Source: The Wichita Eagle, Reuters
George Tiller was shot to death on 31 May 2009 as he walked into the Reformation Lutheran Church in Wichita, Kansas, where he was a member of the congregation. Tiller has long been a focal point of protest by abortion opponents because his clinic, Women's Health Care Services, is one of three in the US that performs late-term abortions.
Protesters blockaded Tiller's clinic during Operation Rescue's "Summer of Mercy" protests during the summer of 1991, and Tiller was shot by Rachelle Shannon at his clinic in 1993 and wounded in both arms. Shannon remains in prison for the shooting. His clinic was subsequently heavily fortified and Dr Tiller often travelled with a bodyguard. Tiller's clinic was severely vandalised earlier in May 2009, causing thousands of dollars of damage. Tiller and his clinic have faced continuous threats and lawsuits. A Wichita jury ruled in March that he was not guilty of illegal abortion on 19 criminal charges he faced for allegedly violating a state law requiring an "independent" second physician's concurring opinion before performing later term abortions. Dr Tiller had reported aborting more than 2,600 viable fetuses since the second-opinion law took effect in 1998. He faced a number of other legal challenges, including two separate grand jury investigations. Both ended without charges. Scott Roeder, 51, is being charged with first-degree premeditated murder and aggravated assault. Roeder matches the description of a man who vandalised the clinic twice in the month prior to the killing - including the day before Tiller was killed. [1]
Tiller's murder was one of more than 60 threats and incidents of violence in 2009, according to the National Abortion Federation, who believes the attacks are eroding women's access to abortion. 20% of nearly 700 free-standing US abortion clinics experienced violence over the last year, and there have been 1,400 reports in 2009 of hate mail and/or harassing phone calls to clinics, the highest level in a decade.In recent years, U.S. clinics have been bombed, set on fire, threatened with anthrax and acid, and physicians have been stalked and patients harassed. Door locks at clinics have been glued for protection, and patients must sometimes run through shouting protesters to enter. Many abortion opponents have denounced the violence and condemned Tiller's killing. But some say extreme methods are justified, and Operation Rescue, which maintained a "Tiller Watch" on its website before the doctor's murder, is promoting a training course for the "pro-life warrior" to spur new teams of community activists. The violence and threats, combined with legislated restrictions in various states, are frightening providers and hindering women, said Dionne Scott, spokeswoman for the Center for Reproductive Rights. [2]
1. Finger S. George Tiller shot to death at Wichita Church. The Wichita Eagle, 31 May 2009.
2. Gillam C. Threats, violence seen eroding US abortion rights. Reuters, 14 June 2009.
