Anti-Choice Terrorism

[catsittingstill]

A terrorist of the "In Sorrow Shalt Thou Bring Forth Children" crowd acted to bring sorrow to the friends and family, colleagues and patients of Dr. George Tiller yesterday.

It was the second time he'd been shot by an anti-choice terrorist.  His clinic had been bombed and vandalised by anti-choice terrorists.  All because he acted to prevent the enslavement of women impregnated against their will to produce unwanted babies.

Nor was he the only victim of this kind of thing.

For a particular dash of irony, this particular  terrorist shot him in his church.

It would be nice if the goverment could bring itself to defend us against local religious terrorists, in addition to those terrorists overseas.  The problem with that, of course, is that these particular terrorists are members of the majority religion, locally, and surrounded by enablers who insist on special treatment for them that foreign terrorists don't get.

I'm going to donate to a pro-choice organization in his honor.  I'm thinking about Planned Parenthood, though I am seeing good things about Medical Students for Choice.

Comments

[sedge]

I've been thinking of donating, too - I hadn't heard of Medical Students for Choice. Thanks!

[catsittingstill]

:-) You are most welcome. I noticed this morning that their web page is down, so I suppose I'll have to wait to donate. My own fault for not doing it early.

[maiac.livejournal.com]

AG Eric Holder is sending the feds to protect abortion clinics, which is a good sign.

I won't be satisfied until this crime is prosecuted not just as murder, but as an act of terrorism.

[catsittingstill.livejournal.com]

I haven't seen or heard any news about the feds protecting abortion clinics (though I think it's a great idea); do you have a link?

[maiac.livejournal.com]

Attorney General Eric Holder has ordered (http://www.publicbroadcasting.net/kcur/news.newsmain/article/1/0/1512512/KCUR.News/Tiller's.Clinic.Closed.AG.Orders.Increased.Security.for.Abortion.Clinics.and.Doctors) increased security for some abortion clinics and doctors in response to the murder of Dr. George Tiller. Tiller, a late-term abortion provider, was gunned down during services yesterday at his Wichita church.

[catsittingstill.livejournal.com]

Thanks for the link!

[erin-ruston.livejournal.com]

The radical right wingers are getting more and more brazen. This needs to be shut down and treated like the terrorism that it is.

[catsittingstill.livejournal.com]

I agree.

[pocketnaomi.livejournal.com]

I never heard of Medical Students for Choice, but just from the name, I'm glad to hear such an organization exists. Must go look them up now.

[catsittingstill.livejournal.com]

:-) Good idea.

[admnaismith.livejournal.com]

The perp should be waterboarded so that we may find out what he knows about other antiabortion terrorist cells in America.

[catsittingstill.livejournal.com]

I realize this is probably just a bitter joke.

But even as a joke I can't go along with it.

(Though in his case the ticking time bomb scenario might be real, I grant you.)

America is supposed to be better than that.

[judifilksign.livejournal.com]

I might suggest the Medical Students for Choice, because many med schools do not even offer the courses for would-be doctors to learn how to perform abortions unless specifically requested. This means women's health care choices are limited because medical students aren't trained. (It is my personal opinion that this is deliberate obfuscution on the part of conservatives.)

Medical Students for Choice helps raise awareness of the need for training, so that *doctors* can be qualified to make the decision as to whether they will perform such procedures, instead of de facto being unable to due to a lack of experience and training.

[catsittingstill.livejournal.com]

Very good points.

[maiac.livejournal.com]

Also there are anti-choice organizations that provide funding for medical and pharmacy students, to increase the percentage of medical professionals who will deny women their right to health care. We need to counteract the anti-choice campaign.

[hitchkitty.livejournal.com]

Actually, what we need to counteract is this notion that personal beliefs excuse someone from doing his job.

I'll want to take a good, hard look at the "freedom of conscience" act at some point, because if it's broad (read: "ass-savingly vague") enough, I have an idea:

Join an anti-abortion group and go with them to a protest. But bring your own, pro-choice signs. Let's see if this "freedom of conscience" business cuts both ways.

[howeird]

Horrible, that. Also horrible is that a church full of people didn't try to catch the guy who did it.

Much of the coverage I heard stressed that the doctor was known for performing late-term abortions. What's that all about?

[catsittingstill.livejournal.com]

Some cultural groups in the US strongly oppose abortion (often, though not always, in addition to birth control, interestingly enough.) In the "mushy middle" the farther along the fetus is, and the closer to being viable outside the womb, the more people are opposed to abortion. This has led the anti-Choice crowd to target those abortions specifically, because they can get more support from people who think advocating forced birth for only the last four months, instead of all nine, is moderate. The upshot of this is that in those rarer and rarer cases where a pregnancy has proceeded farther and farther before a woman obtains an abortion (usually because of late-discovered fetal nonviability or because of serious danger to the woman's life), it gets harder and harder to find a doctor who is willing and trained to perform the procedures.

Tiller was one of (I think) three doctors in the entire US who would perform late term abortions, meaning after 5 months or so. At one stroke the anti-Choice crowd has gotten rid of 1/3 of the availablity of late-term abortion. This affects the nature of the accomplishment, or "accomplishment" depending what side one is on, so it makes the news.

[antongarou.livejournal.com]

From what I understand he had a gun and wasn't of the "I did my part now I'm going to come quietly" attitude. The people at the church did the right thing- if they tried to catch him there would have been some people injured at the very least- and possibly other fatalities.

[catsittingstill.livejournal.com]

Also horrible is that a church full of people didn't try to catch the guy who did it.

Oh, yeah; I got so caught up in explaining the late-term abortion thing I didn't deal with this.

1) he wasn't in the sanctuary itself (the main part where all the people gather); he was in the entryway after services had started. There wasn't a "church full of people" handy to deal with him but only the handful of people straggling in late or waiting for stragglers (Tiller was acting as an usher, meaning he was handing out programs to people coming in late.)

2) a couple of the stragglers did try to stop him, but quite reasonably backed off when he pointed the gun at them. He'd already proved he was quite willing to kill and it sounds like they didn't have the numbers to swarm him, as happened in the shooting at my church last year. Backing off saved their lives so that they could report him and his car to the police, which is the only thing that led to his later arrest. A good call, in my opinion.

[howeird]

Thanks for the explanation, and also the previous answer and link.