Apologia Radio Episode 558: "Breaking News: Corruption and Deception Exposed"

Date: February 6, 2026
Host: Jeff Durbin
Guest: Bradley Pierce (Foundation to Abolish Abortion)
Special Guest Testimony: Abby Johnson
Episode Focus: Exposing opposition—namely, by established pro-life organizations—to abolitionist equal protection/anti-abortion legislation in South Dakota.

Overview

This impactful episode dives deep into the often unseen conflict within the pro-life movement, exposing how pro-life establishment organizations actively oppose legislative attempts to fully criminalize and abolish abortion. Host Jeff Durbin and attorney Bradley Pierce provide first-hand accounts from the South Dakota State House’s hearing on House Bill 1212, highlighting the ways even pro-life leaders obstruct “equal protection” legislation for the unborn. The episode features key testimonies, including that of abortion survivor and activist Abby Johnson, and confronts the theological, legal, and cultural contradictions at the heart of the pro-life establishment.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The Underlying Theme: In-House Opposition to Abolition

• Pro-Life Industry as the Greatest Obstacle:
  Jeff frames the central narrative: “The greatest enemy to the end and the abolition, the criminalization of abortion in these United States is the pro-life industry, the pro-life establishment.” (08:00)

  • The episode’s main claim is that it is not the pro-choice movement but entrenched pro-life organizations who most robustly block abolition bills.

• The Shift in Language and Courage:
  Durbin points out the growth of uncompromising Christian language in legislative debates ("murder," "justice," "God’s law").

  • "That word murder is used throughout this hearing and it is used freely and it is used with so much confidence. That in itself is a dramatic change." (37:15)

2. South Dakota's Equal Protection Bill (HB 1212)

• Description of the Bill:
  HB 1212 sought to remove exemptions that protect women from prosecution for self-managed abortions, granting unborn children equal constitutional protection from homicide and assault.

• Legislative Context:
  Although South Dakota enacted a "trigger law" post-Roe, self-administered abortion remains immune from prosecution, leading to an increase in abortions via mail-order pills.

  • "A total of 768 south Dakota babies were murdered by abortion ... 308 abortions happened right here on South Dakota soil as self-induced abortions." (18:38 – Representative Randolph)

• Bill Killed in Committee:
  Despite early supportive vote counts, last-minute lobbying by pro-life organizations flipped the outcome.

  • “We had counted the votes ... the votes were there ... But then, as we've seen before, the pro life establishment did what they do and came out with full force against it.” (08:37 – Bradley Pierce)

3. The Theological Divide: Victimhood and Protected Classes

• Establishment’s Doctrinal Position:
  Pro-life organizations teach that women procuring abortions are not culpable but are themselves victims. This doctrine is described as an anti-biblical innovation.
  • “What's in the womb is human life ... but ... women who willfully ... take the lives of their children in the womb are themselves victims like their children.” (13:52 – Jeff Durbin)
  • This “confession of faith” protects women from prosecution, creating a “protected class of killers” in law.
• Abolitionist Response:
  The biblical and Christian historical position is that abortion is murder, and all parties (including mothers) are morally and legally responsible.

4. Notable Quotes & Testimonies

• Representative Randolph’s Opening Statement (Proponent):

  • "Abortion rates have increased. And that is precisely why HB 1212 is essential. This bill is not about punishment. It is about protection.” (19:20)
  • He directly rebuts “coercion” arguments by explaining only equal protection ends coercion and victimization.

• Abby Johnson’s Testimony (Proponent):

  • "[The Catechism] says that abortion is murder ... The law must provide appropriate penal sanctions for every deliberate violation of the child's rights." (27:54)
  • Johnson addresses the inconsistency of Catholic leaders opposing criminal penalties for abortion, evidencing doctrinal betrayal.
  • "The most compassionate thing that you can do for women is to place a legal barrier in order for us not to kill our children." (30:40)

• Bradley Pierce, Foundation to Abolish Abortion (Proponent):

  • "You cannot abolish abortion without making it illegal for anyone, including the mother, to murder a preborn child." (47:38)
  • "If you keep it legal for women to abort their child, you're also keeping it legal for men and abusers and others to pressure them."
  • Detailed 8-point summary tying justice, law, scripture, and civil responsibility together. (48:40)

5. Pro-Life Establishment Arguments (Opposition)

• National and State Right to Life Lobbyists:

  • "We have also consistently opposed policies that would criminally punish women ..." (54:03)
  • Directly admit opposition to legal ramifications for women who self-abort, reinforcing Durbin and Pierce’s assertions.

• Pregnancy Resource Center Testimony:

  • "We offer non-judgmental support no matter their pregnancy decision ... If women fear judgment or prosecution, they will never step through our doors." (66:15 – Jenna Cross)
  • Arguments centered on compassion, potential reduction in PRC services, and fear of criminalization preventing women from seeking help.

• Analysis of This Rhetoric:

  • Durbin and Pierce critique the logic, calling the idea that criminalization would harm PRCs a “fallacious form of reasoning” and contrary to approaches with other crimes.
  • “If you want coercion to stop, you have to provide equal protection for the child in the womb.” (22:25 – Jeff Durbin)

6. Gospel and Justice Intertwined

• Misuse of “Grace” Rhetoric:
  Opponents claim that equal protection laws threaten the grace of Jesus; hosts rebut that the law provides civil justice, grace is extended through the Gospel, and that law restrains sin without extinguishing the offer of salvation.
  • “HB 1212 is a threat to the grace that Jesus Christ extended to all of us on the cross.” (72:59 – Jenna Cross)
  • “Does that mean we want to actually take theft off the books and decriminalize theft?...Are we really that muddy in our thinking?” (73:25 – Jeff Durbin)
• Micah 6:8 – Love Mercy, Do Justice:
  “We are to love mercy, but what does he require us to do? To do justice. … That’s what these legislators ... have been appointed to do.” (77:26 – Bradley Pierce)

7. Who Really Stopped the Bill?

• Pro-Life Leaders, Not Pro-Choice Activists:

  • "It's not Planned Parenthood and the pro aborts ... sitting next to us in opposition … is the pro life leaders and establishment. That's who's killing these bills." (63:09 – Jeff Durbin)

• Grassroots Christians vs. Establishment Elites:

  • Despite establishment claims that “90% of the pro-life movement” oppose the bill, actual constituent contacts to legislators were overwhelmingly in favor.
    • “560 of those pieces of communication were for this bill ... The grassroots individual mom and pop Christians ... support this.” (93:39 – Bradley Pierce)

Memorable Moments & Quotes with Timestamps

• “The greatest enemy to the end and the abolition, the criminalization of abortion in these United States is the pro-life industry.”
  – Jeff Durbin (08:00)

• Abby Johnson on Catholic Bishops:

  • “It’s crazy to me that the Catholic Church would deny equal protection of the unborn, particularly because the Catechism ... says abortion is murder.” (28:04)

• On Creating a Protected Class:
  “They believe that women, by law, ought to be protected, a protected class to do this act ... to do this without any penalty.”
  – Jeff Durbin (14:35)

• On Non-Judgment in PRCs:
  “We offer non-judgmental support no matter their pregnancy decision.”
  – Jenna Cross (66:16)

  • “What value is your pregnancy center if you’re giving non-judgmental support?”
    – Jeff Durbin (66:52)

• Biblical Justice Summed Up:
  “Murdering anyone should be illegal for everyone.”
  – Jeff Durbin, repeated theme throughout (cf. 22:46, 36:56, 94:47)

• Exposure to Legislators and Listeners:
  “You are a dying breed. Because at a certain point, the Christian church, the lights come on and we say, oh, no, this is an atrocity. Oh, no, this is darkness. Oh, no, this is evil. And we’re going to shine light on it.”
  – Jeff Durbin (57:44)

Critical Timestamps for Major Segments

• Legislative Context & Bill Background:
  07:30–11:00

• Theological and Historical Divide over Culpability:
  13:50–15:09

• Proponent Testimony Starts (Randolph):
  17:47

• Abby Johnson Testimony:
  26:17–31:27

• Bradley Pierce’s Key Testimony:
  47:10–51:27

• Opposing Testimony Begins (South Dakota Right to Life):
  54:03

• Pregnancy Resource Center Arguments (Jenna Cross):
  66:15–72:59

• Closing Reflections and Additional Testimony:
  85:52–93:37

Conclusion & Call to Action

The episode closes urging listeners to:

• Share the episode and expose the obstructionism of national and state pro-life organizations.
• Support abolitionist efforts—both financially and in lobbying—for equal protection legislation.
• Recognize that, as the pro-life “establishment” continues to show its cards in public forums, now is the time for faithful Christians and legislators to press forward for justice in the name of God’s law and the Gospel.

Summary Table: Key Testimonies

| Speaker | Position | Key Quote / Argument | Timestamp | |----------------------------|--------------------|------------------------------------------------------|------------| | Rep. Randolph | Proponent | “This bill is not about punishment. It’s about protection.” | 19:20 | | Abby Johnson | Proponent | “The law must provide appropriate penal sanctions for every deliberate violation of the child’s rights.” | 28:30 | | Bradley Pierce | Proponent (Attorney)| “You cannot abolish abortion without making it illegal for anyone, including the mother, to murder a preborn child.” | 47:38 | | Dale Barcher (SD RTL) | Opponent | “We have ... consistently opposed policies that would criminally punish women ...” | 54:03 | | Jenna Cross (PRC) | Opponent | “We offer non-judgmental support no matter their pregnancy decision.” | 66:16 | | Leah Anderson (Post-abortive testimony) | Opponent/Opposer of Bill | “The consequence of this bill will leave many women in their life of guilt and shame ...” | 88:56 |

Tone and Style

• Driven, passionate, and theological; Jeff and Bradley use direct, biblically-infused language (“murder,” “justice,” “abomination”).
• Emotional yet precise; the episode balances righteous indignation with personal testimonies of change and hope.
• Unashamedly calling out “corruption and deception”—leaving listeners with a sense of urgency and duty in the battle for the unborn.

For anyone seeking clarity on why abolitionist and mainstream pro-life organizations are often at odds—and who is truly fighting to end abortion in law—this episode is essential listening.