BellaOnline Forums News and Politics Pro-Choice Abortion Provider Killed at Church

This is a horrible story and sadly, some people are leaving comments on various sites saying that justice was served.

Abortion Doctor Shot to Death in Church

Yes, it is quite heartbreaking and horrifying.

There was quite a bit about the murder of Dr. Tiller in disability discussion groups because his clinic performed late term abortions when babies were prenatally determined to have life threatening disabilities. Even though women have a much higher risk of death or complications from a live birth, anti-abortion activists believe that every pregnancy should result in a delivery. As for children with disabilities, it seems that much of the attention from conservative politicians and pro-life advocates fall away at the moment of birth, with no great fundraising efforts made for early intervention, respite care, inclusive education, supported employment or community choice and independent living as adults.

As the mom of a wonderful son who was born with Trisomy 21, Down syndrome, I was terrible angry to read that a hoax was perpetrated by a pro-life blogger who pretended to be pregnant with and give birth to a child prenatally diagnosed with Trisomy 13 who she said survived only a few hours.

No pro-life advocate should ever think or say that murder of doctors or anyone else is justified ~ that believe eliminates any sense of integrity or ethics in their personal beliefs. Creating a hoax or pretending that women who carry children with disabilities to term are somehow more admirable than other mothers is insulting to our children as well as us moms. Surely we can choose not to make heroes of those following through on extremist positions that put everyone at risk without respect for the civil law or religious commandments.




Pat Bauer also features stories on the murder of Dr. Tillman as related to late term abortions following prenatal diagnosis of disability. I am more horrified, or would be if I could be, that Dr. Tillman was targeted and killed at church.

I believe that any couple would be lucky to raise a fine son or daughter with Down syndrome, and describe my beliefs as anti-abortion, pro-life *and* pro-choice. I am definitely anti-murder. This was such a terrible and sad event - I am sure that most pro-life activists are as horrified as the rest of us.

Pam W
SE of Seattle

Prenatal Diagnosis - Down Syndrome

Pam,
Wow! What a wonderful and insightful post! You provided a lot of information I was unaware of. Thank you!

I find it so sad that these radical anti-choice people go out and kill these doctors because they want to enforce their opinions. Why don't anti-choice people just...maybe not GET an abortion? Why do they insist on taking other's rights away?

This doctor felt that what he was doing was right--which, as many know, a very high percentage (90s, I believe) of late term abortions are done for medical/health concerns. Now he's dead because he was "killing babies." Really now--these people that go out and murder these doctors call themselves Christians? As a Christian myself, it makes me so angry when people do stupid stuff like this and say that they're only following God's Word. If they had done that, Dr. Tiller would still be alive.

And this doctor was a parent, a grandparent, and was at his church when he was murdered, for Pete's sake! Yeah, that's real "pro-life" to kill someone's father and grandfather, isn't it...you're really thinking about those kids...

You raise the very valid point that I always think about when people say abortion should be illegal, "why don't anti-choice people just not get an abortion, rather than try to take away the rights of others?"

You're insight into this was amazing and very, very well put! I can't agree with you more on everything you said. The Bible does say, "Thou shall not kill" and it also says, "judge not lest ye be judged". I guess the "christian" thing to do would've let God deal with Dr. Tiller and decide if what he was doing was indeed a sin or a much a needed service to women who had no other option.

Thank you so much for sharing your thoughts here! I look forward to reading more from you!!

Good points all - love that this thread is getting so many views - sort of sad not more people are expressing their views. Women and those that truly love and respect them really need to speak up more. I know this is a touchy subject but it should not be such nor should it be a subject for debate at all BUT since it does seem that those with opposing views feel free to dictate to others what they can and cannot do regarding their personal health and reproductive choices speak up we must. Until the global community, as a whole, can recgonize, value and respect women as a contributing entity totally separate from the image of "mother" this subject must be spoken of, often and with distinct authority or before we know it birth control will be taken off of the market, abortions will be once again performed in back alleys and women will remain as subjugated victims of their physiology until the next millenium. This may seem like an extreme view and perhaps it is but we must consider this a global issue - we cannot fix the world but we can make our little piece of it better one step at a time - but we all must take that step.