US Abortion Doctor is shot dead

[Azrael]

US abortion doctor is shot dead

A prominent US abortion doctor has been shot dead at a church in Wichita, in his home state of Kansas.


Sixty-seven year-old George Tiller was killed just after 1000 (1500 GMT) at the Reformation Lutheran Church. Dr Tiller - one of the few US doctors who performed so-called late-term abortions - had been a long-time target of anti-abortionists.

His clinic had often been the site of demonstrations, and he was shot and wounded by an assailant 16 years ago.

Dr Tiller's lawyer, Dan Monnat, said he was gunned down as he served as an usher during a morning service.

Police say the attacker, a white man, then fled in a car.

Dr Tiller was shot in the lobby of the church, reports say.

No suspects are yet in custody and the police have not made a statement about the possible motive.

The shooting comes two weeks after President Barack Obama made a major speech on abortion at one of the main Catholic universities in the US.

Correspondents say the president is attempting to defuse the abortion issue - a highly emotive subject in US public life - by arguing that while it should remain legal, the government should do all it can to limit the number of unwanted pregnancies.

But members of the anti-abortion movement have been angered by the president's reversal of restrictions on federal funding for embryonic stem cell research and for family-planning groups which carry out or facilitate abortions outside the US.

Dr Tiller's killing, however, was swiftly denounced by anti-abortionists.
"We denounce vigilantism and the cowardly act that took place this morning," anti-abortion group Operation Rescue said on its website.

A late-term abortion is the termination of a foetus beyond the 20th week of gestation, when it is potentially old enough to survive outside the womb.

Source:
BBC NEWS | Americas | US abortion doctor is shot dead

Doctor who performed abortions shot to death

(CNN) -- Dr. George Tiller, whose Wichita, Kansas, women's clinic has been the target of anti-abortion protests for years, was shot and killed at his church Sunday morning, his attorneys said.


Dr. George Tiller was one of the few U.S. physicians that performed late-term abortions.

Laura Shaneyfelt, an attorney with the firm of Monnat and Spurrier, confirmed Tiller's death to CNN.

The 67-year-old doctor was one of the few U.S. physicians who still performed late-term abortions. He survived a 1993 shooting outside his clinic.

Wichita police said they were searching for a powder-blue Ford Taurus in connection with the killing, which took place outside Reformation Lutheran Church shortly after 10 a.m.

Witnesses provided a license number of the car the killer used to speed away from the church, police spokesman Gordon Bassham said.

The anti-abortion group Operation Rescue, which has led numerous demonstrations at Tiller's clinic, condemned the shooting as a "cowardly act."

"Operation Rescue has worked for years through peaceful, legal means, and through the proper channels to see him brought to justice," the group said in a statement. It offered its prayers for Tiller's family, "that they will find comfort and healing that can only be found in Jesus Christ."

Abortion is one of the hottest buttons in U.S. politics, with opponents arguing the practice is tantamount to the murder of an unborn child. Abortion rights supporters argue that the decision to terminate a pregnancy is best left to the woman.

On its Web site, Operation Rescue refers to Tiller as a "monster" who has "been able to get away with murder," and abortion rights opponents have launched several efforts to get his clinic shut down.

In March, Tiller was acquitted of 19 counts of performing procedures unlawfully at his clinic. In 2008, a probe initiated by abortion opponents who petitioned state authorities to convene a grand jury ended without charges.

The 1993 attack on Tiller left him wounded through both arms. An ardent foe of abortion, Shelley Shannon, was convicted of attempted murder and is serving a 20-year sentence in federal prison for the shooting.

If Tiller was slain because of his work, he would be the fourth U.S. physician killed by abortion opponents since 1993. In addition, a nurse at a Birmingham, Alabama, clinic was maimed and an off-duty police officer was killed in a 1998 bombing by Eric Rudolph, who included abortion among his list of anti-government grievances.

Rudolph admitted to that attack and three other bombings -- including the 1996 attack on the Olympic games in Atlanta, Georgia -- and is serving life in prison.

Source:
Doctor who performed abortions shot to death - CNN.com

Discuss.

[Angel]

Whoever did it was a hypocrite.

Defend life, but shoot someone dead. Yup, makes a HELL of a lot of sense.

[Azrael]

Originally Posted by Angelus

Whoever did it was a hypocrite.

Defend life, but shoot someone dead. Yup, makes a HELL of a lot of sense.

It's certainly an irony that the murderer was trying to kill someone who was 'murdering' fetuses. I rather prefer non-violent protest from pro-life advocates, it does not paint them as hypocrites.

[legendary_Dosa7]

what the hell? murdering someone for murdering a fetuses. not a smart way to prove one's point :/

[Aucune Raison]

Any "pro-lifer" that supports the death penalty is the absolute worst of hypocrites.

I gotta say i'm not mad. It's a good thing that that monster wont be able to perform any more murders and spill any more baby kroovy and stuff. As a prominent member of the Christian Church, I consider myself a strong pro-notbabykilling person.

[Aucune Raison]

Originally Posted by Herman Melville

I gotta say i'm not mad. It's a good thing that that monster wont be able to perform any more murders and spill any more baby kroovy and stuff. As a prominent member of the Christian Church, I consider myself a strong pro-notbabykilling person.

Seriously you really want a death note don't you?

[Watson]

Originally Posted by Herman Melville

I gotta say i'm not mad. It's a good thing that that monster wont be able to perform any more murders and spill any more baby kroovy and stuff. As a prominent member of the Christian Church, I consider myself a strong pro-notbabykilling person.

As I have said, and you wonder why you're in red.

I think this is horrible. The guy's dead because of his profession. That's just sick... and, as everyone else (Other than HM) has stated, this guy who killed him's a huge hypocrite. And by the way, we humans have already overpopulated the earth, and Pro-Liife advocates don't exactly help... screw babies, all not aborting them does is kill earth by increasing the need for housing when they grow older, thus destroying animal habitats and eventually killing off Earth. And calling the guy a monster is just unfair man...

[scubasteve]

I don't think I've seen him say that we wonders why he is the red, so please, shut up about rep power.

[Vandread]

Originally Posted by Aucune Raison

Seriously you really want a death note don't you?

I feel the same, but with someone else in mind.

Originally Posted by Lifeline

screw babies, all not aborting them does is kill earth by increasing the need for housing when they grow older, thus destroying animal habitats and eventually killing off Earth. And calling the guy a monster is just unfair man...

Not only housing, but every other resource becomes strained as the population increases.

[Eraser Rain]

While I'm pro-choice, I'm not feeling completely sorry for this doc; abortions 21 weeks into pregnancy doesn't sound appealing to me.

Still, that's not enough to warrant a death penalty.

[Dawning Twilight]

Originally Posted by Herman Melville

I gotta say i'm not mad. It's a good thing that that monster wont be able to perform any more murders and spill any more baby kroovy and stuff. As a prominent member of the Christian Church, I consider myself a strong pro-notbabykilling person.

Oh I see now, we stop murder with murder. How logical.

I don't have a serious opinion about abortion either way but I don't think that killing the doctor is a justified way to settle things. That's just stupid.

[Bangkok Superpussy]

Why exactly is this thread in the religion section? Because the murder took place in a church?

[∞]

Originally Posted by Herman Melville

I gotta say i'm not mad. It's a good thing that that monster wont be able to perform any more murders and spill any more baby kroovy and stuff. As a prominent member of the Christian Church, I consider myself a strong pro-notbabykilling person.

And have raped women or incapable mothers be even more mentally scarred?

[Zion]

Originally Posted by ∞

And have raped women or incapable mothers be even more mentally scarred?

While that is interesting, women also have the option of giving their baby up for adoption.
I can't say whether a women is scarred of only giving birth to the child of a rapist, but their are
indeed other choices. People are going to multiply no matter what we do, so let's hope we find
that new life supporting planet soon.