[00:00:07] This is Missy Martinez Stone, and you're listening to the centered podcast, where we have unifying conversations on the divisive subject of abortion.
[00:00:27] Hello, and welcome to the centered podcast. This is. This is our first ever episode.
[00:00:35] My team at the center for Client Safety has been asking me for about over a year to start a podcast.
[00:00:43] But I wanted to be really thoughtful and intentional with it if I was going to do it. And so I took the time to really consider what this podcast needed to be. There is so much noise right now, especially around the subject of abortion. People have very strong feelings and very strong reactions on both sides of the issue. And since Roe v. Wade was overturned, it's come to the forefront of a lot of discussions, most of which are not productive or helpful. As many of you know, I am the president and CEO of an organization called the center for Client Safety. We investigate, report, and shut down dangerous abortion facilities.
[00:01:45] And one of the things that I love about our work is that our mission is something everyone can get behind, regardless of where people stand on abortion.
[00:02:00] Almost everyone can agree that predatory medical practitioners with barely any training and running unsanitary facilities should not be practicing.
[00:02:17] I have had multiple people tell me that they don't agree with me on abortion, but they understand and support what I do at the center for client Safety. What I and my team do at the center for Client Safety.
[00:02:37] When I tell them about the first abortionist we shut down, the 87 year old was shaking hands that was trying to do surgical abortions on young women.
[00:02:50] They go, yeah, he shouldn't be practicing. Or I tell them that states like Illinois completely deregulated their abortion facilities and the health department doesn't inspect them anymore, and they go, that's absurd and dangerous for women.
[00:03:12] Yes, and I've been able to talk about our work in a way that engages people on the issue and in a way that's accessible to them.
[00:03:33] We can find common ground and push for real health and safety standards and proper enforcement, because we can all agree that dirty, unregulated, substandard abortion facilities should not be allowed to stay open.
[00:03:56] A foundational value that you will see across the board in our work shutting down abortion facilities is that we are bridge builders.
[00:04:08] It's shown in how we build partnerships with local pro life communities, how we interact with the regulatory agencies, how we work with the legislators.
[00:04:23] And that's what I want to do here as well.
[00:04:30] I didn't want to do a true crime format podcast about the terrible abortion facilities and the abortionists that we investigate and shut down so much of that type of content is already out there. And when I was looking at the state of the pro life movement, and even, in the broader sense, the state of our nation, it became clear to me that people are desperately looking for connections and respectful conversation.
[00:05:07] And this has been evident in my own personal conversations with people in and outside of the pro life movement. There's a growing distaste for the villainization of those who don't agree with us on every single thing, and reducing people's lives and experiences to their views on abortion really isn't helpful. And again, that goes both ways.
[00:05:37] As the nation gets more and more divided, there are more and more people who find themselves somewhere in the middle, in the center, looking around for others who can have reasonable, empathetic, and nuanced conversations, because that's where hearts change.
[00:06:08] So I wanted to take our theme of bridge building and continue it into this podcast by creating space for humans to have connections with other humans.
[00:06:23] Not philosophers, not news pundits.
[00:06:28] We're just normal people trying to navigate a complicated subject that brings up a lot of pain and emotion.
[00:06:42] There are a lot of controversial subjects in the world, but there is something about abortion that triggers a different level of reactions.
[00:06:56] I am yet to see it duplicated in any other human rights issue. In the same way, it brings out our strongest feelings, our deepest grief, our hottest anger, truly our worst selves.
[00:07:16] So how do we make space for that?
[00:07:19] Can we ground the conversation so that it kind of turns the volume of everything down and we can actually hear each other?
[00:07:29] I want to try.
[00:07:32] But I do want to be clear.
[00:07:34] I am not under the illusion that I will do it perfectly.
[00:07:39] I am trying to navigate a complicated subject like everyone else, and I'll probably say something you disagree with at some point, but that's the point. It's okay.
[00:07:51] We are not the sum of our differences. We are powerful partners who encompass a diverse spectrum of beliefs. And there are some things so egregious that despite our differences, we can come together, and that is shutting down dangerous abortion facilities that can't meet basic medical standards.
[00:08:20] So here we are, the centered podcast.
[00:08:25] And I'm very excited about the amazing conversations and challenging discussions that will come out of this, and I really hope you are, too. So let's move on to something a little lighter. Another thing that we can all mostly get behind is a good cup of coffee.
[00:08:49] If you are a coffee drinker, which I'm assuming most of you are. I definitely am.
[00:08:54] There is an amazing pro life coffee company called seven weeks coffee 10% of their sales goes directly to supporting pro life organizations, mostly pregnancy resource centers as well. The creator and founder Anton Kresik is on the board of center for Client Safety. He joined earlier this year because he loved our innovative strategy and wanted to bring his business acumen and his pro life passion to the table. And if you're buying coffee anyways, why not get good quality coffee? That's also making a life saving impact.
[00:09:39] You can support the work of center for Client safety by actually using the link in our show notes, so we will have that for you. If you joined our inner circle program as a champion or visionary level, you will be receiving a bag of seven weeks coffee on us and I guarantee you'll love it. And when you want more, use our partnership link, which again is in the show notes.
[00:10:08] And there's just one more thing I want to highlight. I want to make sure that you know about the incredible conference that's happening this summer, June 21 through 23rd it's the National Celebrate Life Conference.
[00:10:24] It's going to be a jam packed weekend in Washington, DC celebrating the overturning of Roe versus Wade.
[00:10:32] This June will be two years since the Dobbs decision was handed down and the landscape of our nation fundamentally changed when it comes to abortion.
[00:10:46] So the National Celebrate Life Conference aims to unite pro life women and men to celebrate, collaborate and strategize for the protection of preborn children and make abortion unthinkable in our culture.
[00:11:03] And the center for Client Safety is a sponsor.
[00:11:06] I will also be speaking on a panel with some of my absolute favorite pro life leaders, Jerrel Godse, president of Harpy International and Lauren Musica, president and CEO of Sidewalk Advocates for Life.
[00:11:22] That will be on Friday, June 21, around 03:30 p.m. on the main stage.
[00:11:28] And the three of us, oh, you know what? And Eddie Perez of Vans for Life is going to be on it as well. The four of us are going to be talking about obliterating the demand for abortion, creating life saving partnerships and resource networks. And again, that just goes into the theme. We are bridge builders, and Jerrel and Lauren have been some of our biggest supporters and partners from day one.
[00:11:58] It's going to be an amazing weekend that you absolutely don't want to miss, so please check out the
[email protected] and be sure to book your tickets as soon as possible because they will sell out. So hopefully we'll see you in Washington, DC this summer.
[00:12:20] I'm hoping to close out every episode with what I want to call off the clock segment.
[00:12:28] So we will ask each of our guests what they are thinking about or doing outside of their amazing human rights and justice work.
[00:12:38] So since I don't have a guest today, I'm going to answer it myself. What am I doing off the clock?
[00:12:45] I am gardening. I'm an avid gardener and spring is my favorite time of year. My raised garden beds have been set up and filled. I have lettuce, cucumbers, tomatoes, peppers and all kinds of things growing.
[00:13:03] I also have lots of flowers in my front yard.
[00:13:07] My rose bushes are finally blooming and they are absolutely beautiful. I will be able to, I'll be sure to post a photo on my instagram so you can see it.
[00:13:17] But right now, when I'm not investigating, reporting and shutting down dangerous abortion facilities and being a wife and mother, I am in the garden. And it has been so fun and really brings life to my soul. That's it for today. It is a shorter episode, but coming up, we will have our board chair and well known pro life advocate, Allison Howard Cintafonte and Anton Kressick, founder of seven weeks coffee. Right now, we are planning to drop new episodes every Friday right here on Kastos. For more information about the work at center for Client Safety, go to centerforclientsafety.org. or you can visit our socials at center for Client Safety. You can also find me on socials at Missymartinesstone.
[00:14:17] This is the centered podcast. I'm your host, Missy Martinez Stone. See you next time.
