End of life issues: Doctor prescribed death; euthanasia; check out EWTN new documentary

Screen shot from today's program; Deacon Mike, top;
Tom Chapman; Gina Noll (back to camera)

Today on FOT we had an interesting discussion with Tom Chapman, executive director of the Iowa Catholic Conference, on the subject of assisted suicide. There will be an interesting documentary by EWTN on the subject Wednesday evening. The producer of the film, Kevin Dunn, will be interviewed by Fr. Mitch Pacwa at 7 p.m. and the documentary will be broadcast at 9 p.m. All times listed here are Central.


You can see the web cast of this morning’s program on the Iowa Catholic Radio channel on YouTube (click here) or on the station’s web site (click here). Pod casts of earlier programs are also found on the Faith On Trial page on the Iowa Catholic Radio website (here). The Iowa Catholic Conference also has information on the issue of physician assisted suicide you can find its web site.


You can sign up to subscribe to our YouTube channel while you are checking out our latest webcast. FOT airs every Tuesday at 9 a.m. on Iowa Catholic Radio 1150 AM; 88.5 & 94.5 FM and streaming on line. The program is usually repeated at 9 p.m. unless pre-empted by Dowling Catholic Basketball. Hosts for the program are Deacon Mike Manno and Gina Noll.

What is wrong with doctor prescribed death?

Sunday’s Des Moines Register contained a long article about the controversies over

Tom Chapman
Iowa Catholic Conference

physician assisted suicide; whether or not it is necessary, and are there enough safeguards to protect the elderly, the infirm, and mentally challenged. The story was complete with the semi-sanitized version of one California woman’s death via assisted suicide.

Tuesday the focus of our discussion will be on this topic, what we refer to as doctor prescribed death.  In the studio with Deacon Mike and Gina will be Tom Chapman, executive director of the Iowa Catholic Conference and chief lobbyist for the Church. Tom will be able to discuss what is happening in the statehouse and what is being done about it. This is an issue that has come before the legislature, but thus far has failed to pass. The fortunes of the sponsoring pro-suicide Democrats have changed somewhat since the election turned both houses of the General Assembly over to the Republicans, but that doesn’t mean a suicide bill is dead or that a resort will not be made to the courts.

This will be an interesting discussion so plan on joining Deacon Mike Manno and Gina Noll for an interesting discussion of whether or not doctor prescribed death will find a place in Iowa. Tuesday at 9 a.m. on Iowa Catholic Radio, 1150 AM; 88.5 & 94.5 FM and streaming live on IowaCatholicRadio.com and on our own app that you can download from our site. And don’t forget that FOT is now being webcast so you can actually watch the program. Pod casts from older programs are available from the station’s website and the program itself will re-broadcast at 9 p.m. – all times are Central.

FOT is brought to you courtesy of our loyal sponsors and underwriters:  Attorney Rick McConville, Coppola, McConville, Coppola, Carroll, Hockenberg & Scalise PC 2100 Westown Parkway, West Des Moines, 515-453-1055; Confluence Brewing Company – off the Bike Trail just south of Grey’s Lake, 1235 Thomas Beck Road where there is live entertainment in the tap room every Thursday; and Robert Cota, Farm Bureau Financial Services, 200 West 2^nd Ave., Indianola, Iowa 50125, 515-961-4555 or 515-205-5642.

Next on FOT: Can a Christian school locate in a church? The law, for the time being, says “no”

This week on FOT we will have the story of a Christian school that is trying to locate in a church complex and although the township’s zoning boards approved the request the township denied the school’s request and surprisingly the federal district court ruled that the school’s religious liberty had not been “substantially burdened” by the town’s decision.

For nine years, Livingston Christian School (LCS) operated its school in the Village of Pinckney, Michigan. In 2014, the school sought a new, larger location more centrally located to their students.

They found only one viable option. LCS entered into an agreement with Brighton Church of the Nazarene to lease one of its buildings to house the school. In March 2015, Brighton Church, on behalf of LCS, submitted an application to amend its existing special use land permit to allow the school to use the church’s building as a religious school.

Jeremy Dys

The Township hired several consultants who concluded that the application should be approved. The Township’s Planning Commission and Community Development Director also recommended that the Board approve the application. Several residents of Genoa Township also spoke in favor of the school’s application before the town’s Board.

But, on July 20, 2015, the Township Board denied the application without explanation, preventing LCS from operating at the church or anywhere within Genoa Township!

A few weeks later, the Board explained the denial was due to concerns the school would overburden the public infrastructure and would not promote “harmonious and organized development consistent with adjacent land uses.” This denial came despite the opposite conclusions of consultants, the planning commission, the community development director, and town residents.

That case is now on its way to the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals and you can read First Liberty’s brief appealing the district court’s opinion.

Joining us to discuss the case is Senior Counsel Jeremy Dys with the First Liberty Institute

where he focuses on religious liberty matters and the First Amendment. Jeremy earned his law degree from West Virginia University College of Law in 2005. After law school, he clerked for the Hon. Russell M. Clawges, Jr., chief judge of the Circuit Court of Monongalia County in Morgantown, West Virginia. For six years prior to joining First Liberty Institute, he led a public policy organization where he led research and advocacy efforts on matters of life, marriage, and religious freedom.

This and other legal matters affecting people of faith will be discussed Tuesday at 9 a.m. (central) on Faith On Trial on Iowa Catholic Radio 1150 AM; 88.5 & 94.5 FM, and streaming on IowaCatholicRadio.com where you can find a link to our new webcast and podcasts of older programs. The program will rebroadcast at 9 p.m.

Faith On Trial is brought to you courtesy of our great sponsors and underwriters: Attorney Rick McConville, Coppola, McConville, Coppola, Carroll, Hockenberg & Scalise PC 2100 Westown Parkway, West Des Moines, 515-453-1055; Confluence Brewing Company – off the Bike Trail just south of Grey’s Lake, 1235 Thomas Beck Road where there is live entertainment in the tap room every Thursday; and Robert Cota, Farm Bureau Financial Services, 200 West 2^nd Ave., Indianola, Iowa 50125, 515-961-4555 or 515-205-5642.

Webcast coming to Faith On Trial starting next Tuesday

Faith on Trial will be

Webcast Live next week 

Starting next week you will be able to SEE as well as hear Deacon Mike Manno and Gina Noll as they bring you news and interviews of interest to people of faith. All you need to do is to go to IowaCatholicRadio.com and click on the link and you will be able to see Faith On Trial in living color. Remember, Faith On Trial is heard (and now seen) every Tuesday morning at 9 a.m. (central) on Iowa Catholic Radio, 1150 AM; 88.5 & 94.5 FM, and streaming on IowaCatholicRadio.com. Programs are re-broadcast at 9 p.m. and podcasts of earlier programs can be found on the station's website.

Our election re-cap special and interview with the Democratic Party chairman

The list of improbable continues: Cubs win the World Series, the Hawkeyes upset Michigan, and Donald Trump upsets (in more ways than one) Hillary and the Democrats to become the 45^th President of the United States.  

Tom Henderson

Well, we can’t give you any hint about the future of the Cubs or the Hawkeyes, but we’ll try to give you a little insight on politics this week when Tom Henderson, chairman of the Polk County Democratic Party joins Deacon Mike Manno and Gina Noll to look back at last week’s stunning Republican victory as well as looking forward to the rebuilding of the Democratic Party and how the nation can unify.

In addition our research associate and movie reviewer Stephanie Crowley will join us with a review of the movie Hacksaw Ridge. Also joining us will be our latest sponsor Robert Cota of Farm Bureau Financial Services.

Join us Tuesday at 9 a.m. (central) on Iowa Catholic Radio 1150 AM, 88.5 & 94.5 FM, and streaming live on IowaCatholicRadio.com where you can

also find podcasts of earlier programs.

Faith On Trial is brought to you by our loyal sponsors and underwriters: Attorney Rick McConville, Coppola, McConville, Coppola, Carroll, Hockenberg & Scalise PC 2100 Westown Parkway, West Des Moines, 515-453-1055; Confluence Brewing Company – off the Bike Trail just south of Grey’s Lake, 1235 Thomas Beck Road where there is live entertainment in the tap room every Thursday; and Robert Cota, Farm Bureau Financial Services, 200 West 2^nd Ave., Indianola, Iowa 50125, 515-961-4555 or 515-205-5642.

The 45th President of the United States

May God bless our next president; may He give him the wisdom to guide this nation on a path of reconciliation and peace. While Mr. Trump works to make America great, let us work and pray to bring America back to the path of righteousness and make our land truly great in the eyes of our Lord. God Bless America.

Special Election Day FOT with Greg Baker of The Family Leader: How to put our civic duties into a Christian perspective



By the end of Tuesday most of the shouting and electioneering will be over and we’ll be able to welcome our new president and civic leaders. Some with be happy with the choices, others will not. But God will still reign and it will be a time to turn from our partisan differences to our dependence on our Heavenly Father; and we do that by recognizing our true civic duties as Christians. 

Greg Baker

Once again we are having a special program devoted to healing our nation with a prominent member of The Family Leader’s staff, Greg Baker, Executive Director of TFL Ambassador Network.

Greg is a 2009 graduate of the University of Iowa. His inspiration to make a difference through politics began early in high school years. His passion stemmed from the strategy necessary to pass legislation and to win elections. This passion fueled him to the position of State Chairman for The College Republican of the State of Iowa.

Greg’s pursuit in politics took a radical turn through his acceptance of Jesus Christ as his Lord and Savior. His focus took a sharp turn from self to the pursuit of God’s righteousness in the civic arena. Greg’s spiritual journey and maturation meshed with The Family Leader’s needs in July of 2011. Greg is charged with developing a dynamic network of Churches and Believers throughout Iowa to impact The Family Leader’s policy, election and mission goals.

So join Greg as he joins Deacon Mike Manno and Gina Noll to discuss how we as Christians can “survive” the election by doing honor to God and to our country.

2 Chronicles 7:14

“If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land.”

Faith On Trial airs every Tuesday morning at 9 a.m. (Central) on Iowa Catholic Radio 1150 AM; 88.5 & 94.5 FM and streams on IowaCatholicRadio.com. You can download our app at IowaCatholicRadio.com where you can also find podcasts of earlier programs.

Faith On Trial is on the air courtesy of our great sponsors and underwriters: Attorney Rick McConville, Coppola, McConville, Coppola, Carroll, Hockenberg & Scalise PC 2100 Westown Parkway, West Des Moines, 515-453-1055; and Confluence Brewing Company – off the Bike Trail just south of Grey’s Lake, 1235 Thomas Beck Road where there is live entertainment in the tap room every Thursday.

Deacon Keith Fournier tells it like it is