Killing Dr. Tiller Again

I just got this statement from the Abortion Care Network about last night's truly awful Law & Order show. They say it better than I could (actually I had to turn it off!).

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 10/24/09

Murdered Again
When the Independent Abortion providers who make up the Abortion Care Network learned that an episode of NBC’s Law and Order was going to be based on the May 31, 2009 assassination of Dr. George Tiller (a founding member of our organization), many of us were upset. We felt that no matter how his murder was ‘ripped from the headlines’ it was much too soon and too raw to turn it into a piece of popular culture. Now that we have seen it we are furious and deeply offended.

For many of us George Tiller was mentor, teacher, friend---he was known in our circles as ‘St. George’ because he embodied principles of goodness, kindness, respect, and faith--the best in us. He was a man of extraordinary principles and generosity. In a field in which courage and dedication in the face of hatred, violence, and terror are almost expected, Dr. Tiller stood out. He had been firebombed more than once, mercilessly harassed by legal officials who over and over came up with nothing, and survived a previous assassination attempt in which he was shot. He continued to do his work because women needed him.

So we are justifiably protective of Dr. Tiller’s reputation and honor. NBC concocted a dreadful hybrid that bears no resemblance to this truly amazing doctor. And they concocted a story that bears no resemblance to the complexity of the issues involved in abortion, let alone late abortion. NBC cannot hide behind the words, “The following story is fictional and does not depict any actual person or event when they begin their story by having a doctor murdered in his church. Their disclaimer should have read, “This story purports to be balanced but we are about to insinuate that a doctor who was assassinated was, himself, guilty of homicide, and thus to blame for his own murder.” This is particularly egregious because Dr. Tiller was the repeated victim of politically motivated investigation and was repeatedly found innocent of any wrongdoing related to his medical practice. This “fiction” casts doubt on his integrity, and gives the impression that abortion is homicide which U.S. law is clear that it is not.

No one knows the complexity of abortion more than abortion providers.  Independent Abortion providers provide 80% of abortions in this country---and an even higher percent of late abortions. We sit with women and hold their hands and listen to their stories and support them as they make the best decisions they can for themselves and their families.

This Law and Order episode was called “Dignity”. It treated us to the heart wrenching testimony of a woman whose values told her that the best way to honor herself and the doomed life she was carrying late in pregnancy was to bring the pregnancy to term and be there as her baby died. What was left out was the equally compelling, equally real, equally heart wrenching  testimony of real women whose values told them that the best way to honor themselves and spare suffering to the doomed life they carried late in pregnancy was to end that life. These women sought care from Dr. Tiller in the care of a compassionate physician and staff---a physician and staff who understand more than the writers of law and Order ever could what it means to want a baby and then lovingly let it go. The point of choice is that the woman herself gets to define what a death with dignity means to her. She and her family get to honor their own beliefs and values.

There is no balance here. We are shown the character of a woman D.A. who used to believe in Roe v. Wade, but was thrown into confusion by hearing of someone else’s experience. If we know anything it is that one person’s opinion or experience doesn’t tell us much about what we would do in that actual situation. A pro-choice perspective makes room for each woman to come to her own truth. Any other perspective forces someone to compromise their own integrity.

The Abortion Care Network brings the experience and voice of Independent Abortion Providers and the women we serve into the national conversation. This kind of truly fictitious television reveals just how needed that voice is.


       

Comments

[Julie]

I've said it time and again, Bonnie. I understand why Operation Counterstrike feels that way and where he/she is coming from. But I disagree on the need to stoop to their level, exposing anti-choicers and the extremists for who and what they are will be much more effective. The moral high ground belongs to the pro-choice movement and we need to make that fact clearer than ever. Yes, absolutely, write letters and make your voices heard! Silence equals compliance with their demands for government rule over women's reproductive choices.

[bonnie moss-rhodes]

pandora, if I had had the ability and the means and had been born a few decades latter maybe I would have become a Doctor and If I had I would hope I would have had the courage of those who provide services to women who seek total reproductive care.

Unfortunately I was born into a very fundamentalist family who felt a female should have no more ambition than marrage and childbirth.

Other than the practical schooling to become an LVN what I could afford to spend on school only allowed me to recieve a bachelors degree in Anthro. Light years away from what Doctors who preform abortions have.

So I just do what I can in support of them. Not many med schools take students in their sixties. I do however encourage my Granddaughters and would be so proud if they chose this life course.

A Sane Person,

I see pandora jumps right in and proves my point abought how they love the negative attention.

We just waste time feeding the extremists egos when we resort to threats. I especially like your point about paul hills young daughter. Who knows she may grow up to be a champion for womens equality. Being born and raised by extremists does not always make one an unthinking zealot. Many of these children grow up quite able to put reason above dogma.

[Pandora]

A Sane Person,

I believe Paul Hill was executed for his crimes .... amazing how pro-aborts are never happy. It's not likely the nutjob will ever make good on the threats. We might just shoot back ..... pro-aborts define courage as someone like Tiller who killed babies. What guts ..... Operation Counterstrike hasn't the courage to deal with someone that can fight back.

[Pandora]

Ain't that touching .... everybody write letters to politicians.

If Bonnie thinks being an abortionist is such a worthwhile job perhaps she ought to become one, rather than encourage other people to do it.

[bonnie moss-rhodes]

When we threaten them we give them what they so desperately crave, attention. We make them appear more important than they ever are in actuality.

To fight them and their agenda we keep on doing the work needed to ensure that all women not only have the right to the best reproductive care possible with all options open but that they have access to good safe clinics and the means to exersize that right.

pandoras ilk would make all women of childbearing age less than the sum of their uteruses utility. They would take away the very ownership of a womans body from her and hand it over to strangers who claim to own "god" also.

This is what we must fight. The idea that women and their rights are simply expendable when it comes to promoting idealology.

Like the cowardly waste of oxygen that shot my unarmed boss from behind in a church than threatened to shoot others before running away, their are always those who want simply to cause hurt so they can feel better about themselves.

They never do anymore than damage what they claim to support.

Anyone who truly wants to "avenge" Dr. Tiller and all the others murdered by these morons, work to carry on his cause. Don't let a small bunch of unhappy zealots prevent one woman from getting the care she by law has a right to. Support all those wonderful dedicated Practioners who have and continue to place their lives on the line to provide women with this option. Speak up, write letters, talk to neighbors and let those politicians that think they can trade a womans right to own her own body for political profit.

[A Sane Person]

Sorry, I got so worked up over that nutjob Operation Counterstrike, I couldn't even type. That should say," Joy Hill was three when her father killed Dr. Britton," not "Tiller," of course.

[A Sane Person]

OperationCounterstrike wrote:
"If Scott Roeder does not get put to death, the following individuals (at least) should be killed in his place:

Karen, Justin, Gloria, and Joy Hill, the widow and children of the late terrorist murderer Paul Hill. They worship at River Oaks PCA in Germantown, Tennessee. Go there and shoot them each through the eye!"

That's great. An eye for an eye, eh? How on earth does that make you any better than Paul Hill? Kill more innocent people? Does that bring Tiller back? Isn't this the exact same logic anti-abortion nutjobs use? Do you really think that's going to further the pro-choice movement AT ALL? Do you know Joy Hill was 3 years old when her father murdered Tiller. How on earth do you figure she needs to die to make up for it? You are insane and you should be locked up for making death threats. You are no better than the murderers you claim to oppose. You obviously don't care about life or the rule of law at all - this is just a game to you and you are just on the other side. You obviously don't have a problem with Paul Hill's methods, just his ideology.

[Pandora]

"We should be working on making them MORE to be pitied!"

We? You must have a mouse in your pocket, as it's very unlikely you'll ever do more than run your mouth.

[OperationCounterstrike]

I agree, Bonnie, that right-to-lifers are mostly to be pitied.

We should be working on making them MORE to be pitied!

When they and their children start getting shot to death, then we can pity them big-time.

[bonnie moss-rhodes]

Thank you Julie for your kind words. It is so easy to speak up for Dr. Tiller. The facts and truth make it so.

Operation counterstrike, I understand your anger. I have not been able to get past my own. If this coward that shot Dr. Tiller from behind is ever sentenced to death I will want to be a wittness to that death.

On the other hand the zealots on the other side have for years stooped to the lowest levels with their threats and harrassment. They are the ones that promote their belief system and "ownership of God" as placing them above the law and worth of all others.

I also believe they really crave the attention that threats give them. They want to see themselves as important and since they really have not accomplished much in the last thirty some odd years they settle for the negative.

Just my opinion, based on thirty years of countering them,for the most part they are not susscessful people in most of their lives. Look at the moron that shot my boss. A real family values guy, except for having distroyed his marriage, not being a father to his son and fathering a daughter out of wedlock, to say nothing of not holding on to a job. Or the self appointed guardian of family values at the gate to our clinic over the last few years, a twice married catholic, who pled no contest to domestic violence with the first wife, who was reported by someone in his own house for getting physical with his young son and arrested, who has been fined for filing law suits that have no basis, who sends out letters claiming he is the ceo of an air service that no one can find any existance of. (He does have a franchise for a christian dating service that he runs out of his basement). I could go on and on. These are folk who live on a mythology that gives them some purpose in their otherwise rather lacklusters lives. Think of those who got so caught up in the game of Dungeons and dragons that what was a story line became their reality becuase it was so much more to them than their reality.

Except for a few in leadership and those that turn a buck off of the issue these folk are to be pitied. Pitied but like all deluded folk well suprervised to prevent any more of them from being used like the morons who have been cheered on to murder.

[OperationCounterstrike]

I see, Julie, you are criticising me for not being tough enough with the right-to-lifers. Please accept my humble apology. I'll try to post suggestions for a MORE militant response soon.

[Julie]

Dang it,Operation Counterstrike, cool it! You're almost as bad as Pandora. Show some class, OC!
Splendid series of posts, Bonnie, simply splendid. Even if they did fail to educate a certain anti-abortion person, you did a great job in refutation.

[OperationCounterstrike]

If Scott Roeder does not get put to death, the following individuals (at least) should be killed in his place:

Karen, Justin, Gloria, and Joy Hill, the widow and children of the late terrorist murderer Paul Hill. They worship at River Oaks PCA in Germantown, Tennessee. Go there and shoot them each through the eye!

Professor Robert P. George of Princeton

Father Frank Pavone, of "Priests for Life". Works on Staten Island, NY

Former Attorney General Phill Kline, of Kansas

Cheryl Sullinger, the ex-con/ex-bomber/ex-terrorst who now works for Operation Rescue

Jill Stanek

.... more soon....

[bonnie moss-rhodes]

Only to a simple minded zealot who has no regard for the facts. to folk with basic reasoning skills unvarnished with dogma he was was, like those others the victim of a terrorist attack becuase he refused to cave in to the demands of those who put their paticular mythology over the law.

[Pandora]

"By the way Dr. Tiller is not only recently departed he is the victim of a cowards assasination egged on by zealots and terrorists. Like those killed in Oklahoma City and the World Trade center and the pentagon he is the victim of those who think their own personal mythology is absolute and who murder in support of it when they can not force others to cave into it."

Nope, a killer killed a killer. Real simple.

[bonnie moss-rhodes]

Not to worry. We are carrying on. the only thing that was closed was the building. The prolife plant on the Kansas board of healing arts has resigned. The face of our movement is getting younger as was clear clear witht he multitude that showed up in support of Dr. Carhart in Nebraska. Other clinics will open. We had very few vendors who refused to serve us and a great many that after being exposed to the prolife bullies insisted on staying on. Only one staff member I know left becuase of the protests in the last decade. Most of our staff had been with the Good Doctor from ten to thirty five years. Our parking lot was fine and we had no trouble getting it repaved, our bottled water was delivered just fine.

By the way Dr. Tiller is not only recently departed he is the victim of a cowards assasination egged on by zealots and terrorists. Like those killed in Oklahoma City and the World Trade center and the pentagon he is the victim of those who think their own personal mythology is absolute and who murder in support of it when they can not force others to cave into it.

[Pandora]

"I know it must be hard for you to be so adament about a cause that so few support or believe. "

You appear to be having problems with your cause as well, as Tiller the Killer's mill is kaput. Where are all the eager beavers that support the cause of killing children (and maybe a few women while they're at it)? I thought Carhart was going to carry on in the place of your recently departed hero. There are also a post from a Whiny Abortionist that bemoans her unpaved parking lot; seems you popular folks can't get anyone to pave it. WA complains of lack of bottled water because no one will deliver it. Others have whined that abortionists are unwanted in hospitals, and endure stigma from others because they kill pre-born children.

[bonnie moss-rhodes]

That is your opinion based on your ideology and prejudice. Once agin you never met the family or know anything about them other than what you heard from self serving zealots. no surprise, its your thing.

Same thing with both the Good Doctor and the clinic. You speak out of ignorance and frustration. I know it must be hard for you to be so adament about a cause that so few support or believe. It makes you an angry person (as shown by your posts). I feel sorry for you in some ways. The only support you can put forward in your argument is name calling.

I can say that knowing the Good Doctor, he would have felt pity for you. So sad to see so much "wasted potential" and all that. He had more true concern for others in his big toe than those that murdered him or those that cheered on that murder have combined. Those who knew him loved him and those like you who have made up your mind to demonize him really do not matter much.

His memory, his caring way and his devotion to friends, family,patients and staff will be long remembered. Those of you who judge him with no knowledge of him will be long forgotten. No amount of name calling can change that.

[Pandora]

"You did not answer my question. Did you donate to the funeral?"

Nope. Should I have? I would have told that family not to go within a mile of Tiller the Killer's mill. They made a very foolish choice obviously. Regarding what was allegedly said about the family, I would only say anyone who would bring a defenseless woman like Christin anywhere near that so-called clinic definitely has problems. Such problems don't necessarily prove incest, just proves they were fools. Feel better? I know I feel better knowing that cesspool is no longer in business.

[bonnie moss-rhodes]

pandora, you appear to have difficulty with reading comprehension. If that is due to a disability I am sorry. However I susspect it is simply your choice to misread anything you find does not fit your narrow and biggoted view.

Becuase Christine could not give consent to sex it was a given that she had ben raped (statutory). An investigation into a rape not only covers finding that in fact a rape happened but also who commited the rape (and with the really ugly low things some prolife groups were posting on the web about Christines family) who did not.

In no way do my two statements conflict. Again read slower and but in some effort to actually comprehend.

As for getting to know the patients, the patients I worked with were there for at the very least four days and I spent many hours in their company as did the rest of the staff. Add to that the many phone conversations both before and after they were in our care and yes we did get to know them quite well along with their families and friends that were with them.

Again I think you have the personal need to make the staff uncaring demons with out any human compassion. You do not want to see them as human who knew this young woman and were devastated at her death. Perhaps you have never been in the posistion of a care giver, but I can say the staff were fiercly protective of our patients and like our wonderful Doctor would have put our lives on the line for them. To lose one was devastating. Of course this will simply pass over your head becuase it will not feed your personal idealology.

You did not answer my question. Did you donate to the funeral?

[Pandora]

"I also got the first hand experience of seeing a broken hearted staff grieve for the death of this young woman. You see unlike the folk at the gate the staff actually get to know the patients and their families. We did not have to guess at their situation or motives."

Yep I'm sure you got to know them quite well during the 2 days they were there.

[Pandora]

Bonnie says " Perhaps she is not aware that Dr. Tiller provided evidence before a Texas jury investigating Christines rape."

Then Bonnie says " I did not say The Good Doctor testified she was raped. I said he presented evidence that convicted rapists. He presented evidence that showed who did and who did not rape this young woman as he did so very many times."

Make up your mind.

[Pandora]

"If Scott Roeder does not get put to death, then other right-to-lifers should be killed in his place"

I see others have sent you their addresses and given you a more appropriate name. When will you be taking action rather than shooting off your mouth?

[bonnie moss-rhodes]

I am so grateful. I also want to than-you and this site for the good work you do. It is so good to be reminded that there are good caring people out there.

[Julie]

Good news, Bonnie. I just read on the Daily Kos that Ebay rejected the "Domestic Terroist Support Network" Telethon, er, auction.