Colorado’s Radical Abortion Laws and the Story of American Industrialist Henry J. Kaiser

On Monday, November 21, 2022, during Thanksgiving week, Kim Monson welcomed Giuliana Day, Executive Director of Life Decisions, along with Dr. Catherine Wheeler and Dr. Tom Perel to discuss Colorado’s radical abortion laws and the importance of cross-partisan pro-life advocacy. In the second hour, Randall O’Toole from the Anti-Planner shared the remarkable story of American industrialist Henry J. Kaiser.

The Reality of Abortion in Colorado

Start listening at 2:23 – Hour 1

Giuliana Day founded Life Decisions after leading the Proposition 115 campaign, which sought to restrict late-term abortions in Colorado. She explains that the organization operates on three pillars: providing accurate information about abortion through medical presentations statewide, uniting fragmented pro-life groups across political and religious lines, and offering comprehensive resources through their Life Decisions Resource app.

Day reveals a troubling reality many Coloradans remain unaware of: the state allows abortion until the moment of birth. The Reproductive Health Equity Act, signed by Governor Polis, represents what Day calls “the most radical piece of legislation” not just in America but globally. The abortion industry has pledged to push for a constitutional amendment in 2024 to further entrench these policies.

“A lot of the people, when we were discussing the issue of abortion, didn’t have any idea that in this state you could have an abortion until the moment of birth. When you tell people that, they’re like, no, no way.”

Giuliana Day, Executive Director of Life Decisions

An OBGYN’s Journey from Performing Abortions to Pro-Life Advocacy

Start listening at 11:38 – Hour 1

Dr. Catherine Wheeler, an OBGYN physician, shares her powerful transformation from performing abortions early in her career to becoming a vocal pro-life advocate. She describes in clinical detail the procedures used at different stages of pregnancy, including first-trimester suction procedures, second-trimester dilation and evacuation using forceps, and third-trimester abortions involving lethal injections of digoxin.

Wheeler’s turning point came during a routine abortion when she experienced what she describes as an overwhelming sense of evil in the room. She never performed another abortion after that day, though she spent years unable to process what she had done. Her testimony underscores the dehumanization required to perform abortions and the grief many women experience afterward.

“In order to do an abortion, you have to, there are two things that have to happen and for women to choose it. You have to assume that the baby does not have any value, that it’s not a human being, or completely disregard it. And the second thing is you can’t let people know what happens in the procedure. Once you know, like you wouldn’t do this to an animal.”

Dr. Catherine Wheeler, OBGYN Physician

Breaking the Pro-Life Partisan Divide

Start listening at 33:01 – Hour 1

Dr. Tom Perel, a lifelong Democrat and internal medicine specialist, represents Democrats for Life, working to change the party from within. He notes that approximately one-third of Democrats nationally and 20 percent in Colorado identify as pro-life, yet these voices are often silenced by party leadership.

During medical school at Northwestern University, Perel witnessed an abortionist pass around a bucket containing an aborted second-trimester baby. This experience, combined with delivering babies at a Catholic hospital, cemented his pro-life convictions. He advocates for a “consistent life ethic” that values human beings from fertilization to natural death, arguing that the pro-life movement must remain bipartisan to succeed.

“If Americans recognized the true humanity of that embryo and fetus, they would be disinclined to seek abortion as the solution. They’d look for other support for women who are pregnant in an unplanned fashion.”

Dr. Tom Perel, Democrats for Life

The Forgotten Entrepreneur Who Helped Win World War II

Start listening at 59:30 – Hour 2

Randall O’Toole from the Anti-Planner argues that Fortune magazine made a mistake naming Henry Ford the entrepreneur of the 20th century. Henry J. Kaiser, born in 1882 in upstate New York, built roads, dams (including Hoover, Grand Coulee, and Bonneville), ships, planes, houses, and automobiles, leaving a legacy that touches nearly every aspect of American life.

Kaiser’s contributions to winning World War II proved extraordinary. Starting with no shipbuilding experience, he constructed seven shipyards capable of building 58 ships simultaneously. By war’s end, his operations had produced nearly 1,500 ships, initially taking less than a month per vessel and eventually achieving completion in as little as five days. He pioneered welding over riveting, integrated women and Black workers into his workforce when unions resisted, and built the city of Vanport to house 50,000 workers.

“Henry Kaiser built roads. He built dams. He built houses. He built hotels. He built ships. He built planes. He made cement. He made steel, he made aluminum, magnesium, and a variety of other things. Oh, and he also made cars.”

Randall O’Toole, The Anti-Planner

Kaiser’s Enduring Legacy

Start listening at 66:30 – Hour 2

O’Toole explains how Kaiser invented the health maintenance organization while building Grand Coulee Dam, creating what became Kaiser Permanente. After the war, Kaiser transitioned from government contracts to private enterprise, becoming America’s largest homebuilder and starting the Kaiser Motor Company, which sold more cars in its first year than any startup automobile company in history.

Perhaps most remarkably, when Kaiser automobiles struggled against Detroit competition, he protected his investors by merging all his companies into Kaiser Industries, absorbing $200 million in personal losses rather than letting shareholders suffer. He then moved his automobile operations to South America, where for ten years they dominated the market as the continent’s largest manufacturer.