Many American Christians say abortion is abhorrent because the human life is sacred and should be valued above all else in every circumstance. We are also the same demographic of people who overwhelmingly overlap with gun-owners. This is regardless of the fact that to own a gun for anything other than game-hunting, is to be prepared on some level to be able to kill another person.

My view on guns is comprised of essentially three axioms. If you own a gun ‘for protection’ in America (and anywhere else), I assume you hold all three beliefs:

I can protect myself, my property, and innocents. A gun is the best way to protect myself, my property, and innocents. I am prepared to kill a person (or persons) in an effort to protect myself and innocents. The potential loss of another person’s life is a responsibility I’m willing to take on.

That’s it.

This is what I believe all gun-owners (for protection) inherently believe, whether or not they realize it. If you own a gun for ‘self-defense’, you’re telling me you are fine with, or at the very least prepared to, kill another human being if you feel yourself, your property, or innocents are in danger. Basically, owning a gun is, in more ways than one, leaving the choice for taking a life in your own hands.

I believe as a society, the reason we have a judicial unit and law enforcement, is because we realize the enormous responsibility that is belief number 3, and we collectively choose to outsource it to a group of people who have received extensive training, and are sufficiently equipped to bear this responsibility on our behalf. I, personally, do not hold beliefs 2 and 3, mostly because I have not lived experiences that would necessitate those beliefs. I however understand that millions of people do hold these beliefs, rightfully due to their circumstances, and are operating within the confines of the law. This is legal. From a Christian perspective however, the situation is more complex: would/should you shoot at a burglar trying to steal your TV in the middle of the night? Is this a sin? Should Christians kill if they believe they’re in danger?

I struggle to imagine any of the disciples, Christian philosophers (think Aquinas), or even Christ himself, bearing arms that may kill people, even to defend themselves. But this is America in 2017 and we understand times are different, and while ‘killing’ is a sin, the situation is hardly black/white. As Christians, this is an issue that is still not quite clear-cut but which many Christians are tacitly sympathetic to. Also, we live in a society where this is legal, regardless of the Christian grey area. When it comes to abortion however, an issue that is essentially also about the choice to take a life, Christians take a far harsher line.

Abortion is something of a litmus test for many Christians. Many see it as a one-stop issue for figuring out who is truly Christian and who may be a left-leaning heretic masquerading as a Christian.

I do not know many Christians, even very conservative Christians, who would deny abortion where there are complications with the pregnancy, where the mother’s life may be at risk, or where the child was conceived via rape or incest. The reluctance of many Christians to immediately condemn a woman considering abortion in these cases speak to the fact that abortion is complex, and that the life of the child is weighed in comparison to other factors, chiefly, the ‘life’ of the mother. Of course, these are extreme cases, but the point is many Christians understand and sympathize with the mother here. I would call these set of cases Group 1. For this group, many Christians would support abortion in said case.

More often though, pregnant women may choose to abort their pregnancies not for any apparent ‘life-threatening’ issue. Let’s call these cases Group 2. Here, Christians are less forgiving. I think it is important to note however, that these women truly believe they are comparable to Group 1. These women believe that their ‘lives’ as they’ve lived it so far, are in danger, and that if they have the child, their lives as they understand it will indeed cease to exist. That is, the perceived loss of their autonomy and freedoms, is so frightening that they consider the pregnancy ‘life’-threatening. They deeply believe this child will turn them into someone entirely different, someone they are not prepared to be, and for this group of women, this is as dire as actually dying. For many women in this group, it is quite literally the end of the world.

I believe that to only tell these Group 2 women “abortion is a sin”, is hardly sufficient nor helpful for ministering to them (which is essentially what Christians are on earth for, ministering.)

To Group 2 women, I’ve seen the response of many Christians range from scorn and disgust, to a weird sense of satisfaction along the lines of “…you couldn’t abstain, so now you’ve got what’s coming to you. Deal with it.” This view only reinforces the perception these women have that their pregnancy is indeed some divine punishment to end their ‘lives’, and only pushes these women even more to find ways to get rid of it. In the event where abortion is illegal, these women may go as far as using very unsafe methods (like a metal clothes hanger, a glass bottle, or drinking bleach) endangering their own lives so we are left with a double tragedy and no chance of redemption and repentance for the woman.

I believe that abortion, in every case, is also about the life vs. life weighting — where it’s the mother’s life (sense of self or existence) vs. that of the child’s. Is abortion a sin? Yes. Much in the same way killing is a sin. However, just as Christians push for nuance in the choice over a person’s life inherent in owning a gun, so should Christians push for nuance when a mother is making a choice on the value of her child’s life versus her own. It is a choice no mother should ever have to make; they know it, we know it, but it happens nonetheless. Rather than punish these women who are already in a very difficult position, Christians should instead ask these women why they are even considering such a choice. And it is from getting to the root cause, the why, that we may be able to proffer an alternative in wisdom, love, and compassion.

In my experience, many of the reasons these women have given me include some of what I’ve written above: the panic and dread in feeling their ‘lives’ are about to end, a deep fear that they are unable to provide for the child, or even that their partners might leave them if they have the child. Digging deeper, this feeling of helplessness seems to come from the thought of being alone. These women feel, and in reality often are, uneducated, financially dependent, and socially (family, friends, local society) unsupported. Many of them aren’t well-informed about adoption services, which in itself is a long and arduous process. And even when these women know about adoption, the thought of carrying the child for all of nine months only to give the child away is, for many, unbearable. But they also concede they do not want to bring a child into the world as their own to face poverty, stigma, and all the socio-economic impacts that befall the marginalized, one of which is lower life expectancy.

Killing an unborn child is a tragedy no matter the case and I believe it is unfair to assume many mothers consider it without caring for the consequences. Is there a lot of misinformation marketed to unsuspecting pregnant women? Yes. Are some people actively pushing for abortion as birth control? They are a tiny subset but Yes. Is the Christian response lacking in Christ-like grace and compassion? I believe the answer here is Yes.

The role of Christians in the abortion debate is to not be merely anti-abortion or pro-birth, but pro-life. To be pro-life, in my view, is to put our resources towards centers, programs, and initiatives meant to address many of the root fears of these women by educating and supporting pregnant women up to two years after delivery, at least.

For example, the organization I actually had in mind when writing this is the pregnancy help center in Canada. From what I’ve heard, this organization provides pregnant mothers with free pre-natal classes and services, free baby food and diapers, support for potential mothers to go back to school or workforce after birth, and daycare services — ALL of this with a Christian message. They also provide adoption services and only introduce abortion as the last resort and only if the woman asks for it or there’s a medical issue. Even then, they provide counseling sessions to the mother on themes of repentance. Honestly, when I heard of this center, it made me wonder about the general ‘pro-life’ stance in America and how perhaps we’re not doing enough to show there are far better alternatives for distressed pregnant women than abortion. And I believe if we are to convey this message of better alternatives, it is best we do it not with the language of shame and punishment, but of second chances and compassion.

Once we understand the mindset of these women, it becomes imperative that Christians should help these women view their pregnancies not as a punishment but as the gift from God it truly is. Our Christian role is also to help the disadvantaged and stigmatized not just exist in the world but to have a life, through the mercy and grace of Christ. I believe if Christians simply funnel their dollars and attention to only defunding abortion centers, and do not allocate the same or even more resources towards natal support, on the local and national level, our collective response is only punitive and not at all Christ-like.