Rep. Marlin Stutzman, R-Ind., who is staunchly pro-life, told the audience at the 2014 Values Voter Summit in Washington, D.C., about his own encounter with abortion.

Stutzman, who made a bid for House majority whip in June, told the audience of social conservatives today to offer compassion toward others because if they don’t, government will.

“We are all going to mess up,” he said. “But we have to reach out and love. We have to reach out with a helping hand. We have to reach out and say, ‘I’m going to stand beside you and help you with this time.’ Because if we don’t, government is going to try to. We have to be the ones who reach out and help.”

>>> Commentary: Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s Wrong Prediction About Abortion in the U.S.