WASHINGTON — Harvest Christian Fellowship Pastor Greg Laurie discussed the future of the pro-life movement post-Roe and how the American Church can take an active role in helping to end abortion.
The pastor was among the invited speakers at the 51st annual March for Life, where the theme was “With Every Woman, For Every Child.” According to the March for Life website, the theme emphasizes “the need to care for both mother and child during the nine months of pregnancy and in the years after.”
In an interview with The Christian Post, Laurie called for pro-lifers to keep the movement against abortion going by talking with people one-on-one and educating them about the humanity of the unborn.
“I myself was conceived out of wedlock; I could have been an abortion statistic,” the pastor said. “My mother chose to carry me to term. I’m glad she made that decision, needless to say. So we need to carry this on one person at a time, as well as through legislation and voting for people that are pro-life.”
Following the overturning of Roe v. Wade, which restored regulatory authority over abortion to the states, pro-life advocates and presidential candidates have discussed whether the next step is to enact a federal 15-week abortion ban. Another side of the pro-life movement argues that the movement should focus on passing state-level abortion restrictions, while others believe that a federal 15-week abortion ban is not enough.
“It seems like we’ll probably end up state to state, but it really comes to person by person,” Laurie said when asked what sort of abortion restrictions he supports. “That’s where you really want to gain ground is person by person.”
In addition to enacting legislation, Laurie called on the church to come alongside pregnant women and to assist them with raising their children.
According to a 2015 survey commissioned by Care Net, a pro-life nonprofit, more than four in 10 women were churchgoers when they had an abortion, and only 7% discussed their decision to end their pregnancies with someone at church.
Laurie believes this means the pro-life movement needs more pastors who are willing to say that life begins at conception and not run from the topic of abortion. He noted that some spiritual leaders might want to avoid discussing abortion in their churches due to the political nature of the issue.
“But this is a moral issue and a spiritual issue,” the pastor said. “And churches are filled with imperfect people.”
Regarding the Care Net survey’s findings about the number of churchgoing women who have had abortions, Laurie noted that people, even Christians, can fall prey to sin. He urged churches to show love and compassion for Christian women who find themselves pregnant after they had sex outside of marriage.
“We need to reassure her that there is forgiveness, and we don’t want abortion to be compounded with that,” the pastor continued. “I don’t believe that there are any illegitimate children. Illegitimate parents? Yes. Illegitimate children? No.”
The Christian leader highlighted the various ways his church helps women and families, including having small groups rally around pregnant women to support them and their babies. The groups will help encourage the mother and offer help in the form of free diapers, clothing and babysitting services.
“We need each other,” Laurie continued. “We’re not made to do life alone. So often, people find themselves isolated, but you need community. And this is where the church can shine like a light on a hill because that’s what we do best.”
As the GOP moves closer to selecting a potential nominee for the 2024 presidential election, pro-lifers will have to consider who the ideal candidate is to represent the movement on the national stage.
Of the candidates in the running for the nomination, Laurie said he believes Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis is a strong pro-life leader. Last year, DeSantis signed the Heartbeat Protection Act, which banned abortions after six weeks into a pregnancy. However, Laurie stated that the current political landscape appears to indicate that the GOP nominee will be former President Donald Trump.
“We don’t always get exactly what we want,” Laurie said. “But it’s a lot different than someone who is promoting abortion, even up to the final month of pregnancy. And we certainly don’t want anything like that. So, of the candidates, some are stronger than others, but they’re all better than those who are promoting abortion.”
“I could never give my vote to a candidate who supports abortion,” he added.
Samantha Kamman is a reporter for The Christian Post. She can be reached at: [email protected]. Follow her on Twitter: @Samantha_Kamman
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