After much anticipation, Josh Brahm FINALLY gets to interview Monica Snyder from Secular Pro-Life about her background and expertise in Forensics. Monica explains how her work in forensics and DNA analysis affects her view on the abortion issue, particularly when it comes to questions about the justice system and why we shouldn't prosecute women who have had abortions. 

Content warning: Includes discussion of forensic rape kits as well as methods of testing whether a baby was aborted instead of miscarried. 

Links:

Testing biological tissue for abortion drugs

"Was the Infant Born Alive?" A Review of Postmortem Techniques Used to Determine Live Birth In Cases of Suspected Neonaticide

National Right to Life: Joint Open Letter: Criminalizing Women Who Have Abortions is Not Pro-Life

ERI Statement: Should Women Be Prosecuted for Illegal Abortions?

Secular Pro-Life

Equal Rights Institute

Equal Rights Institute Blog

Equipped for Life Academy

Equipped for Life Course

Sidewalk Counseling Masterclass

Chapters:

00:00:00 Introducing Monica's forensics credentials and background

00:03:25 Describing the Innocence Project

00:06:25 Monica describes her forensics work

00:09:30 Real forensics vs. TV forensics

00:15:50 Why rape cases are difficult to prosecute

00:21:40 Where forensics touches the abortion debate in a post-Dobbs world

00:24:45 Distinguishing abortion pills and miscarriage?

00:34:16 Concerns with attaching criminal penalties to women who have had abortions

00:41:55 What rights do convicted people have?

00:48:35 What would a dystopian prosecution of all women who had abortions look like?

00:49:50 What is a more realistic interpretation of pro-lifers who want to attach criminal penalties to abortion look like?

00:51:10 Plea deals and public defenders

00:54:40 'Steel-manning' the pro-lifers who want to attach criminal penalties to abortion

00:58:10 Trauma associated with miscarriage 

00:59:45 Relevant questions from real cases

01:02:20 WARNING: Morbid description

01:03:45 Conclusions from Monica 

01:06:30 Josh's eyewitness testimony story

01:11:16 Monica's eyewitness testimony story

01:13:55 Applying this to a recent case 

01:17:25 Wrapping up

Host: Josh Brahm

Guest: Monica Snyder

Audio/Video Editors: Joshua Head, Josh Brahm

Publisher: Ellen Campbell