May 31st, when a man walked in and shot him dead with a handgun. The alleged shooter is
a 51 year old male from Kansas City. Dr. tiller was well known in Wichita. He ran a medical
clinic which performed abortions. In fact, his was one of the few clinics in the nation that
performed late term abortions. In 1991, Operation Rescue came to Wichita to shut his
clinic down. Over 2000 people were arrested as they attempted to prevent women from
being able to get inside. (Interestingly, most of those arrested fought to keep from being
punished for their actions. They wanted to commit civil disobedience as an act of
conscience, but only if the action carried no penalty.) In 1986, someone bombed his clinic;
and Dr. Tiller had been the target of another assassination attempt being wounded in both
arms. The killing of Dr. Tiller is part of an ongoing terror campaign that has been carried
out in this country against abortion providers that stretches back more than 30 years. The
purpose of terrorism is to cause people to be afraid and terrified. This may sound as if it
need not be said, but the terror is real and the fear palpable for doctors and clinics
throughout this nation. When politicians and pundits proclaim that their hasn't been a
terrorist attack in this nation since September 11th, they seem to ignore our home grown
terrorists as if they don't count. Dr. Tiller and other abortion providers have feared an
organized, steady, and effective campaign of terror, the purpose of which was to scare
them so badly that they would stop performing abortions and close their clinics. There
is no difference between this campaign of terror and ones conducted by the IRA against
the British, al Qaeda against the world, or Palestinian and Israeli terror campaigns.
(There are some who would include our killing of as many as one million Iraqis as fitting
this category.)
In Buffalo, New York, doctor was shot and killed in his kitchen by an assassin. In
Georgia, abortion clinics were fire-bombed. Death threats are a constant for doctors and
employees of Planned Parenthood clinics. The results of all of this are that there are fewer
clinics in the U.S. performing abortions, fewer doctors willing to specialize in the practice,
and fewer women who have access to a constitutionally protected right. It seems to me
that the terrorists are winning. Am I the only one who finds it disconcerting that all of this
terrorism and the terrorists who support it, fly a banner that carries the phrase "Pro-Life"?
The "pro-life" movement in America has always been an oxymoron. While they weep and
gnash their teeth over the abortions performed in this country, the "pro-life" movement
has nothing to say about the tens of thousands of dead women and children in Iraq. While
the "pro-life" movement screams at Notre Dame for inviting President Obama to speak at
their commencement, they were eerily silent when it comes to the deaths of hundreds of
thousands of Vietnamese at the hands of America's war machine. It would seem that the
"pro-life" movement is really a "pro-birth" movement; and once you are born, you are on
your own.
You won't find the "pro-life" movement at the forefront of movements dedicated to
the elimination of nuclear weapons from this planet. There is scant evidence that members
of the "pro-life" movement can be found in the ranks of those who fought genocide in
places like Darfur. Can you recall any "pro-life" campaigns to reduce world hunger, or
stop the epidemic of AIDS running rampant through Africa and killing thousands? When
states execute someone, do you see the "pro-life" adherents standing vigil outside the
prison gates calling for an end to such a barbaric practice?
For the sake of this argument, let's admit that fewer abortions is a good goal.
President's Clinton and Obama have proclaimed a goal of reducing the need for abortions
by promoting better sex education, better research on new birth control methods, and the
widespread availability of birth control methods that exist now. The "pro-life" movement
has opposed every one of these methods. The "pro-life" movement opposes effective sex
education of teens. This is despite overwhelming evidence that abstinence-based sex
education doesn't work; and evidence that in nations, such as France, where sex education
is mandatory,that their teenage pregnancy rate is significantly lower than ours.
The "pro-birth" crowd doesn't want women to have access to effective sex education,
effective birth control methods, or safe abortions. So, if they are so concerned to get the
babies born, they must be a force to be reckoned with when it comes to protecting and
improving the lives of all these new lives, right? They frequent the halls of Congress
demanding medical care, homes, and food for all these new lives, correct? They are
horrified by a nation that spends more money on it's war machine than on it's children
and families, aren't they?
Politically, people who identify themselves as "pro-life" fall heavily on the Regressive
side of the political spectrum. They oppose everything from pre-natal care for poor women
to the expansion of health insurance to all children in this country. States like Texas, with
strong "pro-life" movements rank near the bottom in funding programs for women, infants,
and children. State and federal governments spend between $20,000 to $40,000 a year
to keep an 18 year old in prison. Imagine if they spent that much for the first 18 years?
We have had a domestic terror campaign in America unabated for over 30 years. It
has been very effective in terrorizing those associated with the issue of abortion. At no
time in those 30-plus years has it ever been a real "pro-life" movement. Dr. Tiller is the
latest proof that life is cheap and disposable among those who are "pro-life". The next
time you hear a smug politician or public official tell you how safe America is or how well
they are protecting us, think of the wife, children, and grandchildren of Dr. George Tiller;
and wonder what they feel.
The United States is the most violent industrial nation on earth. Last year, more than
14,000 people were murdered by guns. Dr. Tiller is the latest victim of this gun violence.
Yet, the majority of Americans who identify themselves as "pro-life" are also opposed to
gun control laws and restrictions. The Second Amendment trumps any right to life in
their eyes. What do you think? I welcome your comments and rebuttals. Please send them
to lionoftheleft@gmail.com
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