"Right now, the pro-life movement could be holding very diverse online townhall meetings to discuss this issue," she said, to "talk about life being important at every stage of life."
Jackson also called for a more visible presence by pro-life advocates in peaceful protests, holding signs with language such as "life matters at every stage."
"It's as simple as that. Those are two things that we could be doing immediately, that I'm doing, to make sure people understand that we believe that innocent life should not be taken, at any stage," she said.
While Jackson appeared with President Donald Trump at the 2020 March for Life, and has praised pro-life measures enacted by his administration, she expressed concern about the president's response to the riots and protests.
"President Trump is doing more to incite and to perpetuate anger over this issue than he is doing to calm it down," Jackson told CNA.
Last week, while threatening to deploy the U.S. military to quell riots, Trump tweeted that "when the looting starts, the shooting starts." Jackson said the president's words, under the guise of upholding law and order, might have exacerbated lawlessness.
"Of course I stand against the looting, but I also stand against lawless actions of those who are put in positions to protect and serve, and to serve constituencies-which he is," she said of Trump. "And what he did when he stated that, he basically promoted a lawless action himself. And that's what's so problematic."
The next day, Trump offered an explanation for his use of the phrase, saying that violent riots could lead to other acts of violence. "Looting leads to shooting, and that's why a man was shot and killed in Minneapolis on Wednesday night," he tweeted.
The tweet was nevertheless interpreted by many to justify police firing rubber bullets or live rounds at those protesters who are looting stores. "What the president needs to understand is that-as the leader of the free world-what he tweets, what he says, has great consequences," Jackson said, adding that, in her view, Trump "needs to understand that."
"And it's becoming very disturbing," she added, that "he seems not to."
Jackson said that the idea a person might be shot in response to a theft "goes directly against what American laws, every criminal justice system in America stands for."
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She told CNA that the president's comments could encourage some people to take the law into their own hands: "There may be someone who goes out and shoots someone who's looting because the president said it's okay," Jackson worried.
On Wednesday, Pope Francis noted that he had "witnessed with great concern the disturbing social unrest in your nation in these past days, following the tragic death of Mr. George Floyd."
"We cannot tolerate or turn a blind eye to racism and exclusion in any form and yet claim to defend the sacredness of every human life," the pope said. "At the same time, we have to recognize that the violence of recent nights is self-destructive and self-defeating. Nothing is gained by violence and so much is lost."
Matt Hadro was the political editor at Catholic News Agency through October 2021. He previously worked as CNA senior D.C. correspondent and as a press secretary for U.S. Congressman Chris Smith.