on the issues. I mean, I look back to, well boy, 2006 when they were starving, Terri Schiavo and I was calling everybody I knew and I called Dr. Dobson. I said, Doc, we need your help. I've got Bobby Schindler, Terry Shiva's brother and Sister Suzanne here, and we need to do a program to tell the world. And he at that time said that all that the programs were already sent out, all the publicity was done and the money was spent. And I said, Doc, we need you. And he pulled it and he interviewed them and stood with us and stood with Terry. And he's always been there like that.
When I was the national director of the Center for Reclaiming America, Senator Trent Lott was really being attacked because he had said what the Bible says, that homosexuality is a sin. And so I had made a pitch to this DC group that I usually met with and said, we need to respond to this. In a political campaign anything that's not answered is assumed to be true. And so I said, let's run full page ads. And they all said, well, we don't have any money. And one of the guys in the room said, I work for Dr. Dobson, but I'm four levels down and I can't get to him. And I just sort of hung up the phone when I was actually at a meeting and I ran into him at lunch and said, Doc, we need to respond to this. We need to express that there's hope for change for those who are struggling in homosexuality. And he just looked at me and said, I'm in.
So I made a snarky call to my friends in DC and I said, yeah, he ran into somebody, maybe you've heard of him, Dr. James Dobson, he's in. And because of those two words from Dr. Dobson, we ended up with the funding to run full page ads, not only in the Washington Times, it was the Washington Post, Wall Street Journal, USA Today. It ended up going around the country and it was just a phenomenal success. It ended up being something that got on the cover of Newsweek. It was a joke on the Tonight Show with Jay Leno. It was a cartoon on Saturday Night Live. We actually reached the culture really all because Dr. Dobson said, I'm in. That's the kind of power this guy has and he uses it.
Dr. Tim Clinton: It's amazing what God has done in through his life, this organization and more. Janet, what's it been about 50 years now coming up on 50 years since that infamous Roe v. Wade decision, January 22nd, 1973. Some what? 60 plus 63 million babies now aborted in America, about 1.5 million annually. The cry of the pro-life movement was that it was time to end abortion in this country. And I'm telling you what, a big year, big day, June 24, this year Dobb's decision comes down from the Supreme Court and the pro-life movement. I mean, it was like all that battling, all that fighting came to together at this point. Talk about how significant it was to you.
Janet Porter: It was the best day of my life because it was my 10 year battle of getting our Heartbeat Bill upheld and enforced in the state of Ohio and elsewhere. But it was my lifelong goal of seeing Roe v. Wade crumble to the ground of the ash heap of history, that's what happened. I just have to say this publicly, is that Dr. Dobson stood with us every step of that way. Back when we were fighting for the nation's first ban on partial birth abortion, but all those regulatory bills. And I was a part of passing all of them, the parental consent and right to know and fetal homicide, all of that. But at the end of the day, we still had a million dead children, a body count of a million innocent lives. And I thought, you know what? You can call that movement a lot of things, but success is not one of them.
So to get a different result, we tried something different. And that's where my husband came home in 2010, 12 years ago. And he said, look to me, out of the heart, the mouth speaks, he said, why don't you outlaw abortion while you're here? And I looked at my watch and I tapped, I said I got a few minutes, I'm here anyway. Might as well knock that out. It just seemed too big. I laughed at him. But two weeks later, God gave me the idea for a Heartbeat Bill that we'll protect every child who's heartbeat can be heard. And Dr. Dobson once again stood there when no one else would. I mean, I remember it was 2011, we had introduced the first and only Heartbeat Bill and he did a show then, we had passed it through the House, but the RINOs in the Senate were blocking it now for nearly a decade.
I remember we did another show when I was sitting in the hall, the Congressional Office of Congressman Steve King. We had a Republican House, Senate, White House, and I explained to Dr. Dobson then that we've got a window we can pass this bill. We had 174 co-sponsors, more than any other pro-life bill in Congress, and they refused to do it. It's Kevin McCarthy and Paul Ryan refused to bring the most supported, most protective pro-life bill to the floor. But I'll tell you what, I believe that there has been that shift that Congress is ready to keep hearts beating. And by the way, when we pass a federal Heartbeat Bill that will protect children even in the darkest blue, California, Michigan, and New York, we're going to see children protected because I'll will tell you what, there's nothing stopping us anymore. There is no Roe v. Wade that curse over America has been broken. We need to run somebody left the gate open and protect children. Because the only thing standing in the way of us fully protecting children is us.
Dr. Tim Clinton: Janet I want to make sure that people understand what you mean by the Heartbeat Bill, go back to Ohio, your day's there and you're the one, basically you're the architect behind this bill, and you start in the State of Ohio.
Janet Porter: Ohio where the state motto is with God all things are possible, which became a part of my life motto. And I remember we were doing rallies there in front of the State House and it's in front of the State House steps with God all things are possible. We were literally standing there on the word of God. And so when they told us it was impossible, you know what? I knew that we served the God of the impossible and that those words are true because Jesus was the one who said them. And so we took a couple of polls. The Barnacle showed that 86% of Republicans favored the Heartbeat Bill. 7 out of 10 in America favored the Heartbeat Bill. And here's the surprising part, is that that Democrats, a majority of Democrats, about 55% believe that if a doctor can detect the heartbeat of an unborn baby, that baby should be legally protected. And that's why we've seen 30 states take them on. That's why we saw it introduced now and passed in 14 states in counting.
I had the privilege to recruit the sponsor of the Texas Heartbeat Bill, a guy by the name of Brian Hughes. And so he was at another meeting where I'm on the board of the National Association of Christian Lawmakers, and this guy gets up. We needed a Senate sponsor in Texas. We didn't have one. He gets up and he presents the gospel. I'm like, that's my guy. He's sold out to God. He's using his time not to promote himself, but to promote Jesus. And so I texted our House sponsor at that time was Briscoe Cain. I got a thumbs up emoji. And that's what led to the passage of the heartbeat bill in Texas, which by the way, saved 20,000 lives before Roe v. Wade ever came crumbling to the ground, that's a stadium full of children.
Dr. Tim Clinton: Just stunning. So encouraging.
Janet Porter: It's an exciting time. Even though it looks like our country's burning down, I'm going to tell you something, we have unlimited ability to restore not only legal protection of children, but as we rise up together and act as the body of Christ. I know this, if we can see Roe crumble to the ground, if we can truly end abortion as we are now seeing in now close to 20 states in America that have full protection or nearly full protection or very soon to be based on the court decisions that are coming down, and those courts are ultimately going to reflect the Supreme Court that did uphold these laws. But I know this, that if we can end abortion, we can take our country back, and that's the message.
Dr. Tim Clinton: Janet, the pro-life movement is winning. And that's the encouraging thing here. And I want to make sure everybody understands that. This is unbelievable what's taking place. However, it's not without its challenges. What's happened since the Dobb's decision, the Supreme Court ruling in June. Couple of things. One, stunned at these unbelievable, horrible acts of violence that we're now witnessing against pro-life centers and more. And it's just like a war has come about because of this issue of abortion and life. And even more than that, Janet, we also know that what it means is the battleground moved to the state level. And can you help us understand that for a moment?
Janet Porter: Sure. Let me just first state about all the assaults on pregnancy centers and pro-life organizations. There's not been any justice. You know that there's not been any prosecution-
Dr. Tim Clinton: I know, it's unbelievable.
Janet Porter: Yet, just a week or two ago, it was the FBI arresting an 87 year old concentration camp survivor for singing hymns outside an abortion clinic in Tennessee. This is the unequal justice. Pastors are being arrested. What I believe is happening right now is that the wheat and the tears are coming to maturity. I saw it in Ohio. When it used to be, we had a handful, at least a handful of Democrats on each of these bills. Now I had one, a heroic man in Cleveland by the name of Bill Patman was our Democrat champion.
But what I also saw is that we see them come out now wearing t-shirts that say, pro abort witch. Yeah, they got earrings the size of pentagrams, their size of saucers that they're wearing. They're basically coming out we're witches. I mean, you realize they come to the hearings and you've got the atheist testifying against the heartbeat bill. The witches are testifying against it. The Marxists are testifying. And you realize if you knew nothing else, you didn't know anything about the bill, you know you're on the right side when you're for this bill that all these people are fighting.
What we're seeing now is even in the State of Michigan, I was just here this weekend, I'll be going there again this week. The wheat and the tears are coming to maturity. The fruit of the evil is now being seen. They've got a bill that's abortion till birth and beyond. If you find a baby that's been thrown away in the dumpster, you can't even investigate for infanticide. They say that if your child not only aborts their child, you can't know or give consent as a parent if your child is sterilized, if your child is mutilated, castrated, they have cut off healthy body parts. You can't be notified as a parent. And if a parent intervenes against this, this brainwashing that the American Psychiatric Association declares is a mental disorder. So if you got a child who is gender confused, he's got this mental disorder. If a parent intervenes, this Michigan Prop 3, proposal 3, would say that the full force of the law, in unequal justice as we've seen, will come after the parents.
We've seen it at the federal level. Who are the domestic terrorists today? It's the parents that come out and speak at school board meetings on behalf of protecting their children. It's something that I believe is a wakeup call. And so I believe as we're seeing the tears mature, it's time for the children of God to grow up as well. It's time for the church to wake up and to stand up. And I believe that one of the things that we have going for us in this hour is that the enemy always overplays his hand. And I believe that's happening right now, that the church is waking up. You can see that just the fervor as I go and travel throughout Michigan, helping them to fight Prop 3. I'm seeing that people that have never been involved, people that have all believed the lie that said, oh, well the churches need to stay out of politics. And we know the fruit of that philosophy, that lie is that 63 million dead children. And we realize that no, no, no, we have a moral responsibility to stand and be a voice for the voiceless in this hour.
We're commanded in Proverbs 24:11 to rescue those that are being carried away. We're commanded in Proverbs 31:8 to be a voice for those appointed to die. And that's what the church is called to do. We need to rise up now, now that there are no longer restraints that we can protect children in every state. And by the way, I tell even the deepest blue states, introduce at least to heartbeat bill, which was by the way, once the ceiling of our movement, it is now the floor. At least we can protect babies whose heartbeats can be heard. And even just the information getting out to the women, we saved a life just from bringing in ultrasounds. We brought in the youngest who ever testify in Ohio, we rolled in a mobile ultrasound. Let a nine week old baby's heartbeat testify for the bill.
Dr. Tim Clinton: It's stunning what happens when they see that.
Janet Porter: Yeah. In fact, when we did it in Congress, in the judiciary subcommittee in Congress for the federal heartbeat bill, little Baby Lincoln, 20 weeks old... No, he was 18 weeks old, excuse me. And there were people that were in the hearing that were disruptive. But when that baby's heartbeat was heard in the committee, the room was silent except for that heartbeat. And we saw that one of the protestors, who had just been disruptive moments before, she was seen wiping tears from her eyes. And that's when I realized that this baby's heartbeat can reach the hardest of hearts, it can reach America. And that's what it's done.
Roger Marsh: You're listening to Dr. James Dobson's Family Talk. I'm Roger Marsh, jumping in for just a brief moment to let you know that our co-host today is Dr. Tim Clinton and his guest is Janet Porter, architect of many of the heartbeat bills that exist in as many as 30 states to protect the unborn. Remember, if a heartbeat is detected, the baby is protected.
On behalf of everyone here at the Dr. James Dobson Family Institute, thank you for making us a part of your day each and every day. And we give thanks to God for the overturning of the bad law known as Roe v. Wade. Make sure you go over to facebook.com to comment on today's program or to share it with your friends. Just search for at Dr. James Dobson's Family Talk when you go to facebook.com. Now, let's rejoin Dr. Tim Clinton and Janet Porter right now here on Family Talk.
Dr. Tim Clinton: My wife Julie's been hosting women's events this fall across the numerous states on the east coast and the energy in those events, those mama bears, it's stirring. I know they're tired. I know they're angry. I know they're confused. I know that they're sick of being shamed and silenced and stigmatized and they're starting to rise up. There are moments in the events, these women are almost ready to stand up on chairs. I mean, they're like done, we're done with all this stuff. Are you encouraged? Are you seeing an uprising happening? Do you think the church is going to step up into this moment and say, listen, let's stand. This isn't political, this is biblical. Stand behind truth.
Janet Porter: This is the moment where we're going to find out. And I am seeing the energy and the passion and people that even as I travel throughout the country, that they understand what's at stake. I mean I remember I ran for Congress this year and I was handing out literature and they said, I'm a Democrat. I just told them to enjoy their gas prices. I think people are waking up. What does this mean when you've got Stacey Abrams saying what we should do to lower inflation is kill our children. Really? I don't know, I'd rather elect somebody with policies that will not have the inflation, out of control gas prices and all the crime that we're seeing. I mean, this is a decision and I believe that the choice is becoming crystal clear. I believe the scales are coming off the eyes and they say, you know what? I'd rather have a mean tweet right about now than everything we're facing in America with food shortages and baby formula shortages and everything else we're seeing. This is the moment.
Dr. Tim Clinton: Those kitchen table issues I think are really going to drive people out to the poles. And people are saying, listen, what you can do, what we all can do is pray, we can engage. That means this is not a time for silence. Speak up and show up, vote. This is a privilege, this is an opportunity and this is a responsibility.
Janet Porter: A lot of people say, I don't have the positions that you have. And Dr. Dobson's a champion. I was the kid who was afraid to give a speech. The only ability you need to serve God is availability. And I remember I was speaking at a memorial for the unborn, we had 2200 people. A woman came up to me and said, I went through speakers training with you and I have to tell you, I'm really surprised that you ended up being our spokesperson. Look, it's God. It's all God. There was no limits to him. And he can give us the strategy. And by the way, I'm not prepared to give all the details, but I do believe that God has given me an idea for the next heartbeat bill. While the heartbeat bill protected babies in the womb, we've got a bill that's going to protect him in the classroom. And you're going to hear more about that in the coming months. It's exciting to see what God is doing.
Dr. Tim Clinton: I love hearing that. There is no doubt that this is a moment. If Christians, people of faith, conservatives, don't step up and into this moment, who knows where this is going to go. And Janet, there's a lot more to talk about, I can't wait for us to get into those issues tomorrow. But before we go, you wrote a book, A Heartbeat Away, How The Heartbeat Bill will Pierce the Heart of Roe v. Wade and the Shocking Betrayal No One Saw Coming. Janet, tell us a little bit about that book. What's in it? Dr. Dobson's even mentioned in there.
Janet Porter: Yes he is. His picture's in here because I presented him the Heartbeat Hero Award. He is just a champion who stood with us start to finish. And so this is like the handbook, all right, how to see the impossible, bow to the name of Jesus, spoken through your lips. And it's a whole lot of things of not to do, all the antics, all I own a three story heart balloon that we put in front of the State House. We rented a plane to fly. We had a truck that went around the State House that had a big picture of a dead baby and says, what's more offensive than this answer? A Republican senate that won't stop it. All the things that we did to take on those who would obstruct the protection of children. And it's just a handbook. Everything we've learned, all the things that we did, the things that worked, things that didn't work, it's all here and it's available for people-
Dr. Tim Clinton: And if you care about life, this is a great resource to really understand the journey and what needs to be done in this moment.
Janet Porter: And one of the surprising things that people don't realize, it doesn't take an army to pass a bill like this. And again, when we protect those 9 out of 10 babies, we're going to go back and get the rest, which we're doing right now in Ohio and elsewhere. But, there were times when I could count my friends on one hand. I remember Mark Crutcher called me up one day and he says, Janet, how's it going? I said, Well, they're blocking our heartbeat bill in Congress. They're blocking it in the Ohio Senate. I said, I can count my friends on one hand. And he simply said, did you go down to the State House to make friends or did you go down there to an abortion? And the answer is, we went down to end abortion. And we may not have had a lot of friends in the end when we took on the establishment, but it was worth it. That's what I can tell you, it's worth it.
Dr. Tim Clinton: It has been so encouraging to have this conversation today, and I know on behalf of Dr. Dobson, and his wife Shirley, the entire team, we're going to pray that God continues to give you boldness and courage, wisdom on the road forward. Thank you so much for joining us. We so look forward to our conversation tomorrow.
Janet Porter: Thank you.
Roger Marsh: Well, what an inspiring first part of our interview conducted by Dr. Tim Clinton with Janet Porter right here on Family Talk. To find out more about Janet or to access any part of today's interview or to get a head start on part two once it's posted, just go to DrJamesdobson.org/familytalk. That's DrJamesdobson.org/familytalk. Our broadcast page is filled with tons of valuable information, a directory of every program we've ever produced and aired here at Family Talk is there as well. You really should check it out. Dr.Jamesdobson.org.
As we approach the end of the year here, have you considered making a contribution in support of the Ministry of Family Talk? If so, remember, you can find all the information you need to do so on our homepage at drjamesdobson.org or give us a call at 877-732-6825. That's 877-732-6825. A member of our staff is waiting to take your call and would love to talk with you. Also, keep in mind you can send a note or a tax deductible donation in support of the JDFI through the US Mail. Our ministry mailing address is the Dr. James Dobson Family Institute, P.O. Box 39000 Colorado Springs, Colorado. The zip code, 80949. Let me repeat that once again, The Dr. James Dobson Family Institute, or you can just put JDFI, PO Box 39000 Colorado Springs, Colorado. The zip code, 80949.
Well, that's it for today. We hope you'll join us again tomorrow for part two of the interview between Dr. Tim Clinton and pro-life Advocate and Dobson Institute friend Janet Porter, you will not want to miss it. Janet casts a vision for what a post Roe America might look like and it promises to be exciting and encouraging, but we all still have so much work to do. So until next time, I'm Roger Marsh. On behalf of Dr. Dobson and all of us here at the Dr. James Dobson Family Institute, keep praying and standing up for life. God's richest blessings to you and yours as you stay in the fight.
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