“First, every human being possesses unalienable dignity because we are made in God’s image (Gen. 1:27), innocent or guilty. That dignity does not disappear after even the most horrific sin,” Hawkins argued. “We are also privileged to live in a time when modern societies can protect the public without killing the offender. This preserves the possibility of repentance and salvation!”
Pointing to Jesus’ interactions with the woman caught in adultery and the woman at the well, Hawkins argued that Jesus offers a pattern in which he “confronts grave moral disorder, yet offers living water rather than condemnation.” Of the woman at the well, Hawkins said, “[Jesus] exposed her sin, extended mercy, and invited her to transformation!”
Hawkins also argued that while God prescribed capital punishment in Genesis 9:6, during Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount, he redirected “justice away from violence and toward mercy. Scripture must be read as a whole to understand the Lord’s heart.”
“Abortion is evil because it kills the innocent life of a human being made in the image and likeness of God,” said Hawkins. “The death penalty risks declaring that redemption is no longer worth allowing while also prematurely ending a life of…someone made in the image and likeness of God.”
“Ultimately, we defend Life not because every person is innocent, but because every person is made in the image of God and no one is beyond His mercy,” Hawkins wrote.
Speaking directly to the issue of capital punishment for abortion, Hawkins added, “This is why I oppose bills that support the death penalty for mothers who have had abortions, such as HB 570 in Tennessee.”
“Promoting these types of bills, which will not pass, is not only a waste of precious time that could be spent actually saving more lives, but it also drives more women away from hearing the Gospel in truth and love,” she said.
On Tuesday, Tennessee Sen. Mark Pody, who set forth the bill that would criminalize abortion, said he would drop the legislation due to lack of support for the amendment added by state Rep. Jody Barrett to include capital punishment.
RELATED: How I Changed My Mind on the Death Penalty
“I appreciate that he is very, very passionate about this issue,” Pody said. “But it’s very easy to see I don’t have the votes in the Senate, so there’s no sense in running it.”
