On Friday, November 27, a Planned Parenthood clinic in Colorado Springs, Colorado turned into a deadly crime scene when a gunman opened fire, killing two civilians and a policeman and wounding several others inside.

After about six hours of deadlock between the perpetrator and responding officers, authorities captured the alleged shooter, 57-year-old Robert Lewis Dear, and brought an end to the tragedy.

Although Dear’s motive for allegedly opening fire at the Planned Parenthood remains unclear, the location at which it took place has caused many people to reach a solid assumption: Dear’s alleged attack probably transpired because, as an opponent to abortions, he felt it made a statement. Planned Parenthood has recently been under public fire due to a series of controversial videos detailing their practices regarding fetal tissue sales.

Per usual during and following a tragedy, social media exploded with frustration; tweets surfaced frowning upon Republican presidential candidates for a perceived lack of response and failure to condemn the ideas that likely motivated the attacks:

Hours later, Republicans who want to be president have nothing to say about the terrorist attack in Colorado. pic.twitter.com/9xNRn1NCVI

— Matthew McGregor (@mcgregormt) November 28, 2015

Why aren’t more moderate white men denouncing these attacks on #PlannedParenthood? Until they do, let’s not let anymore into the country.

— Ahmed Shihab-Eldin (@ASE) November 27, 2015

A woman shouldn’t have to fear for her life while getting routine health care. Time for Republicans to stop demonizing #PlannedParenthood

— Brianna Wu (@Spacekatgal) November 28, 2015

A pro-life ideology does not support terminating lives in the form of abortions; that said, a pro-life ideology also condemns all actions which end human lives violently. In other words, Robert Lewis Dear’s alleged actions do not support a pro-life ideology.

Whether one favors or opposes the practice of abortions does not determine whether or not he or she feels empathetic to violent acts of extremism. Tragedy as the result of Islamic, Christian, and atheistic extremism alike causes various groups of people to feel sadness and empathy towards those affected.

In light of recent attacks by Islamic extremists and a controversial decision to now hold a moment of recognition on September 11 anniversaries, students at the University of Minnesota were keen to emphasize the fact that Islamic extremism and Islamic terrorists do not represent Muslims at large. Likewise, it is important to note that terroristic actions as a result of Christian or pro-life extremism are equally condemned, and do not represent Christians or conservatives at large.

Additionally, it is important to note that the police officer killed in the Planned Parenthood shooting, Officer Garrett Swasey, was himself a devout Christian. Swasey served as an elder at his Colorado church, Hope Chapel.

Over the past several months, the Center for Medical Progress (CMP) has compiled what they view as evidence of Planned Parenthood’s selling of aborted babies’ body parts for profit, prompting a nationwide dispute between pro-life and pro-choice advocates. Following Friday’s events, CMP released the following statement:

“The Center for Medical Progress condemns the barbaric killing spree in Colorado Springs by a violent madman. We applaud the heroic efforts of law enforcement to stop the violence quickly and rescue the victims, and our thoughts and prayers are with the wounded, the lost, and their families.”

Thanksgiving is a time for participating Americans to celebrate what they feel thankful for. Life itself often marks the top of this list, and life—whether in the form of an embryo or a grown adult—is a beautiful, sacred thing.