She added, “Now, Tennessee lawmakers want to stir still more death into the mix by having the state itself deal out the death penalty to women who have abortions.”
On Tuesday (Feb. 24), Kristan Hawkins, president of the pro-life group Students for Life of America, came out against capital punishment—not just for abortion but in general.
“The death penalty is inconsistent with a pro-life worldview,” she wrote. Hawkins’ stance, which is common among Catholics such as herself and fellow pro-life advocate Lila Rose, sparked backlash among some evangelicals.
“The only similarity between abortion & the death penalty is that in both cases a person ends up dead,” wrote apologist Alan Shlemon. “The difference is that in abortion the child is innocent & in the death penalty the criminal is guilty. That difference makes killing the former wrong & killing the latter right.”
Christian YouTuber Mike Winger wrote, “Pro-life isn’t a worldview. It’s a feature of a worldview. The worldview I have is biblical and the same justice that demands you defend the life of an innocent child demands you punish the murderer.”
“On the contrary, I am for the death penalty for the same reason I’m against abortion: I value innocent life,” argued author and podcaster Allie Beth Stuckey. “In Genesis 9:6, which is pre-Israel and pre-law, God demands the death penalty for murder, and He roots the command in a reason that is still true today: man is made in His image.”
“It is because humans are so uniquely valuable that God says the only proportionate punishment for murdering one of us is death. It is out of his great love and care for people—not cruelty—that God gives this dictate,” Stuckey continued. “Even if one disagrees with the death penalty being applied in America today, saying that it is ‘not pro-life’ is calling God not pro-life, since, at the very least, He commanded it in the Old Testament.”
“He doesn’t change or evolve; He was just as just then as He is today,” she added. “Remember, Christian, we are not nicer than God. The most loving thing we can always do is agree with Him.”
Hawkins replied to Stuckey, saying that she agreed “with parts” of what Stuckey said and that she respects Stuckey’s position.
RELATED: Allie Beth Stuckey Raises Concerns About Hyper-Sexualized ‘Wuthering Heights’ Movie
“But I do think there’s a misunderstanding of the Father’s heart here, and some important distinctions are missing,” said Hawkins.
