Podcast
Faith and Politics
Hosted by Michael Pauley · EN
Faith & Politics is a podcast from the South Dakota Catholic Conference. Join Executive Director Michael Pauley and Diocesan Chief of Staff Chris Motz, Esq. as they explore a variety of contemporary civic issues through the lens of a classical Catholic moral and ethical framework. Winsome and robust, Faith & Politics ranges from the soul to the state as it seeks to cultivate thoughtful criteria for governing and living well in the 21st century.
11episodes
Episodes
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South Dakota’s Pivotal Moment on Abortion
May 30, 202300:39:38Tap to summarizeSouth Dakota’s 2023 legislative session marked the first time that state lawmakers had gathered since the U.S. Supreme Court handed down its June 24, 2022 decision in the case of Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, which overturned Roe v. Wade and restored to the states the ability to set their own public policy on abortion. Host Michael Pauley is joined by Dale Bartscher, the Executive Director of South Dakota Right to Life, for a discussion on how state lawmakers responded to the Dobbs decision, and how South Dakota’s pro-life community is responding to a citizen-initiated amendment that proposes to create an unlimited right to abortion in the state constitution.
Transcribe →Obscenity and the First Amendment
May 9, 202300:43:10Tap to summarizeDuring the 2023 legislative session, South Dakota lawmakers introduced five different bills that sought to regulate the spread of obscenity, especially by limiting the access of minors to harmful materials. Despite a growing public awareness of the harms caused by obscene material and programs, not one of the anti-obscenity bills made it through the legislature. Michael Pauley is joined by Norman Woods of the South Dakota Family Heritage Alliance to discuss the debate surrounding obscenity laws, the role of the courts and their interpretation of the First Amendment, and the surprising involvement of South Dakota’s public-school establishment in opposing anti-obscenity legislation.
Transcribe →The abortion pill on trial
Apr 18, 202300:49:16Tap to summarizeIn the year 2000 the U.S.Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved the drug mifepristone (also knownas RU-486 or Mifeprex) as part of a regimen for chemically induced abortions.But on April 7, 2023—late on Good Friday—a federal judge in Texas issued apreliminary injunction that suspended the FDA’s approval of mifepristone,pending a trial on the merits of the case. The preliminary injunction waspartially reversed on appeal, but the judge’s opinion in Alliance forHippocratic Medicine v. FDA casts a spotlight on the damage thatmifepristone has caused to women and their preborn children. Host MichaelPauley is joined by Adam Schwend of Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America todiscuss the implications of the Alliance for Hippocratic Medicine case,regarded by many legal experts as the most important abortion-relatedlitigation since the Dobbs decision.
Transcribe →Marijuana, addiction, and South Dakota’s future
Mar 29, 202300:50:39Tap to summarizeIn 2022 voters rejected a measure to legalize recreational marijuana in SouthDakota. Yet in the 2023 session of the state legislature, a dozen bills wereintroduced related to marijuana, and in 2024 yet another ballot measure onmarijuana is likely to come before voters. Why is this issue still so unsettled? Toanswer this question, host Michael Pauley is joined by Jim Kinyon, the Chairmanof Protecting South Dakota Kids, and the Executive Director of Catholic SocialServices in Rapid City. Jim and Mike discuss the ambitions of the marijuanaindustry in South Dakota, some troubling aspects of the state’s “medicalmarijuana” program, and why Catholics should care deeply about the effects thatmarijuana has on our society.
Transcribe →Sex, gender, and surgery: a Catholic doctor’s perspective
Jan 31, 202300:53:10Tap to summarizeHost Michael Pauley is joined by Dr. Alfonso Oliva, a physician specializing in plastic andreconstructive surgery, and a member of the Executive Board of the Catholic MedicalAssociation. Dr. Oliva and Michael discuss the various controversies surrounding the use ofdrugs and surgeries as “treatment” for persons experiencing gender dysphoria. What are thepurported benefits of such procedures, and what are the known complications? Dr. Oliva shareshis thoughts concerning the rapid rise in cases of reported gender dysphoria among adolescentfemales, and the growing trend of administering drugs and performing so-called “genderreassignment” surgeries upon minors in the United States.
Transcribe →The abortion threat in South Dakota
Nov 8, 202200:42:50Tap to summarizeMichael Pauley is joined by Jon Hansen for a discussion of a proposed amendment that would create a right to abortion in the South Dakota state constitution. Hansen is the Speaker Pro Tempore of the South Dakota House of Representatives and also serves as Vice President of South Dakota Right to Life. Hansen and Pauley discuss the implications of the proposed constitutional amendment, which would be placed on the ballot for the November 5, 2024 election, if sponsors are able to gather the legally required number of signatures. Supporters of the amendment describe it as an initiative to put Roe v. Wade into the state constitution, but Hansen explains the amendment would impose a legal regime of unrestricted abortion-on-demand that is far more radical than the policy under Roe.
Transcribe →Marijuana: Panacea or Poison?
Nov 1, 202200:38:19Tap to summarizeChris Motz and Michael Pauley welcome Dr. Bonnie Omdahl for a conversation about marijuana, Initiated Measure 27, and public health. Dr. Omdahl explores what medical science says about the effects of marijuana on brain development, mental health, and physical health. Chris and Mike share thoughts on the huge gap between the scientific reality of marijuana and public perceptions of the drug. A Gallup survey reports that 71 percent of Americans consider chewing tobacco to be “very harmful” to one’s health, but only 27 percent said the same about marijuana. Dr. Omdahl offers her prescription for what can be done to make cultural perceptions of marijuana better conform to reality.
Transcribe →Marijuana and Crime
Sep 27, 202200:46:33Tap to summarizeCo-host Michael Pauley is joined by Pat West, Sheriff-elect of Meade County, for a discussion of marijuana and its association with criminal behavior. Michael and Pat examine a number of questions relevant to Initiated Measure 27, a proposal in the November 8, 2022 election to legalize the possession, use, and distribution of marijuana in South Dakota. Will legalizing marijuana reduce crime, or make it worse? Is marijuana a “gateway drug” that leads to the use of illicit drugs that are even more toxic, such as heroin or cocaine? What are “marijuana edibles,” and what dangers do they pose? What are the challenges that law enforcement face when dealing with drivers who are under the influence of marijuana? Michael and Pat explore how marijuana use by a minority of the population has adverse effects on the whole of society.
Transcribe →The Pitfalls of Legalizing Marijuana
Aug 30, 202200:50:39Tap to summarizeCo-hosts Michael Pauley and Chris Motz welcome guest Emily Leedom, Executive Director of the Lourdes Center in the Diocese of Sioux Falls, for a discussion of Initiated Measure 27, a ballot measure that would legalize recreational marijuana in South Dakota. The bishops of South Dakota have taken a stand against marijuana legalization, because of the harms it brings to individuals, families, and the broader society. Emily outlines the known impacts of marijuana and the various ways it undermines human flourishing. Chris and Michael also discuss with Emily the current trends in public opinion on marijuana, and explore the frequently-cited argument that marijuana use is no different than consuming alcohol.
Transcribe →Catholics and the Two Cities
Aug 16, 202200:41:33Tap to summarizeMichael Pauley welcomes Fr. Henry Stephan, O.P., of Notre Dame University to the program for a far-reaching conversation on how Catholics should engage with politics (the City of Man) without losing sight of the eternal home we are called to (the City of God). Michael and Fr. Henry discuss the thinking of Augustine and Aquinas on politics, examine three temptations that Catholics should avoid as they engage in political life, and review the current debate in Catholic intellectual circles on the subject of “integralism” and whether Catholic beliefs can be harmonized with the economic and political tenets of classical liberalism.
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