http://www.cnn.com/2009/CRIME/06/01/kan ... index.html

This is a rather heavy & personal post for a Monday morning, but I think its important to mention it.

Many of you know that I work for an abortion provider, and I think its easy to forget that there is still a very strong opposition to this work. There has not been a shooting since 1998, so I think we were all starting to get a little bit complacent.

However, I came in to some very somber and shocking news this morning. Dr. George Tiller, a Kansas abortion provider for 40 years was shot to death yesterday by anti choice activists.

At my workplace, we have seen a lot more anti-choice activity since Obama (a pro-choice president) was elected-vandalism, more protesters, etc, but a shooting is not something that I think any of us expected. Nothing like this has happened in over 10 years.

Keep fighting for what you believe is right.


STATEMENT FROM THE PRESIDENT ON THE MURDER OF DR. GEORGE TILLER

I am shocked and outraged by the murder of Dr. George Tiller as he attended church services this morning. However profound our differences as Americans over difficult issues such as abortion, they cannot be resolved by heinous acts of violence.

-M

Heard about this. Horrifying stuff.

This is domestic terrorism from my point of view.

I read about this over the weekend, it's awful.

The worst part is reading the reactions of right-wing Christians basically blaming the Dr. for his own murder:
http://thinkprogress.org/2009/05/31/tiller-murder/

Here's a little tidbit about the suspect:
http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2009/6/1/737417/-Tiller-Suspect-Known-By-Friends-as-Believer-in-Justifiable-Murder-of-Doctors

It's pretty scary to think that terrorism like this occurs within our borders.

Keep doing the work you do, you're helping people that need it.

The right wing Christian Taliban strikes again. So sad.

Justifiable homicide?, so he says. I cannot believe people actually believe in this concept. The glaring irony being the people who share that mind set are the ones opposed to (in their opinion) baby killing. Okay, soooo an eye for an eye is 'okay'? Whenever will people begin to analyze and critique their OWN lives, instead of others'?

terrible....terrible...

Very sad.

There's plenty of them here:

viewtopic.php?f=5&t=19075

It seems to me that what you're doing is equating a living animal to a fetus, which is essentially the same argument used by anti-choice activists when they accuse abortion providers of committing murder. If a live baby was thrown from a cliff, I'd feel the same way that people feel about the puppy being killed.

This is apples and orange Roger. Whether you're playing devil's advocate or not, I'd agree that someone who tortures a living thing deserves what's coming to them, but please don't try to compare throwing a living creature from a cliff to a medical procedure. They are not even close to comparable.

I'm not saying anything about the treatment of animals vs. abortions. I was pointing out that thread to Future_Man to illustrate that yes, there are plenty of people out there (and around here) who believe in "justifiable homicide."

For the record (as if I need to say this), I think the murder of this doctor was completely reprehensible.

Agreed,

My mom worked in family planning for many, many years and had to deal with activists on quite a few occasions. I myself believe its a womans right to make a decision, but to each their own. I don't attack anyone who thinks otherwise, but these extremists are just out of order IMO.

And people wonder why I hate religion.

Fair enough I suppose, but I still think its a stretch to make your point. I just felt like it was an attempt to push buttons, which I didn't really find productive.

That's all. I'm probably touchy too because I was just called "baby killer" on Friday before I left work. Shakes you up a bit when this stuff happens.

I wasn't trying to push buttons, or hijack your thread, but I am trying to get an idea across: Either killing people is okay or it isn't.

The fundamental problem here is that when it comes to murder, everyone tries to have their cake and eat it, too. The person who committed this crime felt that abortions (murder, in his eyes) were morally wrong, but it was okay to murder the person who was doing it.

So for those of us who believe that this crime was wrong (and I think we all do), how many people support the death penalty for the person who pulled the trigger?

If you want, give us a yes or no and tell us why, let's keep it constructive.

Very sad.
It's a difficult decision to make. I know about it.

I don't believe in the death penalty as a deterrent. I think I heard it's more cost effective to give someone life in prison which is probably even more unbearable at places like Supermax and other prisons. Let them rot in prison.

Also pro-choice as I believe it is up to the woman to decide.

The right-wing has really gone off the deep end after losing in 2008.
I've been hanging out in political forums, and the nutjobs are coming out in full force...

incredibly tragic crime. I was just reading about this on a web site, and then came to the public comments at the bottom of the page. peppered among the sympathetic comments towards the victim, were other comments by people who obviously sympathized with the doctors killer. unbelievable. its terrifying to read these comments. the kind of shit people will say when they have anonymity (the internet), and even more terrifying to think that they are absolutely serious with their comments.

Willful ignorance, false belief, and faith based on insufficient evidence is the culprit here. Illogical beliefs should be denounced whenever they are encountered by rational people. The fact that someone can live in the year 2009, in the wealthiest nation on earth, avail themselves with modern technology, and yet still believe that they are justified in killing another human being, let alone a medical doctor who helps terminate pregnancies for women with complications is beyond me.

The Irony to me is that the "pro life" people support the death penalty as punishment. Not in this case of course cause the murder was justified

When my wife worked at a reproductive clinic she heard Dr Tiller speak a couple of times.
She said that he was an amazingly humble and gentle man.
Rest in Peace, Dr Tiller.
What an injustice this is.
My thoughts go out to his friends and family, as well as all the others working in the same field.

Anybody seen a video of an actual abortion? Pretty gruesome stuff, and sad to see a man was killed over it.

Ike

You ever seen liposuction? Now that is gnarly!!

PS Why are you watching abortions?

Allright, everybody calm down. Is this the same rednecktex from Robot-Japan that outbid me on a Bullmark Daibaron back in the day?

Thinning the heard of heard thinners

I think thats called irony. With your cheery outlook and tolerance of people that don't have the same views and overall hypocrisy I'm shocked you would work at such a place.