It's been barely a week since Black Friday turned into a bloody tragedy at a Planned Parenthood clinic in Colorado Springs, leaving 12 people gunned down, three of them dead. Although the motive has yet to be officially released, what we do know, is that the accused killer, Robert Dear, is a Christian man of "religious conviction" and a staunch opponent of abortions, according to reporting by the New York Times. We can all stand up in outrage—and we must—but we're still left at an impasse, groping for answers.
How does someone "pro life" justify taking three lives? What does the Christian community have to say? And how can we all make sense of all the violence that seems to be everywhere? I reached out to a pastor named Reverend Laura Rossbert, 33, a minister at Christ Church, United Methodist in Denver, an hour away from the shooting, where she volunteers at the Planned Parenthood (more on that in a sec). When we hung up the phone, we each learned that during our conversation, 14 more people had been massacred in San Bernardino.
GLAMOUR: How has the Planned Parenthood attack affected you?
REVEREND ROSSBERT: My thoughts and prayers, of course, are with everybody at the clinic, but my concern is about this hateful rhetoric we've seen against abortion providers and patients. And frankly, people providing health services to women. It is not a coincidence that people are picking up rifles when they hear this language. It is a rallying cry, and words are incredibly powerful. Everybody's welcome to their beliefs, but they also should be held accountable for how those beliefs create harm and violence against others.
GLAMOUR: So how is it that you, as a reverend, volunteer at Planned Parenthood?
REVEREND ROSSBERT: I wish that wasn't so surprising to people. I have a daughter, and my mom volunteered for a Planned Parenthood when I was growing up. The Bible I turn to is a message of compassion. It is a message of justice. And it is a message of standing with the marginalized. And if I look at who is marginalized in this day and age, I think of the woman I've counseled who have no money and need to make a choice about whether they can support a human life. So for me, the people who spew hate and say it's based in their religion, they're not reading the Bible that I am reading.
GLAMOUR: As a pastor, how do you make sense of pro-life Christians who hurt or kill abortion providers because they feel they're righting a greater wrong?
REVEREND ROSSBERT: I know and respect people who are pro-life—but if this were about being pro-life, there wouldn't be killing involved. People who call themselves Christians have done terrible, terrible things in the name of religion. They've used it as a tool of evil to support the hatred that they feel. Just look at the history of our world.
GLAMOUR: What if someone confided in you that they felt so strongly about abortion, they'd considered violence? What would you say to them?
REVEREND ROSSBERT: I would encourage them to look more closely at killing and violence; that's not what Jesus did. And it is very clear in the Bible that it is not up to us to make the decision [about who lives and who dies]—we are not called to be God. Also, there is an example of a pregnant woman who was killed (Exodus 21:22-23). Her killer was not held accountable for two lives. He was only held accountable for one—hers. The other thing I would do is encourage them to get to know the stories of women at places like Planned Parenthood, because there are many who say, "I don't believe in abortions. I'm pro-life, but I need one."
GLAMOUR: Talk about the women who are pregnant and come to you for advice. What are they usually grappling with? And how do you help them?
REVEREND ROSSBERT: Usually they're struggling with faith. They grew up in a very conservative Christian family, for example, where abortion is wrong all the time. And the conversation from faith leaders is often very judgmental, leaving no space for questioning or really understanding the difficulty of the decision to choose to have an abortion. So I listen. One of my favorite scriptures from Isaiah talks about how God didn't come in the rushing wind or in a deafening earthquake; God came in a still, small voice that spoke in the silence. And so for me, working with people is about calling away the loud preacher, the angry family—and helping them to find that small voice that will tell them what to do.
GLAMOUR: What if you're a young woman struggling with the decision but don't know a minister like you?
REVEREND ROSSBERT: There are actually a lot of pro-choice clergy all across America. The Religious Coalition for Reproductive Choice [http://rcrc.org] (which I'm a member of) can help you find a local contact. But talking through the decision with anyone who isn't judging you—a friend, coworker, or a group online—can be really helpful. Keep in mind that much of the Christian rhetoric around abortion is about shame, but that's counter to the belief that God's grace is big enough for all of us. The women I know who have chosen to have an abortion are beautiful, courageous people who love deeply.
GLAMOUR: Since the attack, are you afraid?
REVEREND ROSSBERT: Planned Parenthood is doing everything they can do to protect their staff and volunteers and patients. I just wish they could spend more of their budget on doctors and less on security.
GLAMOUR: And this latest shooting at San Bernardino… Do you ever want to give up?
REVEREND ROSSBERT: It's terrible. And it's easy to go to that place of Oh, my gosh… But I also see the phenomenal individuals who show up, who volunteer, who do everything they can to make this world a better place. One of my favorite things the founder of the Methodist church, John Wesley, said in a sermon was about disagreeing. "Though we may not think alike, can we not love alike?" I guess I just believe in the goodness of the human heart, so I have to believe that we're making progress.
