Abraham believes that lawmakers shouldn’t be making legal decisions that involve a “very medical problem.” In doing so, “it takes away all of the complexities, and it just completely reduces it to abortion, no abortion,” she said.
“There are so many people that are walking through difficult decisions every day that are so complex and so layered that a law should not have the audacity to approach,” Abraham explained.
Acosta-Ruiz feels the Court’s decision is more about power and control than anything else. Because of that, “I just can’t sit and be silent…Because multiple things can be true. You can hold space for a lot of different things. You can love God. You can be a member of your church, you can choose to have an abortion, and you can still be a good person, all at the same time, and a multitude of other things all at once.”
Acho closed the conversation by asking Smith how a Christian who believes abortion is wrong can empathize with women who are hurting.
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“I have so much empathy and understanding for followers of Jesus who would say, ‘I believe that life begins at conception,’” Smith replied. “And I believe that stopping an abortion is saving a life. Saving a life is a very valid cause. But that’s not the only life that we’re called to save. If you’re pro-life, there’s a lot of life.”
Smith also said that someone who takes one verse in Psalm 139 that describes humans as being knitted together in their mothers’ wombs and makes it black and white is missing the bigger picture of Scripture.
“It’s one verse versus thousands and thousands of verses that are in the Bible…When we look at the Bible, we put the emphasis where God puts the emphasis,” Smith said. “And He puts the emphasis on love. He puts emphasis on forgiveness. He puts the emphasis on compassion. And so, as a follower of Jesus, wouldn’t I put the emphasis there?”
“Just hearing what Pastor Chelsea said and hearing everyone’s stories, I feel affirmed,” Abraham said. “I feel protected, because this has definitely brought a form of like nakedness as a woman, just a vulnerability that I didn’t ask for, and this has definitely kind of helped me feel more protected again.”
“This conversation has helped me remember why it’s important for us to speak to one another and not at one another,” Acosta-Ruiz shared. ”Especially when it comes to things that are so visceral and so major in all of our lives.”
Richards-Ross concluded, “This conversation made me feel seen, heard, loved, and supported. At the end of the day, I don’t think that this is a partisan issue. I don’t feel like this is has to do with race or color. I really think this is about us, as the human race, coming back together and having empathy for one another, supporting each other…It is about your sister next to you and what she is going through and how we can support her.”
RELATED: Survey: Post-Roe, White Evangelicals Remain Outliers on Abortion Laws
