http://www.cnn.com/2010/CRIME/04/01/kansas.abortion.roeder.sentence/index.html?hpt=T1
Just a few weeks ago, on April 1, 2010, Scott Roeder was sentenced to life in prison without parole eligibility for 50 years. Roeder, an anti-abortion militant who was also a member of anti-government activist group the Montana Freemen, had a history of militancy and mental instability that hinted at his capability for more extreme political violence. Roeder’s anti-government and anti-abortion extremism eventually led to his tragic assassination of one of the few doctors in the United States who specialized in late-term abortions. On May 31, 2009, Dr. George Tiller was shot in the head at point-blank range during a Sunday worship service at the Reformation Lutheran Church, where Tiller was serving as an usher.
Scott Roeder, the convicted shooter, committed this abhorrent act of violence in the name of the pro-life movement. Any rational person can see the premeditated cold-bloodedness of Roeder crime, but the sheer hypocrisy of Scott Roeder’s act is also glaringly apparent. There is a genuine logical disconnect, in my opinion, in any violent action taken against abortion providers. Militant activists who claim to be “saving babies” go about their mission to preserve innocent life by subsequently threatening or taking lives or innocent doctors, nurses, security guards and receptionists at abortion clinics providing completely legal health services.
In my research of Dr. Tiller’s death, I happened upon a set of statistics provided by the National Abortion Federation, which records acts of violence committed in the name of the anti-abortion movement. (link: http://www.prochoice.org/about_abortion/violence/violence_statistics.html) It was truly shocking to see that Dr. Tiller’s murder is just one of many extreme acts of violence against clinics (including bombings, shootings, stabbings, arson, chemical attacks, etc) that occur every year in the United States. How does man who claims to be pro-life, a man who calls this crime an “act of love”, justify taking the life of a respected doctor and beloved father and husband? Shouldn’t pro-lifers, simply by nature of their moral position reject violence as a means of resisting ideas with which they disagree?
It seems that in the context of controversial issues such as abortion, that extreme beliefs inspire extreme actions. The death of George Tiller is far more than just an act of violence against one man though; it is an outward attack of women’s rights to reproductive freedom. Tiller’s killing was an act of domestic terrorism. It was a violent assault motivated purely by a disjuncture in moral beliefs.
Dr. Tiller has been the target of violent hate crimes before. Since being shot outside of an abortion clinic in the 90s, he has worn a bulletproof vest and traveled in an armored vehicle in daily working life. It is not difficult to see why Tiller has long been the target of extreme anti-abortion groups. Dr. Tiller was one of the few doctors who provided abortion services to women in their third trimester of pregnancy. In the already highly charged debate over abortion, late-term abortions have always been the hardest to defend and obtain. His opponents called Tiller a baby killer, and yet if we look at the law it Kansas, it clearly states that “post-viability abortion procedures are legally allowed when continuing the pregnancy is detrimental to the pregnant woman’s health”. This makes the termination of a late term pregnancy in Kansas an issue of serving the health and interests of a woman over those of her unborn fetus. As a supporter of a woman’s right to chose, even I have some moral ambiguities on the termination of a viable fetus, but when you take this issue on a case by case basis it become obvious that Tiller was simply serving the best interests of his patients, as any doctor should, and doing so with the support of Kansas law. To many of his patients, Dr. Tiller was a true hero who put interests of his women patients even above his own safety. Tiller was once quoted defending his work, saying “women and families are intellectually, emotionally, spiritually and ethically competent to struggle with complex health issues—including abortion—and come to decision that are appropriate for themselves”. This very attitude, true respect and outward defense for a woman’s decision about her health, unfortunately made Dr. Tiller a target for murder.
Our readings on abortion have made it clear that the decision to have or not have an abortion is extremely trying both physically and emotionally. It is not a decision to be taken lightly and once made it is not a decision to be questioned or criticized. Allison Crews, a teen who chose to carry her pregnancy emphasizes in her article “And So I Choose”, that “our bodies are our own, our futures ours to mold. No one should be allowed to interfere with them… We have the right when, where, with whom and how were bear children” (148). This is a concept that Dr. Tiller understood with more clarity than most. His assassination was a hate crime committed not only against him but also against all women and their constitutional rights.
Dr. Tiller’s murder was a tragic and calculated act of hatred, but his legacy as a man who helped thousands of women, will not be diminished by the act of a single terrorist. Perhaps the most poignant message we can gather from Tiller legacy is “trust women”, a phrase which Tiller described as a personal motto for his work. As we see in this video (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_5TugO8Zl3o) making a difference in women’s lives was the ultimate goal of his services. This motto, “trust women” is a phrase that is often overlooked by pro-lifers in the discussion of abortion. Though George Tiller is gone, let us hope his life serves as a lesson to all that it is time we stop treating women like they are morally handicapped. A pregnant woman is the only one who can and should make decisions about her body, her health and her future. This is a concept that Tiller embraced fully, and it is truly appalling that Scott Roeder felt justified in murdering Tiller for this belief. Pro-choicers everywhere can rest easy after Roeder’s sentencing, that this murderous extremist will now spend the rest of his life behind bars.
No comments:
Post a Comment