There is nothing Christian about executing women

Petition Text:

Dear Clint Pressley, President of the Southern Baptist Convention,

As Christians committed to justice, mercy, and the teachings of Jesus, we write to express our deep concern about your public support for legislation in Tennessee that could allow women who obtain abortions to be charged with homicide and, in some cases, face the death penalty.

Christians can and do hold many different convictions about abortion. But executing women or subjecting them to life imprisonment for decisions about their pregnancies is not consistent with the Gospel’s call to mercy, compassion, and care for those in crisis.

Even many leaders within the anti-abortion movement have long opposed criminalizing women themselves, recognizing that pregnant people often face complex, painful circumstances and deserve support -- not prosecution.

As the president of the Southern Baptist Convention, your words carry great influence and are often understood as representing millions of Christians. We urge you to reconsider your support for legislation that would expose women to extreme criminal penalties and capital punishment.

Jesus consistently responded to human suffering not with condemnation, but with compassion. We hope you will reflect that same spirit by withdrawing your support for policies that would punish women in this way and by encouraging approaches that truly uphold life, dignity, and care for families.

We respectfully ask you to publicly oppose efforts to criminalize or execute women for abortion and to help ensure that Christianity is not used to justify such extreme policies.