Join Tony Perkins as he navigates through the tumultuous waters of international diplomacy and domestic policy with illuminating discussions. Featuring conversations with leaders like Congressman Smith and Senator James Lankford, this episode dives deep into the effects of recent ceasefires in the Middle East and the sobering challenges faced by the pro-life movement, especially concerning the rising number of chemical abortions.
SPEAKER 03 :
From the heart of our nation’s capital in Washington, D.C., bringing compelling interviews, insightful analysis, taking you beyond the headlines and soundbites into conversations with our nation’s leaders and newsmakers, all from a biblical worldview, Washington Watch with Tony Perkins starts now.
SPEAKER 23 :
The president secured a ceasefire between Israel and Iran, and despite of the temporary disruption this morning, we believe that will hold. Peace in the Middle East has never been closer within our grasp. And that is something that we should all embrace and applaud.
SPEAKER 12 :
That was House Speaker Mike Johnson earlier today. Welcome to Washington Watch. I’m your host, Tony Perkins. Thanks for tuning in. Coming up on this program, New Jersey Congressman Chris Smith, a senior member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, will join us with the latest out of the Middle East. And today marks the third anniversary of the Supreme Court’s historic decision overturning Roe v. Wade, though not everyone is celebrating.
SPEAKER 01 :
Today marks a grim anniversary in America, three years since the MAGA justices on the Supreme Court eliminated the protections of Roe in the disastrous, horrible, nasty Dobbs decision.
SPEAKER 12 :
That was Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer of New York. We’ll be joined by Oklahoma Senator James Lankford for a closer look at what still needs to be done in the fight for life. And later, Dr. Albert Moeller, president of the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, will help us assess where the pro-life movement stands three years after Dobbs and where it must go from here. Now, this may surprise you. Maybe not. But since the overturn of Roe v. Wade three years ago, the number of abortions in the U.S. has actually increased. That’s right, increased. And one of the major reasons is the widespread availability of the abortion pill, a chemical drug regimen that is both dangerous and deadly. And new research reveals its side effects are impacting more than just the women who take it and their babies. It’s actually affecting families and communities as well. John Stemberger, president of Liberty Council Action, is here to walk us through the details. And a quick reminder, your voice and your values matter more now than ever. For over 40 years, Family Research Council has stood strong in our nation’s capital, defending faith, family, and freedom. And as we approach the end of our fiscal year, you can help us finish strong. And thanks to a generous matching challenge from supporters, every gift you give this week will be doubled. So to make your gift, give us a call, 800-225-4008. We have team members standing by to take your call. Again, that’s 800-225-4008. Stand with us, and together, let’s be a voice for truth. Well, the Trump administration says the ceasefire between Iran and Israel is in effect. Earlier this morning, President Trump expressed deep frustration with both sides for violating the agreement he brokered. The Trump administration was scheduled to hold separate classified briefings with members of the Senate and the House today regarding Iran and Israel. However, both briefings were postponed until later in the week. Joining us now is Congressman Chris Smith, senior member of the House Committee on Foreign Affairs. of New Jersey. Congressman Smith, welcome back to Washington Watch. Always good to see you. Always great to see you too, Tony. Thank you for having me on.
SPEAKER 11 :
Really appreciate it.
SPEAKER 12 :
Well, I’m going to get your reactions to the ceasefire. The president announced the ceasefire. A little frustrated this morning. It looked like it had been violated, but it appears to be holding.
SPEAKER 11 :
It sure does. You know, I’ve never known a ceasefire that goes flawlessly day by day. I remember in the war in Yugoslavia, former Yugoslavia, every other day the ceasefire was being abridged. So hopefully this will stick, but there will probably be a few instances where it’s not in the future. We need to stay on point and get… to hopefully a diplomatic solution after the tremendous work that President Trump did to take out the nuclear capability. And we think he took out most of it, hopefully all of it, by the Iranians.
SPEAKER 12 :
Now, Congressman Smith, you’re a senior member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee. You’ve been there for a long time. You’ve watched the events in the Middle East. How significant of a moment is this that we’re in presently?
SPEAKER 11 :
Well, I think it’s a watershed moment. If we are able, our administration, working with the Israelis, to take away the nuclear acquisition of nuclear weapons by Iran. I mean, they have said repeatedly, death to America, death to Israel. They put it on their ballistic missiles. They mean it. I believe they mean it. And if they had the opportunity, Tel Aviv would be gone. Probably not Jerusalem because of the Dome of the Rock. but they would use them and use them with impunity. So the hope is that now that they have been defanged, and, you know, the whole idea of what Obama did, which really just delayed and enabled the mullahs to acquire these weapons. And everyone forgets, when John Kerry was negotiating this, and it was a very flawed deal, Ballistic missiles was on right there as part of the negotiation. They objected, and he agreed. They took ballistic missiles off the agreement. Are you kidding me? Why are you developing ballistic missiles? To someday mount a nuclear weapon on some, if not many of them, to destroy not just Israel, but they want the ICBM capability to hit America, to hit our European friends, to hit other nations in the Middle East, but to hit us, particularly on the East Coast.
SPEAKER 12 :
Congressman Smith, will this ceasefire allow the Iranian regime to retain power? I mean, they were looking for a diplomatic off ramp from the conflict.
SPEAKER 11 :
Yes.
SPEAKER 12 :
Many are saying that a regime change is necessary to bring about the changes needed. What happens from here?
SPEAKER 11 :
Well, my hope is, you know, in the past, when the Iranians have rebelled, as a matter of fact, infamously, our President Obama did nothing when they were calling out for help. You know, there have been times when the Iranian people rose up. But again, the guys with the bayonets and the guns, and all kinds of other instruments of torture and killing remains in the Iranian leadership’s hands. Our hope is that this will lead to a gradual, or quick would be even better, change of regime, because again, they are the leading terrorist state in the world. Thankfully, three of their top, Hezbollah, Hamas, and the Houthis, have been dealt severe blows by, again, the Israelis and by ourselves. So, you know, the invincibility that this regime tried to portray to the world is anything but. But if they had nuclear weapons, their ability to extreme pain and cruelty, imposed cruelty, would be manifest. And so we’ve got to make sure that they never get them. I love what President Trump says repeatedly. They can never have or acquire a nuclear weapon, and they can’t. They have demonstrated that they would use any means necessary. If they had them today, they would have been used.
SPEAKER 12 :
The briefing, classified briefing, has been postponed until later in the week. Open sources say that Israel was kind of targeting some of those repressive elements of the regime that you mentioned earlier. How much do we know in terms of the fragmentation of the repressive regime and their tentacles that have suppressed the people? Has that been dealt a blow?
SPEAKER 11 :
we it’s a great question and you know i have not tomorrow or next day we’ll get the the more classified briefing but we know that the israelis especially have taken out so many uh high value targets including the nuclear scientists including the top commanders uh in the revolutionary guard they have been systematic with assets on the ground particularly with mossad to take these killers out. And, you know, we stand, and I love that the president has said this as well, we stand with the Iranian people. They want peace. I know many of the diaspora here in the United States, this is not who they are. This is a radicalized, extreme, cruel group of people, thugs, if you will. So if they do get an agreement. I do think it’s a matter of when and not if, that over time they will be replaced. So my hope is this will be one of those moments like we saw in Eastern Europe, when Poland matriculated to a democracy, as well as Romania and a lot of the other Central and European countries. Sadly, the changes that happened in Russia were not long staying. We now have Putin, of course. But my hope is that we will then work to work with them You know, that means trade deals and all of other things to make it so that the good people of Iran and not the thugs emerge. Yeah, I think it’s they don’t have that nuclear capability. I think we’re talking, you know, and so much of their military capability has been degraded by the amazing work. of the Israeli Air Force.
SPEAKER 12 :
I think there’s going to be a lot of discussion about what happens next, because I think the American approach in Afghanistan, this nation building idea, those failed. I think this has to come up from the people there themselves. And it doesn’t have to require a lot from the United States. I think the sanctions should remain in place and be released as the people take control and we start to see them moving in the right directions. We reward good behavior by, as you said, economic development, welcoming them into the broader community. But I think it’s going to take a very disciplined approach and a different approach than what we’ve taken in the past.
SPEAKER 11 :
No, that’s true. And I think the enabling by the Biden administration and Obama before him, you know, historians will look back on that and wonder how could they have been so unbelievably naive? You know, I did multiple speeches and we had hearings on on the flawed nuclear deal as it was. being agreed to and then when it was agreed to and it was like this is nothing but a you know enabling them especially with sanctions relief and then the rest uh to continue as a terrorist state that will be nuclear armed someday and remember the agreement that obama agreed to by 2026 all bets were off so by next year even under that egregiously flawed agreement they could have been building nuclear weapons which is crazy it was absolutely crazy
SPEAKER 12 :
We just have about two and a half minutes left. I want to switch gears a little. Staying in the Middle East, but I want to look to Syria. No one has been more outspoken in the Congress than you when it comes to human rights and in protection of Christians. And over the weekend, an attack in Damascus, Syria, at a church where a gunman not only shot but then blew himself up, killing 25 and injuring another 63. I mean, what do we know about what’s unfolding in Syria under the new leader?
SPEAKER 11 :
Well, the president has already reached out, as we all know, during his Saudi trip. My hope is that, you know, the Christians have suffered so much in the Middle East, including in Syria. The now deposed leader, who was a bloodthirsty tyrant, is gone. And the more we can, you know, promote peace, security for all, especially for the Christians who have suffered so much, the better. We don’t want to see, you know, in that whole region, ISIS and all the other radical Islamists reemerge, and I don’t think they will. So it was a very, very terrible thing. I saw it too, that news report. So hopefully we can do more to help. And you know, I’m working on a lot of human rights issues, especially as it relates to Azerbaijan and some of these other countries as to what they did to the Armenians. Not way back, that was horrible, but the Turks did way back. But what they’re doing right now, they’ve committed genocide. against those living in Nagorno-Karabakh and multiple hearings on it, raised it over and over again. And I may be the only congressman who met with Aliyev, the president of Baku, of Azerbaijan, twice in country to argue with him about his very, very serious human rights abuses that he commits.
SPEAKER 12 :
And we’ve seen, of course, you’ve been very outspoken on Nigeria as well. My concern here in Syria is the government turning a blind eye to these, like in this case, an ISIS affiliated attacker, not doing it themselves, but allowing it. to occur. And so I appreciate you.
SPEAKER 11 :
You’re right. And they’ve got to we’ve got to put more pressure. I mean, everywhere you look, it’s like for the secretary of state, like drinking from a fire hose. There’s so many crises, but we do have to pay attention to that.
SPEAKER 12 :
Well, America’s a leader and we’ve got to speak out because people take note when we when we lead on these issues. Congressman Chris Smith, always great to see you. Thanks so much for joining us today. Thank you so much. And folks, I mean, that is an area of concern, to pray and to advocate for brothers and sisters, no matter where they’re at. All right, don’t go away.
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We’re back after this. Hi, everyone. This is Pastor Jay Johnston, National Prayer Director with the Family Research Council. I want to invite you to join our 21-day Family Bible Challenge as we read through the book of Matthew. This is an opportunity for you and for your family to come together for 15 minutes a day to read God’s Word together. Deuteronomy 6 says, these commandments that I give you today are to be on your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. Seek the Word of God. Obey the Word of God. Share the Word of God so that you and others might know the joy of walking with God now and for all eternity. As your family gathers to read the Bible, invite the Holy Spirit to work in your life to spiritually transform each one of you. Ask the Lord to show you creative ways for you to connect with your family to read God’s Word together. I pray that however God uses this challenge in your life and those that you join together with will be a blessing to you and strengthen you as you read the Gospel of Matthew together. Visit FRC.org slash Family Bible Challenge for more information.
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In a time when Washington seems clouded by compromise, a bold group of lawmakers are standing firm in defense of the values which our nation was built upon. At FRC Actions 100% Awards, 171 members of Congress were honored for voting 100% in line with policies that promote faith, family, and freedom.
SPEAKER 18 :
Faith and family made our country, it’s the foundation that made our country not only great, but good.
SPEAKER 15 :
The values that make America, faith, family, hard work, personal responsibility. I mean, that to me is the heart of FRC and grateful for everything that they do.
SPEAKER 21 :
It’s very important for us to have organizations such as FRC. First of all, I think it keeps us grounded. In addition to which, the issues that you champion are issues that we should all be championing.
SPEAKER 05 :
FRC is very, very good at honing in on those things that really affect Christians’ lives. Also, working with members of Congress, too, to make sure that those values are instilled in the legislation that we create.
SPEAKER 08 :
Having the Family Research Council to guide us is critically important to being able to do the right thing consistently.
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These lawmakers have drawn the line, not just in policy, but in principle. This is more than politics. This is conviction in action. Visit frcaction.org for more information on how you too can make a difference.
SPEAKER 12 :
Welcome back to Washington Watch. Thanks so much for tuning in. Today marks the third anniversary of the Supreme Court decision that put the infamous Roe v. Wade ruling into the dustbin of history. The decision in Dobbs v. Jackson’s Women’s Health Clinic came after decades of efforts by pro-life advocates and is rightfully celebrated as the victory that it is. But many recognize that the fight for the unborn is not over. So what else needs to be done? Well, here to discuss this and more, U.S. Senator James Lankford of Oklahoma. He serves on four Senate committees, including Finance Committee and the Select Committee on Intelligence. Senator Lankford, welcome back to Washington Watch. Thanks for joining us.
SPEAKER 16 :
You bet, Tony. Always good to see you.
SPEAKER 12 :
All right, the third anniversary of Dobbs. This is big. I mean, this is something we prayed for, worked for, advocated for for many years. But I think in the three years since, we’re realizing there’s a lot of work that is left to be done, not just in policy. There’s policy that needs to be done, but also the heart change needs to take place in our country as well.
SPEAKER 16 :
It is actually. And I try to remind people there’s a difference between cultural change and legal changes. Legal changes actually move faster than cultural changes on it. But cultural changes are essential to actually communicate the value of every single child and to be able to pass that on generationally. And I compare this in some ways to our country almost 100 years ago, determining we’re going to do prohibition. We’re not going to allow the consumption or production of alcohol at all in the country. That constitutional amendment actually moved faster than any other constitutional amendment had ever been done rapidly through all the states. but then was unwound later because behavior didn’t change, the culture didn’t change, the law changed on it. And so for us, we should take that to heart to remember we still have a lot of work to do on culture on this. So the legal fight continues and we’re winning that step by step. What we’re losing in different states also shows we still got a lot of cultural work to do.
SPEAKER 12 :
Now, the numbers are hard to come by because the reporting is voluntary. But according to Guttmarker, the former policy arm of Planned Parenthood, the number of abortions in the country has actually risen since The Dobbs decision. We’re actually seeing more abortions performed in this country, even though we’ve had like 41 states that have laws to varying degrees that protect the unborn and their mothers. One of the issues behind it is the abortion pill, chemical abortions that are actually being sent into these pro-life states.
SPEAKER 16 :
Yep, that is a driving force right now. The abortion industry, they’re not gonna go down quietly on it. They make too much money by ending human life and this is their big goal. So we need to be able to be clear about what’s happening and what they’re doing to be able to promote abortion. As you mentioned, one of the key aspects is chemical abortions. They’re mailing drugs into places and giving these to ladies and saying, these are as safe as Tylenol and you can just take these and it will end your pregnancy. And thousands and thousands of ladies are finding out this is not as safe as Tylenol. This has all kinds of side effects. And there’s a lot of things that can happen, including dealing with fertility in the future. After this time period, depending on blood type, ectopic pregnancies, all the side effects. We have quite a few women that are in the emergency room with really dramatic hemorrhaging. So this is not Tylenol that’s actually going out, but it is a way for the abortion industry to dramatically advance the number of abortions.
SPEAKER 12 :
I’m going to talk a little bit more about that later with Dr. Al Mohler. But this was set up and put in place, this universal accessibility to the abortion pills from the Biden administration during COVID. So that the restrictions that had been in place going all the way back to the Clinton administration in 2000, all of that was removed, including the in-person prescription, medical interaction with a doctor or medical provider. That’s been removed. And then the the Comstock Act, which prohibited these things from being sent through the mail, that was by a Department of Justice, an opinion removed. But that’s still in place. And that goes back to the Biden administration. So we’re still operating under Biden era policy.
SPEAKER 16 :
Yep, it’s an area that I’ve raised over and over again with HHS and with the leadership there and now with EPA as I’m raising that as well in a whole different issue. But the Comstock Act is the clearest one. You can’t mail these chemical drugs across state lines. You can’t do that through the United States Postal Service or any other carrier without violating federal law. The Biden administration said, well, you can ignore that because that was done a long time ago. Laws are still the law, no matter what day that they were actually put into place on that. So that is something that could be turned around by this administration. Then as you mentioned, multiple other issues, for instance, you don’t have to go see a doctor on it. That was just done by Fiat. That can be turned around as well to be able to say, no, if you have an ectopic pregnancy, taking this chemical abortion pill can actually take your life as well. There is a reason you have to be able to go to a physician to get these drugs. You’ve got to know what date, how long you’ve been pregnant. You’ve got to know if you have an ectopic pregnancy. Testing blood type matters on this because you could deal with future fertility based on your blood type if you actually take this drug. So there’s a lot of things that do warrant stopping by to be able to see a physician on. We want to be able to get those things back in place.
SPEAKER 12 :
Senator Langford, I want to get a readout from you on the reconciliation bill, the one big beautiful bill. But before I do, I know you made reference to this. We’re going to go deeper into this in the next segment with John Stenberger. But you actually have legislation that deals with the issue he’s going to bring up, and that is the abortion chemicals getting into our water supply.
SPEAKER 16 :
Right. Mifepristone is that abortion chemical that’s out there that people take to actually end that pregnancy. But as gross as it sounds, much of our sewage water ends up being filtered and ends up being drinking water downstream. But that process doesn’t take out everything. The PFAS, we talk about forever chemicals, that’s still in the system. Medications often are still in the system or other chemicals that are in our sewage go straight into our streams and creeks. and it ends up going downstream. We have no idea the environmental impacts of omifepristone because the EPA has never studied that before. What happens when it gets recycled back into our drinking water? Does that affect future fertility? Can that cause miscarriages? We don’t know because that’s never been studied. So we are simply asking the question, we have a drug that is in our drinking water or heading into our lakes and streams, what environmental impacts does this have?
SPEAKER 12 :
Wow. We’re going to dig deeper into that, folks, in the next segment with John Stemberger. But, Senator, we’ve got just less than a minute left. The reconciliation bill, how’s it looking?
SPEAKER 16 :
Yeah, we’ve got a lot of work to do on it. We’ve got various pieces that have still got to get resolved. It’s going to be drama all the way to the end. But the goal of this is we want to be able to prevent the largest tax increase in American history from starting in January. We’re all on board with that. We’ve got to be able to reduce our spending. We have $2 trillion in overspending. We’re all on board with that. We’ve got to be able to increase the spending that we’re doing on the border to be able to make sure that what President Trump is doing on the border now stays that way for the future. We’re all on board with that. There’s some details. We’re still working out on it. But our focus is to be able to get this done by July the 4th, and we continue to be able to do the work.
SPEAKER 12 :
Well, Senator, it wouldn’t be Capitol Hill if there wasn’t drama.
SPEAKER 16 :
We have it in spades.
SPEAKER 12 :
Well, we’ll be watching it very closely. Always great to see you, Senator. Thanks for joining us. Thanks, Tony. All right, folks, stick with us. We’re back with more after this.
SPEAKER 06 :
The Center for Biblical Worldview’s all-day workshops delves into the formation of a worldview, what it is, how it’s formed, when it’s formed, what that means to them personally and their churches and communities.
SPEAKER 20 :
My hope for people when they come to these worldview workshops is that they will come away better equipped to engage the people and the ideas that they’re living with and around. And our goal is to give people more confidence in the gospel and the fact that what God said to us actually is true, actually is the path to happiness and human flourishing for all of us, but also more confidence in their ability to have these conversations and help lead other people to the truth.
SPEAKER 13 :
for Bible believing Christians to know what God’s Word says on these issues and to learn how they can apply it to their lives. And we believe that the more Christians that we equip, that’s how we’ll change the nation.
SPEAKER 02 :
Hey, fam, listen, Pastor Sammy here at Lighthouse Church, and I cannot tell you how equipping, how empowering, how incredibly educating this conference has been. And so I just want to encourage anybody that either has not been part of or is thinking about hosting this event, certainly to pastors, leaders, even CEOs for that matter. This conference is lights out. Stand behind it myself. I can’t commend it enough. We’re going to be talking about this for some time to come.
SPEAKER 19 :
The culture is kind of squeezing in on us as God’s people, forcing those of us with biblical views to change those views or to suppress those views. It’s forcing us to engage with issues that we’ve never had to engage with. And so what this teaches us is what those issues are, what the Bible says about those issues, and then how we can critically engage our culture on these things in a way that is committed to biblical principle.
SPEAKER 02 :
Visit frc.org slash worldview for more information.
SPEAKER 12 :
All right. Earlier today, FRC held its Lift Up Life event. It was an online event. It was a day to mark a day of prayer and fasting for life. We’re praying. We’re praying to see a change in our policies and a change in the hearts of the American people so that we see abortion becoming truly not just a court decision of the past, but a a behavior of the past and one of the things that needs to happen, and we’re going to talk more about that in just a moment, but is the abortion pill that is now being sent across state lines, across state lines into pro-life states. It is nullifying all these pro-life laws. All right? And so we held this event to pray, and we have many, many leaders from different organizations praying. And so if you’d like to be a part of that, you can find it. It’s still up on the app, the Stand Firm app. Okay? So go to the Stand Firm app, and you can check that out. You can still pray, even if you don’t go and watch it on the app. But be praying. Be praying. Be praying for our president and his administration, that they would make the – The right decisions and sometimes the difficult decisions. And some of them are fearful of this issue. We just need to pray that they would have a greater reverence for life and for God than a fear of man and the polls. And here’s another reason they should consider this. According to a new study, this at-home abortion process is contaminating the American water supply. We were just talking about that with Senator Lankford. So how significant, though, is this threat? Well, here to discuss this, John Stemberger, president of Liberty Council Action, which just released this new report. John, welcome back to Washington Watch. Thanks for joining us.
SPEAKER 09 :
Tony, it’s great to be with you again.
SPEAKER 12 :
We were just discussing with Senator James Lankford of Oklahoma his inquiry and request for the EPA to study this. What should they be looking at and looking for?
SPEAKER 09 :
Well, the problem is they haven’t done anything. In the year 2000, when this group called the Population Council proposed it, and the Population Council is a bias group. It’s a nonprofit, big money, pro-abortion group. They claimed they did an environmental analysis. Tony, they did nothing. There were no academic studies. There was no scientific study. They just looked at the labeling. They said it’s going to have an insubstantial impact. Well, in 2000, nobody was using the chemical abortion pill. It’s over 70% of all abortions. This is the vast majority of abortions are done by a woman taking this pill, putting it in her mouth, literally seeing traumatically the baby enter the toilet, her own dead child, and having to interact with that. So the trauma on the woman is exponentially horrible. But this is happening 70,000 times a year. Students for Life has estimated that somewhere between 30 to 40 tons of medical waste, and I hate to use that word because I don’t want to devalue the human dignity of that child, but that’s human waste. That’s biohazard waste, medical waste, going into toilets, going into sewer systems, going into septic tanks, and ultimately going into the water systems that actually process our drinking water. We don’t know what the impact of this is. We know that these Wastewater plants are not designed to handle human remains. There’s several reports of them finding fetal remains in there. So that’s the one problem. The second problem is this mistopristo. This becomes an active metabolite, which means it doesn’t dissolve in the woman’s body completely. It has a lifespan. It’s a lethal drug, which actually attacks progesterone and kills the baby. So if this is still in our drinking water, the question is, is this affecting people? Is it affecting our infertility rate, which seems to be also increasing? There’s a correlation here. We don’t know if there’s causation. Correlation between the infertility rate and the increase in chemical abortions. So there’s just so many questions, but the EPA and the FDA both need to study this. We’re appealing to them. We’re appealing to the president because they’re appointed by the president. They serve as the president. We know, Tony, as you know, the president has committed to clean water. He said that over and over again. He’s held bottles of water in his hand at rallies. So we want crystal clear, clean water. But he also has a nuanced position with chemical abortion. And we think that when he sees the facts, this is a truth that when you see this, you can’t unsee this, Tony. I mean, when you realize this is going into our water system, this is kind of a big deal. But nobody knows the real impact because we haven’t done any studies.
SPEAKER 12 :
So, John, as you pointed out, we go back to the year 2000 when the Clinton administration approved mifeprestone as one of the two abortion chemicals. You say in 25 years, there’s been no study of the effect upon this of the environment of the water supply.
SPEAKER 09 :
That’s right. And Tony, here’s the thing. Every time there’s a change, like when the gestational age jumps from seven to 10 weeks, they should do another environmental analysis. They haven’t done any. There’s at least seven different more, at least a half dozen places where they should have did a new environmental analysis. They have not done anything. So we’re asking the EPA, we’re asking the FDA, we’re asking the president of the United States to turn to those secretaries and say, hey, please study this. I mean, they can turn on a switch and study the impact of Mr. Princeton on the water, along with other chemicals that they may be looking at as well. It’s very simple, but it’s controversial. We need to put pressure on the government.
SPEAKER 12 :
The government studies everything. This is something they should be studying. I mean, a clean water supply is extremely important. And we just have about a minute left. But the point I want to make, I want to make sure people heard what you said. This could be contributing to the infertility rates in the United States. We talk all. You know, there’s been all this controversy about IVF because people can’t conceive. The problem may be in our water. It’s not that, you know, you hear the old joke, well, they’re drinking the water and getting pregnant. Well, they’re drinking the water and they’re not getting pregnant.
SPEAKER 09 :
Yeah. I mean, look, the EPA tells you you shouldn’t even put baby wipes down the toilet. And we’re allowing the abortion industry to instruct women to literally put their own babies in the toilet. And you’re talking about, you know, tons and tons of cranial development, placenta, blood tissue. That’s very significant. That is not has no place in those. And so this is this is could be this would be a national scandal if it were in your context. You know, But because of this issue, everybody’s like hands off.
SPEAKER 12 :
It kind of reminds me of the verse, the wages of sin is death. And all of society pays a price when we violate the truth of God. John Stenberger, great work on this report. And thanks so much for joining us today to share it.
SPEAKER 09 :
Abortioninourwater.org to get the full report.
SPEAKER 12 :
All right. Very good. We’ll put that on the website. All right, folks, don’t go away. When we come back, Dr. Al Mohler joins me.
SPEAKER 17 :
Family Research Council is committed to advancing faith, family, and freedom from the East Coast to the West. So FRC is going to Southern California for this year’s Pray, Vote, Stand Summit, October 17th and 18th at Calvary Chapel, Chino Hills. Join us for this powerful gathering of Christians desiring cultural renewal and spiritual revival. The Pray, Vote, Stand Summit brings together Christian leaders, issue experts, and government officials for a time of prayer, inspiration, and action. Together, we will seek God’s guidance for our nation and engage in meaningful discussions on the intersection of faith, government, and culture. If the spiritual foundations and the cultural walls of our nation are to be rebuilt, we all have a role to play. May we each find our place on the wall as we build for biblical truth. Register now at PrayVoteStand.org. That’s PrayVoteStand.org.
SPEAKER 10 :
Jennifer, it’s so exciting to be here with you today talking about our new book, Embracing God’s Design. Who is actually going to benefit from reading this book in your view?
SPEAKER 04 :
There are so many different audiences that can benefit. The first one are counselors themselves, because we have some material in there where we really address the gender dysphoria diagnosis and what is wrong with it. We have information for people who are wanting to go back to embracing God’s design for their life.
SPEAKER 10 :
This is really magical to have the therapist and the individual who suffered come together and write about why this is happening and why we’re seeing this.
SPEAKER 04 :
And we brought all of that experience to the table. We want to see people walking in the fullness of who God has called them to be and not a false identity.
SPEAKER 09 :
Order today at embracethedesign.com.
SPEAKER 22 :
How should Christians think about the thorny issues shaping our culture? How should Christians address deceitful ideas like transgenderism, critical theory, or assisted suicide? How can Christians navigate raising children in a broken culture, the war on gender roles, or rebuilding our once great nation? Outstanding is a podcast from The Washington Stand dedicated to these critical conversations. Outstanding seeks to tear down what our corrupt culture lifts up with an aim to take every thought and every idea captive to the obedience of Christ. Whether policies or partisan politics, whether conflict in America or conflict abroad, join us and our guests as we examine the headlines through the lens of Scripture. and explore how Christians can faithfully exalt Christ in all of life. Follow outstanding on your favorite podcast app and look for new episodes each week.
SPEAKER 12 :
back to Washington Watch. Thanks for tuning in. You know, for over 40 years, Family Research Council has been defending faith, family, and freedom here in our nation’s capital and all across the country. And right now, as we close out our fiscal year, your gift can go twice as far. Thanks to a special matching challenge from friends of FRC, your gift will be doubled. But here’s the catch. This is only available this week, so don’t miss your opportunity to double your impact in standing for biblical truth in our nation’s capital and across America. We have folks standing by to take your call. Give us a call, 800-225-4008. That’s 800-225-4008, or you can go to frc.org. Together, let’s keep defending the family. Well, our word for today comes from Matthew chapter 20, where some laborers grumble over what they perceive as unfair treatment. Quote, these last men have worked only one hour and you made them equal to us who have borne the burden and the heat of the day. But he answered, friend, I’m doing you no wrong. Did you not agree with me for a denarius? I wish to give this last man the same as you. Is it not lawful for me to do what I wish with my own things? Or is your eye evil because I’m good? End quote. Well, at first glance, this seems unfair. Those who worked all day received the same wage as those who worked for only an hour. But the landowner gave each what he had promised. He was not only just, he was gracious. God’s goodness to others does not diminish his faithfulness to us. Instead of complaining or comparing, we’re called to serve with grateful hearts, trust our master’s reward, and rejoice when his grace is poured out on others. To find out more about our journey through the Bible, text Bible to 67742. That’s 67742, the word Bible. Well, we’re not the only ones marking the third anniversary of the Supreme Court’s decision overturning Roe v. Wade. Earlier today, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer had this to say.
SPEAKER 01 :
These anti-choice fanatics will stop at nothing. They don’t think their work is finished, even after such a horrible and wide-ranging decision as Dobbs. Reproductive freedom is under attack on all sides. Extremists are banning and restricting abortion, criminalizing providers, defunding care, and interfering with lifesaving medicines.
SPEAKER 12 :
Well, here’s the reality. Despite the historic Dobbs decision, the number of abortions in the U.S. has actually increased. Yes, you heard me right. It’s increased. According to the Guttmacher Institute, formerly the research arm of Planned Parenthood, there were an estimated 1,032,100 abortions in the year 2023. Now, that’s the most recent year for which data is available. Now, that’s a significant rise from the 930,160 abortions in 2021, the year before Roe was overturned. Now, this increase has occurred even though 41 states have laws on the books that offer varying degrees of protection for unborn children and their mothers. So how is this happening? Well, the answer points to the dramatic rise in the chemical abortions, the use of the abortion pill, which now accounts for 63% of all abortions in the U.S. There are solutions. And joining me now to talk about them, Dr. Albert Moeller, president of the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary and host of The Briefing. He’s also editor of World Opinions and author of several books, including his latest Prophet, Priest, and King. Dr. Moeller, welcome back to Washington Watch. Always great to have you on the program.
SPEAKER 14 :
Well, thank you, Tony. It’s always great to be with you, and there’s always plenty for us to talk about.
SPEAKER 12 :
It’s increasing by the moment. We’re marking the third anniversary of, frankly, something that I would say was miraculous, the U.S. Supreme Court overturning 50 years of bad law or decisions, Roe v. Wade. Where are we today when you consider that historic case?
SPEAKER 14 :
Well, I agree with you that the Dobbs decision three years ago was basically a miracle. We’re very thankful for it. But that also points to the fact that Roe v. Wade in 1973 was such an atrocity. It is not only bad constitutional interpretation, it’s dishonest and it’s deadly. And so the reversal of Roe, I mean, you and I can remember as soon as that was handed down, there was such great hope that it could be reversed. That took a half century. And and so the Dobbs decision is an is a game changer. Return the question of abortion to the states. I mean, I wish the decision had gone further on the abortion question, but it did return the question to the states. And, you know, it’s it’s created a map. We have a red blue America. We have a pro-life and we have an avidly pro-abortion America. And the pro-abortion, this is what you heard from Senator Schumer, they’re never going to be satisfied until every single abortion at every stage of pregnancy is fully legal and frankly paid for by taxpayers. That the culture of death is real clear about the extremity of its plans. But sadly, what we do have is the wake up call that technology is also playing a big part here. And that means medication abortion. So now the vast majority of abortions, we believe, are taking place by pills. They’re not in abortion clinics. And this is a game changer. And quite honestly, it removes it from public sight. But, you know, it doesn’t remove it from federal regulation. And and that’s where we need to be paying a lot of our attention right now.
SPEAKER 12 :
Well, you point that out. The Mifeprestone, one of the elements of the chemical abortions, this is not new. It’s been around going back to the year 2000 when actually it was the Clinton administration first approving it with very strict guidelines where you had to have an in-person consultation with a health care provider. It was only available up to the seventh week of pregnancy. Fast forward to the Biden administration. They did away with all of those restrictions. No longer did you have to have an in-person consultation. And they even went further during COVID. They got a Department of Justice ruling on the Comstock Act, which prohibited the mailing of abortifacients or anything that would cause an abortion through the mail, saying it doesn’t apply in this case. The result has been that this pill is being mailed into all of those states that post-Dobbs or post-Roe have pro-life laws. So, I mean, it’s almost, you know, Dr. Mueller, it almost reminds me of the story Jesus was talking about in the New Testament where the house was cleaned, the demonic strongman bound and sent out, and he goes away. And he comes back and he finds the house clean and he brings seven more with him. I mean, it’s almost as if the latter is worse than the former here.
SPEAKER 14 :
Well, I think you’re exactly right. I think of the same kind of New Testament parallel. You know, one demon’s cast out and seven demons move in. It’s a horrifying thing. And what’s really, I think, real clear is that there is a political legal remedy. If there’s the conviction in the White House, there’s the possibility of undoing this. You mentioned the Justice Department’s, I think, absolutely dishonest evaluation of Comstock. The Trump… Justice Department needs to clarify that, correct that right away. And then there’s the FDA on the abortion pill, and you mentioned Mifepristone particularly. You know, let me just step back for a moment and say, it’s a human pesticide. And when you think about the fact that here you’re talking about a pill that is so powerful that it can interrupt the natural process of a pregnancy and thus kill a fetus and expel it from the woman’s body in terms of the regimen, that’s horrifying. And so how all of a sudden you mentioned rightly all the restrictions that were placed on Mifepristone, even by the Clinton administration, only after Dobbs to have the Biden administration undo it. It really is a horrifying situation.
SPEAKER 12 :
And that’s policy.
SPEAKER 14 :
You’re drawing attention to it.
SPEAKER 12 :
That’s policy. And as you pointed out, it could be changed like this. The current administration could, it would be a start. I mean, I’ll be very candid and I think you agree with me. I know you agree with me. I want to see all abortions outlawed in this country. I want to see every single child, regardless of what zip code they’re conceived in, welcomed into this world and protected under our laws. I mean, that’s ultimately what we want to see. But we understand it’s a process of changing hearts, changing minds. But the law is a tutor. And, you know, for years we fought for and we obtained the, as you said, overruling this horrific ruling of Roe v. Wade. So this is where we’re at today. Let the states let the states be, you know, examples of others of what happens when you choose life. And I think that’s happening. But it’s being short circuited by the fact that the FDA still has Biden era policies in place.
SPEAKER 14 :
Well, that’s right. And, you know, the president sent some mixed signals on this on the campaign trail. But I want to say he’s taken some concrete actions in defense of life. Yes. Since he’s been in office. Yes. I want him to continue and press that consistently. And by the way, that would not be only a victory for the unborn. That would be a victory for women’s health. That’s right. Because, again, I think all the corners were cut in the ideological push in the Biden administration to just make those pills available. Well, these pills are dangerous.
SPEAKER 12 :
I mean, not only they obviously have to kill the baby, but the mothers are at risk. And we’ve seen an increase in the number of of effects upon women. In fact, it’s interesting going back to the you mentioned the camp, the President Trump, when he was running for president. This was an issue. There were two women in Georgia killed. in 2024 that died, and they blamed the pro-life laws in Georgia when, in fact, these two women both had abortion pills. And it was the complications that arose from those abortion pills that led to their unfortunate deaths. So these are very deadly procedures. Even Clinton recognized that, as we said, it put in place this medical oversight.
SPEAKER 14 :
Can I point out something? Yes. Excuse me. I think and I appreciate the fact you’re going at the arguments from the left. They’re so dishonest. So I think you’ll agree that the dishonesty is shown in the fact that they say this. OK, so after Dobbs, a lot of states have taken action. So abortion clinics are closed. Therefore, the the pill should be made available widely to to all people. Then you point out there are medical problems with the pill and they come back and say, oh, well, by the way, since you closed the abortion clinics, that still is necessary for women to be able to have access to an abortion. So in other words, I think they know how dangerous this pill is. I think that just shows you how intent they are upon making abortion as widely available as possible. I think they know the risks.
SPEAKER 12 :
The position of the federal government is undermining the states that are protecting the unborn. My home state of Louisiana is a perfect example where you have an abortionist in New York mailing in these abortion pills. And in one case, a mother gave it to her pregnant daughter without her knowledge to bring about the abortion. That’s one of the concerns of how this abortion pill is being used.
SPEAKER 14 :
Well, I agree with you entirely that, and by the way, I think the Justice Department desperately must revise its advisory on the Comstock Act. I believe the Comstock Act is precisely the legislation that would say these things can’t be shared state to state. I think that’s established law and that needs to be recognized. If the Justice Department is going to uphold justice, it needs to do that quickly. Let me ask you a question, Dr. Moeller.
SPEAKER 12 :
Can you say that you support the right of the states to protect the unborn and have laws on the books that are pro-life and at the same time support mailing abortion pills into those states.
SPEAKER 14 :
It’s a grotesque inconsistency and it is in some cases just sheer political cowardice. I appreciate you calling it out for what it is. We need to make very clear you’re not pro-life if you do not seek to shut down this unconstitutional illegal business of the abortion pill.
SPEAKER 12 :
The recent gathering of the Southern Baptist, this was an issue. And in fact, a resolution was passed, if I’m not mistaken, unanimously from the Southern Baptist Convention.
SPEAKER 14 :
Absolutely. And you know, this is an issue on which evangelical Christians have been awakened now for generations. And I’m glad to say that even when you look at some of the issues in which there can be, I think, some lost ground among evangelicals, I’ll tell you, the Southern Baptist Convention is as clear on this issue as it could possibly be, and I think absolutely right. And we need to put the pressure on our government officials to uphold their responsibility. And frankly, even when it comes just to the FDA and this pill, it’s malpractice to make this pill available as they have.
SPEAKER 12 :
Dr. Merle, we just have a couple of minutes left. I want to pivot here for just a moment because I think we need to realize that. Laws are important and we’re going to advocate to change those laws and those policies. But there is a this is a spiritual battle. We see the grip that the spirit of death has upon our country and that we overturned the law. But we we haven’t walked this all the way through. We changed, the court changed its mind, but we have not walked this all the way through to reestablish the freedom that God has given us to be a nation that embraces life. There is a spiritual battle here that has to be waged and it can only be waged by the church.
SPEAKER 14 :
That’s absolutely right, Tony. And, you know, the culture of death kills, but on the way to killing it lies. And those lies we just have to expose day after day. And that’s what you’re doing. I greatly appreciate that. The lies about the pill, the lies about the unborn child, just lies upon lies upon lies on the way to death. And no one said this is going to be easy, but this is the fight we’ve been called to fight.
SPEAKER 12 :
I think it’s defining. This to me is one of those defining issues for our nation. America can’t be great until it is first good. We’re not going to be politically great. We’re not going to be militarily great until we’re morally good. And that there’s nothing more fundamental than embracing human life created in the image of God.
SPEAKER 14 :
It’s that first order issue, Tony. You know, if we don’t get this right, nothing else is going to be right. If we don’t know, how in the world do we talk about the principles, for instance, articulated in the Declaration of Independence if we don’t even know who a person is? And there’s no more basic question. To get this wrong, frankly, nothing else can be right.
SPEAKER 12 :
Dr. Al Mohler, always great to talk with you and have a conversation about issues that matter greatly. Thanks for joining us.
SPEAKER 14 :
As always, God bless you, Tony.
SPEAKER 12 :
Dr. Al Mohler, just always appreciate the conversations we have. I hope you have as well. Thanks for joining us today. We’re out of time, but I encourage you to be praying for our nation and praying for this issue in particular, praying that God would move the heart of our president to embrace life throughout all of our policy in our country. All right. Until next time, just keep standing.
SPEAKER 03 :
Washington Watch with Tony Perkins is brought to you by Family Research Council and is entirely listener supported. Portions of the show discussing candidates are brought to you by Family Research Council Action. For more information on anything you heard today or to find out how you can partner with us in our ongoing efforts to promote faith, family and freedom, visit TonyPerkins.com.
