We need to pray for Dr. Tiller and the misguided soul who took his life. The pro-life community has nothing to do with such violence. Already, however, Dr. Tiller's murder is being used for propaganda purposes. Peter Brownlie, president of Planned Parenthood of Kansas and Mid-Missouri, has been quoted as having said, "We're not going to let the terrorists win."
As I mentioned here, the Department of Homeland Security says that, "The terrorist threat to the Homeland is not restricted to violent Islamic extremist groups. We also confront an ongoing threat posed by domestic terrorists based and operating strictly within the United States. Often referred to as 'single-issue' groups, they include white supremacists groups, animal rights extremists, and eco-terrorist groups, among others." (Read the full text here.)
Will Dr. Tiller's murder be used as justification for silencing the ideologically unwanted pro-life community?
As I mentioned here, the Department of Homeland Security says that, "The terrorist threat to the Homeland is not restricted to violent Islamic extremist groups. We also confront an ongoing threat posed by domestic terrorists based and operating strictly within the United States. Often referred to as 'single-issue' groups, they include white supremacists groups, animal rights extremists, and eco-terrorist groups, among others." (Read the full text here.)
Will Dr. Tiller's murder be used as justification for silencing the ideologically unwanted pro-life community?
I have no doubt the Obama administration will use this horrible crime to portray the pro-life community as "terrorists" and "dangerous criminals."
ReplyDeleteWe all need to pray.
It has been more than ten years since an abortionist has been killed in this country. And all authentic pro-lifers condemn Dr. Tiller's murder. How telling though that President Obama in a statement issued yesterday (5/31/09) was able to refer to Dr. Tiller's murder as a "heinous" act (which it is) but he refuses to view the daily murders of the unborn as "heinous."
ReplyDeleteNOW (The National Organization of Witches) has chimed in:
ReplyDeleteNOW Identifies Murder of Dr. George Tiller As Domestic Terrorism, Calls for Action from Justice Department and Homeland Security
Statement of NOW President Kim Gandy
June 1, 2009
Women across the country have lost a champion today. The cold-blooded murder of Dr. George Tiller this morning in church is a stark reminder that women's bodies are still a battleground, and health care professionals are on the frontlines.
This kind man and skilled doctor braved blockades, harassment, assault, and countless threats, including an attempted murder in 1993 when he was shot in both arms. He knew his life was in constant jeopardy, and that he would likely die at the hands of an anti-abortion terrorist -- yet he continued to protect his patients and provide safe and legal abortions to women in often-desperate circumstances. Those who are behind this murder may believe that the killing of George Tiller will mean that these women will have nowhere else to turn, but they are wrong. On the contrary, I believe their depraved acts will inspire another doctor to take up the torch, and another, and another.
Dr. Tiller's slaying is the most recent in a string of murders in the service of the anti-abortion cause, and hundreds of people have been injured or threatened because they provide legal abortion services. Bringing the killers to justice is not enough - the Justice Department and the Department of Homeland Security must root out and prosecute as domestic terrorists and violent racketeers the criminal enterprise that has organized and funded criminal acts for decades. We call on the new attorney general Eric Holder and head of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano to treat these murders in the same way they would treat politically-motivated domestic terrorism of any other kind and put the full resources of their two departments behind that effort.
Tomorrow will be a Day of Mourning for Dr. Tiller as well as a National Day of Commitment for all who believe abortion must remain both safe and legal -- who believe women have the right and indeed the moral obligation to make their own childbearing decisions. We urge individuals to wear white armbands all day tomorrow, Monday, June 1, in memory of Dr. Tiller and as a visible expression of determination to redouble our commitment to protecting the right to safe and legal birth control and abortion.
"Can the killing of abortionists be justified?"
ReplyDeleteCarl Olson
IgnatiusInsight.com
May 31, 2009
That's the title of this 1994 article in The Wanderer (ht: Raving Papist) by moral theologian Charles Rice, long-time professor at Notre Dame Law School and author of Fifty Questions On Natural Law: What It Is and Why We Need It.
The very short answer is, "No!"
Definitely read the entire essay (http://guweb2.gonzaga.edu/~dewolf/rice.htm).
Already, within the span of a few hours, a standard line by some abortion supporters/providers has become, "Those who call abortion murder are implicitly or indirectly responsible for Tiller's death." It's a nifty bit of rhetoric, but one that is inherently flawed. It rests on the very shaky premise that if you believe someone has committed murder, you will be inclined to kill them if you have a chance. But both logic and experience say otherwise. The vast majority of people—even those with intense emotions about the matter—seek justice through lawful means, even if those means are often frustrating and, in some cases, deeply flawed. The vast majority of Christians rightly recognize that murdering a murderer is not only a false solution, it is an evil one, as Dr. Rice explains very well in his essay. The statement, "Abortion is murder," is either objectively true or false; how someone chooses to act based on that statement can be either lawful or unlawful, good or evil.
(By the way, what of the matter of those liberals who have accused George W. Bush of being a murderer? Shouldn't they be considered hate-mongers who are potentially inciting acts of violence? Or what of those who say the Catholic Church is responsible for the death of thousands in Africa because it opposes the use of contraceptives?)
This disingenuous rhetoric of convenient blame is used because abortion supporters (oops, I mean reproductive justice advocates) know who it is resisting the mythology of a Brave New World built on contraceptives, abortion, euthanasia, fornication, and "gay marriage." And the best way to undermine and even destroy those folks is to portray them en masse as domestic terrorists, religious extremists, and lawless theocrats. Trying to portray everyone in the pro-life movement in such a way is aided greatly by the slaying of Tiller. The fact that the act was immediately condemned by numerous pro-life groups and leaders is either ignored or described as "hypocritical," as if it is somehow impossible to accurately describe abortion and then peacefully work to end it.
In the hours and days immediately following 9/11, a host of moderate Islamic groups loudly denounced the attacks, and Americans were assured by the media and the government that the horrific events had nothing to do with true Islam. What's that? You don't remember the many statements by moderate Islamic groups? Well, regardless, you surely remember being told—even by President Bush—that Islam is a religion of peace. Surely the same benefit of the doubt will be extended to pro-life groups, won't it? Won't it? No? Of course not. Such are the deep and difficult challenges facing those staring into the darkness of the culture of death.
You play by the rules and do the right thing the right way and yet you are portrayed as narrow-minded, violent, hateful religious nuts. So imagine what happens when a violent, hateful nut (apparently a "Christian" of some sort) murders an abortionist? Well, unfortunately, we don't have to imagine. Mark Shea laments, "In our present cultural climate, it is quite possible that the man who did this just murdered the pro-life movement." I'm not ready to go so far, but I understand where he is coming from.
The Curt Jester has a good compilation of statements about Tillman's death and what it might mean for the future of the pro-life movement (http://www.splendoroftruth.com/curtjester/archives/2009/05/dr-george-tille.php).
Pro-abortion crocodile tears for Dr. Tiller
ReplyDeleteJune 1, 2009
By Mary Ann Kreitzer
Spero Forum
The vultures are gathering, but not around the dead body of late-term abortionist George Tiller. He's already enshrined as a hero, a godlike defender of a woman's right to choose, a martyr. Pro-abortion groups are waving the banner of "anti-abortion violence" smearing every pro-lifer in the country as a domestic terorist and hatemonger.
As politically incorrect as it is to point this out, the reality is that Tiller's murder is the best thing that could have happened for abortion in this country. And the timing couldn't be more convenient -- what with embryonic stem cell research, hate crimes, control of talk radio, and conscience protection legislation before the Congress. The sympathy backlash makes all of those items more likely to pass. The murder will also affect the political race in Virginia. Liberals were already attacking Virginia's pro-life slate, and Tiller's killing is a boon to whichever pro-abortion Democrat wins the nomination this week. It also boosts the chances for easy Senate confirmation of all President Obama's pro-abortion picks.
Yes, Tiller's shooting is an opportunity, a crisis not to be wasted. The attack on the pro-life community (and conservative talk radio) has heated to the boiling point. The facts indicate that Tiller's shooter had no connections to the pro-life movement, but the mainstream media is portraying just the opposite.
Suddenly a man who has apparently never picketed an abortion mill or participated in organized pro-life activities is representing the entire movement. We are all smeared with the murderer tag. Oh, we may not have pulled the trigger, they say, but we killed him by daring to show the photos of dead babies, or by praying the rosary outside abortion mills, or even speaking out against abortion. No matter that the reality is so much more gruesome, those who tell the truth about abortion are terrorists who must be stopped.
A short survey of internet websites shows comments like these at Washington Monthly :
"The Right are the Enemy, and they must be destroyed."
"I would place much of the blame at the feet of those who broadcast this form of hate & fear on the public airwaves... and those who do the same in their churches. They have incited acts of terrorism in the name of God."
"Once he's confessed to a conspiracy with the entire leadership of Operation Rescue to engage in domestic terrorism, we can round up Randall Terry and his whole stinking fetus-cult and be rid of them once and for all."
Bill O'Reilly of Fox News is a particular target at the Huffington Post because he dared to expose the grisly killings at Tiller's abortuary. Here are just a few comments:
"Bill got one of his many unstable followers to obey his command.
Pundits like O'Reilly live for this. The power to lead people to murder for them. Good job Bill."
"Bill O'Reilly, Glenn Beck, Boss Rush, Sean Hannity, Karl Rove, Morning Joe, Pat B. Michelle B. and all the other hate spewing talking heads HAVE to be held accountable."
"It is time for this right wing hate machine to be brought to justice."
The condemnation from NARAL, NOW, The Feminist Majority, Planned Parenthood is shrill and broad-based. One lone man shot the gun; all pro-lifers are guilty of his murder.
It's interesting to note that when women are forced to abort, when men kill women, in fact, for refusing to abort, not a word of protest is raised by the abortion machine. Condemning those deaths can't advance their agenda. When adult male predators take little girls to abortion mills to hide their sexual abuse, not a word of protest is raised. Advancing abortion, no matter what the price paid by women and children, always comes first.
Deal Hudson reports and comments on the head of a "Catholics" for Obama group chiming-in:
ReplyDeleteNumber One Stupid and Irresponsible Comment On Dr. Tiller
Posted on June 02, 2009
InsideCatholic.com
A man has been shot to death. An act of violence that everyone should abhor. No pro-lifer kills anyone as a protest against abortion. The contradiction is recognized prima facie.
In the flood of blame against pro-lifers on the slaying of Dr. Tiller comes one that stands out for its crass stupidity and bumptious irreponsibility.
Catholic Democrats, another group providing Catholic cover for Obama, is headed by a fellow named Dr. Patrick Whelan. Catholic Democrats issued a statement about Tiller's death referencing me, Fr. Frank Pavone, and George Weigel; then he makes the following comment (Emphasis added):
"It is not enough to denounce violence," said Dr Patrick Whelan, president of Catholic Democrats. "Any Catholic public figure who insults someone else with the 'pro-abortion' label is actually hurting the anti-abortion cause by obstructing common ground solutions, sowing division within our Church, and contributing to the penchant toward violence that was on display again today. There is nothing Catholic about the kind of angry language that falsely blames abortion on our elected officials, when it is our job as people of faith to work constructively toward a society in which no one chooses to have an abortion."
First, the stupidity: Who was not pro-abortion if not Dr. George Tiller? He made his living as an abortionist, and he specialized in late-term abortions. I would say pro-abortion -- meaning literally "for-abortion" -- is an accurate description of Dr. Tiller.
By the way, Dr. Whelan is on the pediatrics faculty at Harvard Medical School. You just can't trust labels anymore, can you?
Now the irresponsiblity: Whelan argues that my use of the adjectival "pro-abortion" is "contributing to the penchant toward violence that was on display again today."
OK, according to Whelan I am "contributing" toward the "violence," i.e., the shooting of Dr. Tiller. It's not responsible for grown-ups to accuse people of having a hand in horrible acts when there is no discernible evidence for the connection.
In Dr. Whelan's world, if you can label suicide bombers "terrorists" you are either guilty of encouraging the violence of their terrorism or the violence of those who are determined to stop them. How should we describe them? Angry? Agitated? Maladjusted? Self-destructive? Oops, that last one may be too close to the truth.
But the Dr. Whelans of the world don't care about the words they use, or their meaning, when they are busy making political points. Truth doesn't matter -- all that matters is making the assertion and hoping someone will believe it.
I am reminded of kids in the "terrible twos" who thrash about in temper tantrums oblivious of causing themselves or others harm.
I should add that Catholic Democrats' statement is also "disengenuous." Take a look at this nifty move:
"Any Catholic public figure who insults someone else with the 'pro-abortion' label is actually hurting the anti-abortion cause by obstructing common ground solutions, sowing division within our Church...
So Catholic Democrats is "anti-abortion" and seeking "common-ground solutions"? I guess that's why it supports every pro-abortion Democrat in the Congress and the administration!
A few days ago I made some comments to a friend about the political "right" and "left." He cut me off and said, "That's not the best way to describe it. The real difference is between those who believe words mean something and those who do not." Amen!