"Defending Life" Season 4 (1999)

These episodes give a realistic look at the many dimensions of the tragedy of abortion, at the progress which the pro-life movement is making to counteract it, and at the work that remains to be done. Following are short summaries of the contents of each show.

If your confidence in pro-life work needs a boost, this show is for you. Fr. Frank Pavone offers concrete evidence that the pro-life movement is succeeding, and explains some of the best strategies to bring that victory to completion.

You can save many lives as a result of this show, in which, among other things, Fr. Frank Pavone gives a whole range of hotline numbers that can be called any time of the day or night from anywhere in the USA, and the caller will be given concrete alternatives to abortion. Also hear a powerful new pro-life song which Dana wrote based on Fr. Frank's reflection on the words "This is my body," used in opposite ways by the Lord and by the abortion movement.

Lorraine LaNeve worked for the abortion industry for five years, helping to set up abortion facilities, lobbying, and assisting in the procedure itself. In this stirring interview, she reveals the horrors of what really goes on inside abortion facilities. She speaks of how the children are killed, how the women are degraded, and how the abortion mentality distorts the minds of those who embrace it. She also reveals a startling incident that made her realize it was time to get out.

Mark Crutcher, founder and president of Life Dynamics, Inc., discusses his new booklet, Access, which describes why the abortion industry is collapsing, and how that fact is illustrated by quotes from within the abortion movement. Mark also explains why "legal abortion" does not mean "safe abortion," and how to use one of our most powerful tools against it: abortion malpractice litigation.

Deborah Cardamone and Kay Stile each had a daughter who obtained a "safe and legal" abortion. Deborah's daughter Marla died as a result (as many others have) and Kay's daughter Christie ended up in a persistent vegetative state for life. In this emotional interview, they explain what happened, and how they try to cope with it. 

Fr. Frank Pavone explores the ecumenical aspects of the pro-life movement with a United Methodist pastor and pro-life activist, Rev. Paul Stallsworth. He also discusses the work of the American Life League with its president, Mrs. Judie Brown.

In the last ten years, the number of programs for post-abortion healing have multiplied, and in the last three years the numbers of those coming to them has greatly increased. Fr. Frank Pavone discusses with Dr. David Reardon why this is the case, and how the Church and the pro-life movement are responding.

The pro-life message belongs on the university campus. In this show, Fr. Frank speaks with Dr. Joseph Hagan, who served as the president of a Catholic college for twenty years, and discusses how college students can successfully proclaim the message of life. Fr. Frank also speaks with Bryan Belli, president of Seminarians for Life.

This show consists of two interviews. One is with Dr. George Isajiw, past president of the Catholic Medical Society, who discusses why the practice of abortion is inconsistent with the calling of a doctor, and also lays to rest the myth that abortion is ever medically necessary. The second is with George and Marlys Johnson, who are responsible for developing a simple and effective technique for spreading the pro-life message: pro-life bank checks.

Fr. Frank speaks with Kathy McConn, the founder of an exciting new pro-life project which activates local parishes to respond to the needs of women in the community who are pregnant and in need. The Gabriel Project, by which the parish announces the good news that alternatives to abortion are available, and then fulfills the concrete needs of those who come forth, is now a major aspect of the work of Priests for Life.

For those born after 1973, Roe vs. Wade is a personal insult in its assertion that "the word person…does not include the unborn." The youth of today are rising up with a strong voice for life, and in this segment Fr. Frank interviews some of them, as well as those who work with them to be chaste and to defend life.

Dr. Philip Ney provides a fascinating interview about what abortion does to surviving siblings, as well as to those who perform the procedure. Fr. Frank speaks of the Society of Centurions, an international association of former abortion providers, whom Dr. Ney helps on the long road of healing.

Fr. Frank interviews Fr. Paul Marx, OSB, and Fr. Richard Welch, C.Ss.R., of Human Life International, and Austin Ruse, who follows closely the activities of the United Nations as they impact pro-life and pro-family concerns.