Anti-abortion activist praising the murder of Dr. George Tiller
Dr. George Tiller performed late-term abortions for nearly forty years in Wichita, Kansas. During that time, his clinic was bombed (1986), he was shot in both arms by an anti-abortion activist (1993), he was falsely charged and later acquitted of 19 misdemeanors (2009), and finally, he was murdered by another anti-abortion activist (2009). Right-wing talking head Bill O’Reilly mentioned Tiller in at least 28 episodes of “The O’Reilly Factor,” calling the doctor “Tiller the Baby Killer,” alleging that Tiller was a criminal under Kansas law, and declaring that Tiller was hellbound for providing abortions to women who desperately needed them.
David Gunn, a doctor, was murdered by an anti-abortion activist in 1993. His murder inspired the Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances Act, which made it illegal for protesters to prevent women from entering reproductive health clinics. The next abortion provider to die was John Britton, who was murdered in 1994 by Paul Hill, a pastor and anti-abortion fanatic. Hill showed no remorse for his actions, and was executed for his crime. Four years later, Barnett Slepian was shot in his home by an anti-abortion activist. The anti-abortion group Operation Rescue praised the murder and held rallies to encourage more violence and bloodshed.
Wikipedia reports that since 1977, there have been 383 reports of death threats made to abortion providers, 153 assaults, 3 kidnappings, 17 attempted murders, 655 anthrax threats, 41 bombings, 173 arsons, 619 bomb threats, and 1264 incidents of vandalism.
It’s about time we stopped calling anti-abortion terrorists “pro-life.”
A pro-life person is a person who values and protects life. A pro-life person opposes war because war kills innocent civilians. A pro-life person is a vegetarian because eating meat takes away the life of an animal. A pro-life person seeks to reduce the number of abortions in this country not by murdering people, but by encouraging people to use contraception.
A pro-life person respects the life of the pregnant woman, and recognizes that her life in progress is more valuable than the potential life of the fetus. After all, she could give birth to a Beethoven, but couldn’t she just as easily give birth to a Stalin? A pro-life person does not seek to manipulate women or take away their right to choose.
People who are pro-life and really want to see fewer abortions in this country need to get real. If they eliminate abortions through a campaign of terrorism and intimidation, all that will result is a higher rate of “back-alley” abortions resulting in two deaths instead of just one. If, instead, they show respect to women and their rights and encourage responsible sexual practices, they will come much closer to their goal.
Comments
I completely agree that "we should stop calling anti-abortion terrorists 'pro-life.'" Fortunately, 99.9999999% of all anti abortion people are in fact pro-life, do NOT condone terrorism, and vigorously oppose men like Tiller's shooter and vigorously support their prosecution.
So stop it with the red herring attempt to tar all pro-life people with the terrorism brush. It's petty and intellectually dishonest.
You accuse me of using red herrings, but can you point me to the line in my article in which I said that all anti-abortion people are terrorists?
My article redefines the "pro-life" standpoint to weed out hypocrites who support "life" in some arenas but not others. Your defensiveness is telling.
And, Seth, 99.9999999% of all anti abortion people probably eat murdered animals. Many support the death penalty for humans. So, they are not "pro-life", they are pro-human-fetus. Period.
Some pro-life supporters are vegetarians not understanding that the Bible gives us some animals for meat to eat and to supply the necessary Vitamin B12 we can not get from any other natural source. The commandment says, "Thou shalt not 'murder,' not "shalt not "kill." There is a difference. And execution for a murderer is Bible sanctioned as it is intended to protect the population from a murderer. How many released murderers and rapists repeat their crimes when released? Let us not paint all "pro-lifers" with a broad brush. As Seth pointed out, most pro-lifers do not condone the killing of abortionists. And to be consistent with what I wrote about capital punishment, Roeder should be tried and put to death for his heinous crime which took the life of another human being and brought false accusations against the whole of anti-abortion citizens.
Don't forget the right wing's absolute refusal to back social programs to help impoverished pregnant women, particularly single mothers of color. If the right were really pro-life, the phrase "welfare queen" wouldn't exist. They're not interested in nurturing life, they're just interested in controlling women. "Pro-life" = forced birth.
Right on, Michelle! Rick, if you need to lean on a book of fables (that gets misinterpreted incessantly, depending on what position one is trying promote - in your case, the murder of animals to quench your lust for flesh), to get you through the day, be my guest. Just don't pretend for a second that you are actually worried about getting enough B-12. I know countless vegans who thrive and are not B-12 deficient. It's laughable when people disguise supposed concern for health as an excuse to consume animal products. Do you think that the growing number of obese tubbos wandering around the USA are eating animals to ensure that they get enough B-12? No, they're eating them because they don't give a darn about animal suffering, and yearn for instant gratification.
Also, I'd like to know how many pro-fetus bible-thumpers actually adopt the unwanted babies(especially non-white babies) that aren't aborted. It seems the only goal is to ensure that every fetus gets popped out of the womb.
Rick, you're redefining "pro-life" again to mean "people who follow what the Bible says." That's not true, because not all anti-abortionists are religious. See what I mean about the malleability of the term?
yes there are people that claim they are pro-life are actually "terrorits" , but your deffintion of real pro-lifers has one little problem, and that is; we are not all vegetarians, there is a BIG diffrence between a fetus and a cow, God gave us the animals, such as cows and pigs, to help provide for us so we use what God gives us. Yes some there are some vegitarians that are also pro-life, but there are also some vegitarians that are "pro-choice" i beleive we need to stop calling them pro-choice, they only give the woman ONE choice and that is abortion, pro-lifers (the real ones) give them so many choices, if you wish to talk to me about this i have a blog that is baised on the abortion issue that you can contact me on, it's save our little ones on the blog spot website.
Those who are anti-abortion want women to have only one option, and that is to carry the pregnancy to term. Those who are pro-choice want women to have that option plus the option to abort. Clara, you did not understand my article; if you call yourself pro-life but do not espouse a worldview that values all life no matter what species, then you are a hypocrite and you are labeling yourself falsely.
The term "pro-life" and "pro-choice" refer exclusively to the abortion issue, which is why, if you were to poll pro-lifers on capital punishment, war, vegetarianism, etc., you'd find a great myriad of answers.
If you really want to play this game, Alexa, then the obvious response is that your side should be called "pro-abortion" rather than "pro-choice," since most pro-choicers are not pro-choice on everything. Are you pro-choice on drug legalization? Prostitution? Owning a handgun?
Let's say you're still with me here, and have answered "yes" to everything. Are you pro-choice when it comes to rape? How about abusing one's wife or husband? Shooting your next-door neighbor? Child pornography? I know I'm not pro-choice about ANY of THOSE, and certainly hope you are not -- but if you are indeed "anti-choice" on those things, then you yourself are a "hypocrite" and are "labeling yourself falsely" (by your own definition).
I'm happy to call myself pro-reproductive-choice and sidestep your entire game. Why the hyperbole, though? It's quite unnecessary.
Not my game. You kicked it off.
It's also not hyperbole. There's an obvious aggrieved party in an abortion, and you don't need to believe in God to understand this. Therefore, it's not unlike any of those things we all should be anti-choice about.
Clara, you wrote: "there is a BIG diffrence between a fetus and a cow, God gave us the animals, such as cows and pigs, to help provide for us so we use what God gives us."
Yes, you're right, there IS a BIG difference between the two. A fetus is a human-in-progress, a blueprint. A cow is a fully formed, sentient being capable of feeling fear, pain, joy, etc. I see you are another person who has an imaginary friend who lives in the sky and supposedly thinks that you and your fellow believers are SO important that he worries about providing for YOUR needs. Isn't that whole scenario just a wee bit self-serving and narcissistic? Get over yourself, already.
"God" doesn't give you anything. You TAKE what you want, and don't care at all that the animals you eat have the desire to live in peace every bit as much as you do. You feel you are so superior to them, and that your "God" feels it's justifiable to force them to endure a life of suffering and violence. My, how "Christian" of you.
"Hypocrites," a new human being's life commences at the moment of fertilization. One can be an agnostic and a vegetarian (I am both) and grasp this simple, secular scientific fact. Your "blueprint" comment might be apt if blueprints developed into houses, but they do not.
I'm sorry Alexa, but it's not hypocritical to call oneself 'pro-life' and not be a vegetarian. It's obvious that in this context pro-life applies to to the abortion debate only, as does the term pro-choice. Many pro-life people do hold to the 'consistent life ethic' though, as espoused by the Catholic church, which is against the death penality and for fighting poverty.
That's alright. Redefine as you wish. I say Por Choice. Get it? Poor Choice? HA!
Right on, Alexa! I never call the terrorists "pro-life." I call them what they are, "Anti-choice." Until they start showing a shred of compassion for life that exist, orphans, poor and starving children, distraught abandoned pregnant women, rape victims, I will never consider them anything except the anti-choice terrorists that they are.
Love it when a lib trys to take the moral high ground.
Killing babies is repulsive enough, but late term, through partial birth?
How disgusting that we use semantics to determine birth, by leaving the child's head in the birth canal before killing the kid.
Anyone who defends this is sick.
How about calling me "anti-abortion"? I don't mind that. I think it's pretty accurate. Plenty of anti-abortion activists adopt. I had my tubes tied after 2 kids so I'd be better able to adopt later in my life rather than having more biological children. I'm a supporter of adoption/foster care reform, because the system is broken. There are plenty of homosexual couples who would love to adopt right now but can't. I don't want women to have children if they don't want them. I just want them to stop MAKING the children in the first place when they just dispose of them in an abortion. I'm a woman. I'm anti-abortion. Nobody is controlling me. Nobody tells me when I can or cannot have sex. I do so if I like, and abstain if I choose, also. I don't want any more children, so I'll do my best not to have them. But I'm not going to pay to have any I create killed so I can pretend they never existed. Being a firm believer in science (not religion-I'm an atheist) prevents such ignorance on my part.
#1. Killing an animal is not pro life? You really are a true right wing liberal.
#2. There are plenty of us Pro-Lifers who are against abortion, and AGAINST Killing doctors, nurses or other providers. EVERY fringe group has its nuts, and fruits. Yours has Earth First, ELF and a couple other terror organizations, which YOU will not classify as terrorists cause they kill people NOT animals and destroy property.
#3. War is not good, but refusing to fight back is suicide.
#4. If instead of promoting promiscuous sex among those ill equipped to handle pregnancy you suggested moral behavior, abortions could be reduced.
#5 Back Alley abortions were not that common and deaths from them were not that prevalent. Show me numbers. The fear of getting pregnant kept many a young man or woman from doing the deed and needing an abortion.
#6. If one animal kills another is that BAD? Who is going to police the animals.
#8 IF we stop killing animals tomorrow, where will the farm animals go?
Nothing but word games, and Elitist TALK. You want to call all those against abortion or eating meat the same thing and it is not ... you are smart enough to know this but apparently not smart enough to say it.
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