The terms Christian and pro-life are inextricably linked; one presupposes the other. This link suggests a strong cause and effect relationship, when in fact it may just be corollary. A Quinnipiac poll found that 23 percent of “born-again” Christians support making abortion illegal in all cases, and 36 percent support making abortion illegal in most cases. This means roughly 77 percent of people who subscribe to a biblical understanding of when life begins agree it’s okay to take that life under certain circumstances.

If 77 percent of “born-again” Christians aren’t in an existential crisis over killing the unborn, how far-fetched is it to conceive of a time when Christians might even argue abortion isn’t murder? I submit, not that far-fetched. Even Planned Parenthood has a Pastoral Letter to Patients.

Hillary Clinton’s suggestion to the Women in the World audience has caused a strong counter-reaction among evangelicals, and there is incredible value in this. It helps reinforce what the deeply religious, pro-life movement believes, and it unites them against a common cause. My hope is that profoundly religious people will recognize what candidate Clinton’s suggestion portends. My fear is that the profoundly religious will acquiesce, because they have done so before.