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The Murder of Dr. Tiller, a Foreshadowing
For those who would like to think today's murder in church of Dr. George Tiller, an abortion provider, is an isolated incident, here's the horrifying news: You are wrong. The pattern is clear and frightening.
In March 1993, three months into the administration of our first pro-choice president, Bill Clinton, abortion provider Dr. David Gunn was murdered in Pensacola, Florida. That was the beginning of what would become a five-fold increase in violence against abortion providers throughout the Clinton years.
Today's assassination of Dr. George Tiller comes 5 months into the term of our second pro-choice president. For anyone who would like to believe that this is a statistical anomaly, a coincidence that doesn't portend anything, again, you are wrong.
During the entire Bush administration, from 2000-2008 there were no murders.
During the Clinton era, between 1994-2000 there were 6 abortion providers and clinic staff murdered, and 17 attempted murders of abortion providers. There were 12 bombings or arsons during the Clinton years.
During the Bush administration, not only were there no murders, there were no attempted murders. There was one clinic bombing during the Bush years.
One can only conclude that like terrorist sleeper cells, these extremists have now been set in motion. Indeed the evidence is already there. The chatter, the threats, the hate-filled rhetoric are abundant.
In the last year of the Bush administration there were 396 harassing calls to abortion clinics. In just the first four months of the Obama administration that number has jumped to 1401.
And so the execution of Tiller, 67, is not only tragic but ominous. He was born into an era when being an abortion provider meant saving women's lives. And the cold-blooded murder in church and in front of his wife of this stalwart defender of women rights and beloved physician, comes as a message for others, as well as tragic deja vu.
Battered women are at greatest danger of being killed by their abusers when they are most strong -- that is, when they muster the courage to leave. The same phenomenon may be true in the abusive political abortion debate. The pro-choice movement, specifically our abortion providers, are in the greatest danger of violence when we take power. When the anti-abortion movement loses power, their most extreme elements appear to move to the fore and take control. The murder of Dr. Tiller suggests that violence against abortion providers may be far more linked to the power, or lack thereof, anti-abortion groups have politically than to laws designed to increase penalties against such acts.
History has another disturbing lesson for us. The escalation of anti-abortion rhetoric plays a direct role in instigating violence. When anti-abortion groups ratchet up the rhetoric, they know exactly what they're doing and the results it will have. Even if they maintain deniability, as Operation Rescue recently did saying, in effect, we wanted Tiller gone, but didn't want him murdered, they have inflamed the rhetoric. And suddenly people Like Dr. Tiller's murderer become inspired.
Eleanor Bader, co-author of Targets of Hatred: Anti-Abortion Terrorism, in an article in March for RHRealityCheck.org about clinics bracing for an uptick in violence after the election of Obama wrote, "immediately after Obama's election, Douglas Johnson, Legislative Director of the National Right to Life Committee, called him a "hardcore pro-abortion president." The American Life League dubbed him "one of the most radical pro-abortion politicians ever," and Father Frank Pavone of Priests for Life warned that Obama will "force Americans to pay for the killing of innocents." Americans United for Life, the Family Research Council and Operation Save America quickly joined the chorus."
Bader interviewed clinic staff -- many seeing a direct relationship between the pro-choice victory in November and increased aggression against them and their patients. Claire Keyes, of Allegheny Reproductive Health in Pittsburgh, explained:
Right after the election we saw a small upsurge in anti-abortion activity. But since the inauguration, things have gotten measurably worse. There's been an increase in picketing by students from Franciscan University in Ohio. On Saturdays there are 60-plus protesters and there's been an increase in screaming and aggression. We don't have a parking lot so people park on the street. The antis have surrounded cars, trapping the women inside, and in several cases the antis jumped into vehicles and touched or grabbed at them. The police were called but so far they don't seem to be responding appropriately.
Bader also quotes Elizabeth Barnes, Executive Director of the Philadelphia Women's Center, who explained, "When the pendulum swung in the direction of protecting women's rights, we expected something. The way the antis are reacting has changed, they're taking more liberties, pressing the boundaries of legal, civil protest."
Many in the pro-choice movement believed that the Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances (FACE) law, passed in 1994 in response to Gunn's murder, was responsible for reigning in violence against abortion providers. Clearly that is not the case. Based on statistics on violence against abortion providers compiled by the National Abortion Federation, even after the passage of FACE in 1994, there was still considerable violence and threats against clinic personnel, including six murders. As appears clear, the pro-choice movement has looked through rose-colored glasses, assuming or hoping that legalities can restrain terrorists.
In fact, it didn't abate after FACE, as we've seen. It was not until a comforting anti-abortion president did they calm down and stop the murder, bombing and harassment spree.
As a result of Bush's policies, recent reportings from clinics suggest that we may be seeing a surge in abortions. That has failed to inspire introspection from anti-abortion groups. That Clinton presided over the most dramatic decline in abortion rates in the recorded history of our country left them unmoved. That Obama has assigned his senior-most staff to the task of finding ways to reduce the need for abortion has not protected clinics nor providers nor Obama. Holder and his Justice Department should take note of the chatter and move aggressively against this form of domestic terrorism. The hate-filled rhetoric against Obama from the anti-abortion movement is at unprecedented levels, even for this reflexively inflammatory group. They refer to him as the "Most Pro-Abortion President Ever" ignoring the fact that he is the first to extend an olive branch in hopes that together we can make abortion more rare.
Anti-abortion groups will put out carefully worded press statements condemning the murder of Dr. Tiller, as became routine for them during the Clinton years. But unless the rhetoric they choose from now on becomes careful too -- they may be the enablers of murder and terror.
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Not just a foreshadowing.
The killer is saying it is just the begining: "Suspect in Kan. doctor's death warns of violence"
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090607/ap_on_re_us/us_abortion_shooting
Time to label these violence advocating Reich Wingers what they are.
Domestic Terrorists.
That and start the RICO actions against them.
It is not an isolated incident. Consider the Playboy rape list of conservative or perceived conservative women. The people who created such a foul suggestion of assault are borderline criminals who are whipping up unstable people to commit vile acts. Such irresponsible acts like this will result in assaults on women and perverted rationales. For anyone, writ large, to encourage attacking or hurting another human being is despicable. Where are the feminists on this repulsive story? Why haven't they condemned it in the strongest language? It's because their thinking is not to protect or uplift women but to protect and uplift feminists. What a sad example they are setting.
Dr. George Tiller is a hero who saved women’s lives and championed human rights.
Abortion is not murder. A fetus is part of a woman’s body until she gives birth.
Republican religious bigots care nothing about the rights of the mother how can they claim to care about a fetus in the mother's body which can endanger the mother's life.
One of the most common reasons for late-term abortion is because the fetus is posing a threat to the mother's life. Another reason for many late-term abortions is because the baby's life is threatened with either death or deformity. While republicans seek to deny abortions due to deformities in the fetus or even threats to a mother's life they care nothing about the expensive health care costs that will be incurred and would rather the baby or mother die after birth due to lack of health care than to support a reasonable health care system for everyone. If they care nothing about the health of the baby and the mother before birth how can they even dare to pretend they care about weather or not it is born? Republican religious bigots are no strangers to hypocrisy however.
Republicans seek to make a woman's vagina a crime scene, effectively shoving man's laws up a woman's vagina. I call that legal rape! And this from Republican bigots like Sara Palin who make women pay for their own rape kits! Republicans are serial rapists of human rights across the board!
Scott Roeder is the Hero in this long overdue manifestation of Karma.
Mr. Roeder should be nominated for & receive the Medal of Freedom.
You are at least partially correct in that not all abortion is murder, never-the-less late term abortion is by definition & practice murder.
In his years of murderous behavior Tiller committed upwards of 50,000 acts of murder against totally defenseless victims. These acts of senseless violence easily qualify Tiller as the most prolific serial killer in US history.
If Heroism is defined as an act dedicated to the protection of those unable to protect themselves, with little or no regard for ones own safety, then Mr. Scott Roeder is indeed a Hero.
The needs of the many always outweigh the needs of the one or few. It is readily apparent, even to the dullest tool in the shed, that the removal of Tiller has made the world a much safer place for literally thousands of our most precious asset our Babies.
The huge flaw in your argument - and it supersedes any social or moral argument, on which you are in the minority in any case - is that murder is AGAINST THE LAW and performing abortions is LEGAL. The law does NOT consider abortion to be murder, as you do, and America is a country of laws.
You no doubt consider yourself to be a proud American who stands up for his beliefs, but even the "dullest tool in the shed" can see that you are not, since you preach violence over the rule of law. If you don't like the law work to change it. But you can't claim moral superiority if think you've got the right to kill those who disagree with you.
here is the pro life bible
* Numbers 31:17 Now therefore kill every male among the little ones.
* Deuteronomy 2:34 utterly destroyed the men and the women and the little ones.
* Deuteronomy 28:53 And thou shalt eat the fruit of thine own body, the flesh of thy sons and of thy daughters.
* I Samuel 15:3 slay both man and woman, infant and suckling.
* 2 Kings 8:12 dash their children, and rip up their women with child.
* 2 Kings 15:16 all the women therein that were with child he ripped up.
* Isaiah 13:16 Their children also shall be dashed to pieces before their eyes; their houses shall be spoiled and their wives ravished.
* Isaiah 13:18 They shall have no pity on the fruit of the womb; their eyes shall not spare children.
* Lamentations 2:20 Shall the women eat their fruit, and children.
* Ezekiel 9:6 Slay utterly old and young, both maids and little children.
* Hosea 9:14 give them a miscarrying womb and dry breasts.
* Hosea 13:16 their infants shall be dashed in pieces, and their women with child shall be ripped up.
This was not murder, it was an execution. Bottom line; Tiller was a killer. You live by the "sword" you die by the "sword."
I have no sympathy for money grubbing doctors (Yes, Tiller did it for the money - just follow the money trail) acting like they are doing something good for women but they are no better than a televangelist ripping off widows and orphans for their last cent!
"Pro choice/death" people are such hypocrites; never seeing the forest because of the tree of their selfishness; never shedding a tear for the children torn to shreds by this man's seared conscience.
God hates babies
* Numbers 31:17 Now therefore kill every male among the little ones.
* Deuteronomy 2:34 utterly destroyed the men and the women and the little ones.
* Deuteronomy 28:53 And thou shalt eat the fruit of thine own body, the flesh of thy sons and of thy daughters.
* I Samuel 15:3 slay both man and woman, infant and suckling.
* 2 Kings 8:12 dash their children, and rip up their women with child.
* 2 Kings 15:16 all the women therein that were with child he ripped up.
* Isaiah 13:16 Their children also shall be dashed to pieces before their eyes; their houses shall be spoiled and their wives ravished.
* Isaiah 13:18 They shall have no pity on the fruit of the womb; their eyes shall not spare children.
* Lamentations 2:20 Shall the women eat their fruit, and children.
* Ezekiel 9:6 Slay utterly old and young, both maids and little children.
* Hosea 9:14 give them a miscarrying womb and dry breasts.
* Hosea 13:16 their infants shall be dashed in pieces, and their women with child shall be ripped up.
when anti choicers support children who are born into devestating circumstances then you may speak (this means not gutting all the social programs the government has as well as in more personal ways)
anti-choice/children people are such hypocrites, never seeing the child because the tree of the fetus gets in the way, never shedding a tear for abused, hungry, homeless children right in their midst
Dr Tiller was murdered in cold blood with conscience aforethought, that's first degree
it's supposed to be malice aforethought, but he also murdered consciously
And yet, it's not up to you in the least. You can believe the moon is made of green cheese if you want, it just doesn't matter.
Preventing the free exercise by law-abiding citizens to access their legal right to safe, private medical care is a crime, and execution is a crime. Duh.
Pretending that you believe people should work at their jobs for no salary is laughable. Your fellow teabaggers would especially get a good laugh at that one. And your grasp of biology and medicine seems tenuous and unschooled at best. But the biggest hypocrisy of all is murdering people when you don't believe in murder.
What goes on inside the bodies of other people is none of your business and women are sovereign over their own lives. So thanks very much for your interest, and worry about your own body and your own life. Don't like abortion? Don't have one. Prevent the need for one in your own life. You have that choice.
Your agenda is much, much more transparent than you apparently realize.
What he did was legal. Deal with it.
It's time to put abortion clinics inside hospitals and stop making them separate clinics, i.e. "bomb magnets." As for how to protect these providers, it's what the U.S. marshals and the National Guard is for. To protect our nation from domestic terrorism.
Marshals and National Guards 24/7 around abortion clinics? That sounds like a rather impractical reactive instead of proactive approach to solving the whole problem of confronting hate groups purveying violence based on their fundamentalist beliefs.
It seems a more proactive approach would be to go to the source of their power and propagandizing reach --- namely, question and challenge the tax-exempt status of those fundamentalist sects and organizations purveying violence wrapped around fundamentalist dogmas hiding in the sanctuaries of a peaceful religion. Then stripped of their protective mantle and free ride, perhaps they would not be nearly so threatening to other people's freedom.
Both. Until the longer-term goal to systematically dismantle domestic terror networks is realized, clinics and care providers need federal protection. And everyone who violates the federal access-to-clinic laws must be investigated, charged and prosecuted for violating federal law. Yeah, clinic security matters and is justified.
Thank you for this compelling and well researched argument that we were indeed safer from terror under George Bush!
that's not what was said, the terrorists felt safer and more aligned with Bush than they do with a pro-choice president
Thank you Cristine Page for writing this article. I had no idea of these facts. Something needs to change in this situation.
What can we do? We have to hold people who incite violence accountable in some way. It seems an impossible task.
Cristina Page makes the point that "Obama has assigned his senior-most staff to the task of finding ways to reduce the need for abortion has not protected clinics nor providers nor Obama.'" And that Obama "is the first to extend an olive branch in hopes that together we can make abortion more rare."
I THINK THAT'S PART OF THE PROBLEM! As Sunsara Taylor wrote recently,
"To talk today of reducing the number of abortions is to talk about strengthening the chains on women. The goal should NOT be to reduce the number of abortions. The goal should be to break down the barriers that still exist in every sphere of society to women’s full and equal participation as emancipated human beings. In this society, right now, that means there will be—and therefore should be—more abortions.
“This is because there are many, many women who want abortions who are unable to get them due to the tremendous legal, social and economic obstacles that have been put in their way. These obstacles include parental notification laws, mandatory waiting periods, anti-abortion fake clinics that disorient and delay women, the fact that 84% of counties have no abortion providers at all, and countless other cruel and humiliating restrictions.”
Read Sunsara's article, "The Deadly Illusion of “Common Ground” on Abortion--Response to Obama’s speech at Notre Dame on common ground and abortion" at http://www.revcom.us/a/166/ST_on_Obama-en.html
Unfortunately Obama seems disinclined to give up worshiping at the altar of this elusive bipartisanship.
just my thought, but it seems to me that reducing the need for abortion is a wonderful goal and should be a goal we all support. this means sex education for teenagers and readily accessible birth control for both boys and girls, conservatives are against both of these things. Kids will have sex, preventing unwanted pregnancies should be the goal, and to that end knowledge is power
Imagine if the good Christians were completely in control of our government ? It would be no different than the Muslims in the mid-east. A bible thumper is a bible thumper no mater where in the world they are .
Charlie...good Christians are the ones who helped free the slaves....and it is from the judeo-christian ethic that gave rise to the idea that humanity of any ethnicity should be free in America. What other "Muslim" country believes that it is okay to espouse contrary beliefs? In short, good christians believe in freedom and created America , good muslims do not and hate America.
Charlie, so in your world it's bad for people to call abortionists murderers but good to equate all Christians with "Muslims in the mid-east" and all it implies?
Charlie M is correct, religious fundies are all the same, no matter where they live. Terrorism here in America that is being carried out by these christian fundies, including my own religion(Catholic) is still terrorism, even though it is endorsed by this Pope and his minions in the Repub party.
Should the Religious Right take over in America we will see not only more killings for corporations(oil in Iraq) but we will see the return of wars of theocracy, as in the Crusades where Muslims and Jews were slaughtered.
Ultimately, this is all about class warfare, power, money and Repub party politics. Should the RRs take over in America we can expect to see a return to lynchings, killings and further imprisonments.
In 2012 we will be asked to vote for Sarah Palin(a Pentecostal who actually believes that God puts thoughts in her head) and Jeb Bush(Catholic) and Newt Gingrich(Catholic). Should any Repub get elected in 2010 or in 2012 America and the world are in great danger!
None of this is about Pro-Life or antiabortion. It is all about greed and power. It is, in equal amounts, about the power of Big Business and Big Religion. The Commandment says Thou shalt not kill. But that doesn't stop either Big Business or Big Religion.
Does anyone actually think that all of this will suddenly come to an end if Roe was reversed. Not one bit it won't end, not one bit.
Charlie, the problem is that the christians *have* been completely in control of our government.
Charlie, you are right. That is why our "founding fathers" said that religion has no place in our laws or government. Unfortunately, the conservative right thinks it does, and that is at the root of many of our social problems.
I advise anyone who thinks that this is somehow a "Christian" country to read our constitution. It is the obligation of our government to protect the rights of everyone, whether majority or minority. This also means that religious beliefs cannot be legislated.
If we could just live up to the idea that our country is supposed to be about tolerance for all, not the superiority of one belief over any other, this would be a better place.
Here’s Bill O’Reilly speaking of the just murdered Dr. Tiller:
“And if I could get my hands on Tiller — well, you know. Can’t be vigilantes. Can’t do that. It’s just a figure of speech.”
What kind of a message does that send to a Scott Roeder, mentally unbalanced, and already convicted of illegally owning weapons?
O’Reilly is guilty as hell of inciting this crime, and for him to have the platform to preach his ugliness and his hatred is frightening for this country.
it's a big circus tent. with lots of acts. and, in its center you may find the megaphone (wo)men and its corners you may find...
http://www.splcenter.org/intel/intelreport/article.jsp?aid=1027
These people that are causing this actions against abortion doctors found out that one of the fetuses' they saved grew up to be a doctor that did abortions, would they kill the doctor?
Was this a LATE TERM ABORTION ??
Oh ha, I see what you did there. A little jokie equating the murder of an adult man with the private medical decision of someone who has the right to make her own private medical decisions without interference.
Let us know when you go to the doctor next time so we can tell you which procedures we'll allow you to have based on our personal "beliefs"! We want the choice to control your body and your medical decisions, too! Have a nice day!
Yea, two in sixteen years. Practically a pandemic.
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