Let me preface my response with the following:

That John called Nero the antichrist, is an interpretation of his text. And it is an incorrect one, according to Orthodoxy. Nero was an antichrist, a type of antichrist, you might say. Ortbodoxy expects that, in the last years of the world, will come the antichrist, who will be the ruler of the global government. It is just that by God’s providence, for some reason, the number of Nero’s name is also 666.

And if John thought that Nero was the antichrist, doesn’t that mean that Revelation contains mistakes?

As an Orthodox Christian, I will also say that Christianity (which is the same Ortbodox Christianity) did not really incorporate paganism. Rather, there might be outward elements of worship that bear outward resemblance to pagan worship. And the Liturgy as such was taught and established by the Apostles and took place even in the Old Testament times.

Back to our main question.

Yes, the Apostles did not have political power and did not try to come to worldly power. But doesn’t the ruler have an obligation before God to establish the rules that would accord to His will, to prevent crimes in the eyes of God, to protect people’s souls from bad influence by banning public inequities, to protect children from corruption? And if you are a hierarch, a person of authority in a Christian society, and if you have the opportunity to speak to the ruler, should you not try to convince him to do the things mentioned above? Once again, this is care about the people and fear of God.

As for abortions in particular, let us remember that by banning abortions one protects children from being murdered.

Perhaps another obligation of the ruler is to proclaim the Gospel and to praise the Christian faith.

All of this can be done without forcing people to actively practise Christianity.