Thus, when human behavior is dependent on the law of the land we can expect that in a democratic context laws, and therefore behavior, inevitably change. This presents one of the great challenges for contemporary Orthodoxy in America. Personally and corporately the Orthodox have a divine mandate to defend all human life. This defense does not preclude the use of our courts and legislature. Yet, the Orthodox Christian cannot allow himself to imagine that legislating morality is as lasting and binding as the spirit of repentance.
Laws assert themselves by imposing their authority upon a body of citizens.
Repentance, on the other hand, is ultimately an act of love for the living and Triune God. It is an act of freedom that liberates one from sin and death. Therefore, the sin of aborting cannot be remedied solely by the law, particularly when the law is motivated by party politics. For Orthodox Christians the care and veneration of human life cannot have as its foundation the popular vote. Our Church is to offer the way to repentance.