George Tiller
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Dr. George Tiller

Born
George Richard TillerAugust 8, 1941(1941-08-08)Wichita, Kansas, U.S
Died
May 31, 2009 (aged 67)Wichita, KansasGunshot wound; victim of anti-abortion violence
Profession
Gynaecology[citation needed]
Institutions
Owner-operator of Women’s Health Care – Wichita, Kansas (1975–2009)
Specialism
Late abortion care[1][2]
Known for
Pro-choice advocacy
Education
University of Kansas (zoology, 1963)University of Kansas School of Medicine (1967)Internship, United States Navy
Relations
Jeanne Elizabeth (Guenther) Tiller, widowDean Jackson "Jack" Tiller, M.D., father (1916–1970)
George Richard Tiller, MD (August 8, 1941 – May 31, 2009[3][4]) was a physician from Wichita, Kansas. He was the medical director of a clinic in Wichita, Women's Health Care Services, one of only three nationwide which would provide abortion after the 21st week of pregnancy (known as late-term abortion).[5]
Abortion opponents kept a daily vigil outside Tiller's clinic for many years, and he was targeted with violence.[4] On August 19, 1993, he was shot in both arms outside of the Wichita clinic by Shelley Shannon, who received an 11-year prison sentence for the crime.[6][7][8] On May 31, 2009, Tiller was shot to death as he served as an usher during the Sunday morning service at his church in Wichita.[9]
Contents[hide]
1 Background
2 1993 shooting
3 Controversies
3.1 Christin Gilbert
3.2 The O'Reilly Factor
3.3 Late term abortion
4 Trial and acquittal
5 Death by shooting
5.1 Murder suspect
5.2 Reactions to Tiller's killing
6 See also
7 References
8 External links
//

Background
Tiller studied at the University of Kansas School of Medicine from 1963 to 1967. Shortly thereafter, he held a medical internship with United States Navy, and served as flight surgeon in Oakland, California in 1969 and 1970.[10] In July 1970 he planned to start a dermatology residency. However on August 21, 1970, his parents, sister and brother-in-law were killed in an aircraft accident. In her will, his sister had requested that Tiller take care of her one-year-old son. Tiller had intended to go back to Wichita, close up his father's family practice and then go back to become a dermatologist. However, he quickly felt pressure to take over his father's family practice. Tiller's father had performed abortions at his practice. After hearing about a woman that had died from an illegal abortion, Tiller stayed in Wichita to continue his father's practice.[11]

1993 shooting
Throughout his career, Tiller was a frequent target of anti-abortion violence; in June 1986, the clinic was bombed.[12] On August 19, 1993, Tiller was shot in both arms by anti-abortion activist Shelley Shannon.[7][8][13] At the time she attacked Tiller, Shannon had been an anti-abortion activist for five years and had written letters of support to Michael Griffin, murderer of David Gunn. She called Griffin "the awesomest, greatest hero of our time." She traveled to the Wichita clinic, a site of frequent demonstrations by abortion rights and anti-abortion activists, and shot Tiller with a semiautomatic pistol.[14]
At her trial in state court, she testified that there was nothing immoral about trying to kill Tiller. The jury deliberated for only an hour before convicting Shannon of attempted murder; she was sentenced to 11 years.[14][15] The following year, Shannon was sentenced to an additional 20 years in prison on charges of arson, interference with commerce by force and interstate travel in aid of racketeering in connection to her participation in several fires and acid attacks on abortion clinics.[16][17][18]

Controversies

Christin Gilbert
Christin Gilbert, a 19-year-old woman with Down Syndrome from Keller, Texas, died in January 2005 after a multi-day abortion procedure performed at Tiller's facility, though reports conflict as to whether the abortion was performed by Tiller himself or by LeRoy Carhart. Gilbert had been 28 weeks pregnant. The autopsy stated that Gilbert died of sepsis following the abortion.[19] Tiller was cleared of any wrongdoing by the Kansas Board of Healing Arts. After a petition from Operation Rescue, a grand jury was convened to probe Gilbert's death,[20][21] which resulted in no indictments against Tiller.

The O'Reilly Factor
George Tiller was first discussed on The O'Reilly Factor on February 25, 2005. Subsequently Tiller was discussed in at least 28 episodes before his death. On the show he was sometimes described as "Tiller the Baby Killer" and host Bill O'Reilly warned of Tiller's "judgment day".[22] On November 3, 2006, O'Reilly featured an exclusive segment on his The O'Reilly Factor, saying that he has an "inside source" with official clinic documentation indicating that George Tiller performed late-term abortions to alleviate "temporary depression" in the pregnant woman.[23] Tiller responded to O'Reilly's statements by demanding an investigation into the "inside source" through which the information was leaked, suggesting that Phill Kline, then the Kansas Attorney General, was responsible. Kline denied the charge. O'Reilly also interviewed a woman who got pregnant when she was 13 and received an abortion from Tiller.[24]

Late term abortion
Tiller was a particular target of the anti-abortion movement because he performed late-term abortions. Some of Tiller's patients discovered late in pregnancy that their fetuses had severe or fatal birth defects, but he also aborted healthy late-term fetuses in cases where this would prevent "substantial and irreversible impairment of a major bodily function" for the mother.[25]

Trial and acquittal
Kansas law prohibits aborting viable fetuses, which is generally midway through the second trimester, unless two doctors certify that continuing the pregnancy would cause the woman "substantial and irreversible impairment of a major bodily function."[26] Tiller went on trial in March 2009, charged with 19 misdemeanors for allegedly consulting a second physician in late-term abortion cases who was not truly "independent" as required by Kansas state law.[27][28]
The case became a cause célèbre for both supporters and opponents of abortion rights. Columnist Jack Cashill compared the trial to the Nuremberg Trials of Nazi war criminals,[29] while NYU Professor Jacob Appel described Tiller as "a genuine hero who ranks alongside Susan B. Anthony and Martin Luther King Jr. in the pantheon of defenders of human liberty."[30]
On March 27, 2009, Tiller was found not guilty of all 19 misdemeanor charges stemming from some abortions he performed at his Wichita clinic in 2003. Despite this acquittal, the state’s Board of Healing Arts continued to investigate charges of ethical violations that mirrored the prosecutors' criminal allegations.[31]

Death by shooting

Wikinews has related news: Controversial U.S. abortion doctor shot dead in Kansas church
George Tiller was killed on May 31, 2009, shot to death during worship services at Reformation Lutheran Church in Wichita where he was serving as an usher. The church is a congregation of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America.
Tiller was shot in the head at point blank range; he was wearing a flak jacket, as he had been since 1998, when the FBI told him he was No 1 on the hit list of violent anti-abortionists.[12] After threatening two others who tried to prevent his departure,[32] the gunman fled in a car. Witnesses described the vehicle as a powder-blue 1993 Ford Taurus.[33]
After the shooting, Tiller's clinic, Women's Health Care Services, closed for the week to mourn his death. It will reopen on June 8, according to Tiller's colleague, Dr. LeRoy Carhart of Nebraska, who said, "What people need to know is... the women's services that we provided for 30 years are not going to change."[34]

Murder suspect
Scott Roeder was arrested some 170 miles away in suburban Kansas City three hours after the shooting, Wichita Deputy Police Chief Tom Stolz said.[9][35][36] He was charged on June 2, 2009, with first-degree murder and two counts of aggravated assault.[37][38] The suspect had been a member of the anti-government Montana Freemen group and was convicted in 1996 on explosives charges after police officers discovered a fuse cord, a pound of gunpowder and nine-volt batteries in the trunk of his car. The Kansas Court of Appeals overturned this conviction in 1997, ruling that the search of Roeder's car had been illegal.[39][40][41] Roeder's ex-wife Lindsey asserted in a 2009 interview after Tiller's killing that the explosives had been intended for detonation at an abortion clinic.[42] David Leach, publisher of Prayer & Action News, a magazine that describes itself as "a trumpet call for the Armies of God to assemble" and that opines that the killing of abortion providers would be justifiable homicide, told reporters that he and Roeder had met once in the early 1990s and that Roeder had authored contributions to Leach's publication later in that decade.[43][44][45]

Reactions to Tiller's killing

A June 1, 2009, candlelight vigil in Boston, Massachusetts, for George Tiller.
The Kansas chapter of the National Organization for Women issued a statement that read in part, "The Kansas National Organization for Women is deeply saddened at the cowardly act of violence committed against Dr. George Tiller, a champion for women's reproductive freedom — an act that ultimately took his life. Dr. Tiller, although previously surviving many acts of terrorism and violence directed at him and his clinic, did not allow it to stop him from standing up for the rights of all women. Kansas NOW grieves not only the loss of Dr. Tiller, but also the loss that all women needing access to safe abortion have suffered due to this act of violence."[46]
President Barack Obama said, "I am shocked and outraged by the murder of Dr George Tiller as he attended church services this morning. However profound our differences as Americans over difficult issues such as abortion, they cannot be resolved by heinous acts of violence."[47]
U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder issued a statement saying, "The murder of Doctor George Tiller is an abhorrent act of violence.... Federal law enforcement is coordinating with local law enforcement officials in Kansas on the investigation of this crime, and I have directed the United States Marshals Service to offer protection to other appropriate people and facilities around the nation."[48][49]
Operation Rescue released this statement on May 31, 2009: "We are shocked at this morning’s disturbing news that Mr. Tiller was gunned down. Operation Rescue has worked for years through peaceful, legal means, and through the proper channels to see him brought to justice. We denounce vigilantism and the cowardly act that took place this morning. We pray for Mr. Tiller’s family that they will find comfort and healing that can only be found in Jesus Christ."[50]
Randall Terry, an anti-abortion rights activist, said: "George Tiller was a mass-murderer. We grieve for him that he did not have time to properly prepare his soul to face God. I am more concerned that the Obama Administration will use Tiller's killing to intimidate pro-lifers into surrendering our most effective rhetoric and actions. Abortion is still murder. And we still must call abortion by its proper name; murder. Those men and women who slaughter the unborn are murderers according to the Law of God. We must continue to expose them in our communities and peacefully protest them at their offices and homes, and yes, even their churches."[51]
Mary Kay Culp, director of Kansans for Life, said that the organization “deplores the murder of Dr. George Tiller, and we wish to express our deep and sincere sympathy to his family and friends. We value life, completely deplore violence, and are shocked and very upset by what happened in Wichita today.”[52]
David N. O’Steen, director the National Right to Life Committee released this statement on May 31, 2009: "National Right to Life extends its sympathies to Dr. Tiller’s family over this loss of life. Further, the National Right to Life Committee unequivocally condemns any such acts of violence regardless of motivation. The pro-life movement works to protect the right to life and increase respect for human life. The unlawful use of violence is directly contrary to that goal."[53]
Wiley Drake, vice-presidential candidate for the America's Independent Party ticket in 2008, said on his radio show that "Would you have rejoiced when Adolf Hitler died during the war? ... I would have said, 'Amen, praise the Lord, hallelujah, I'm glad he's dead.' This man, George Tiller, was far greater in his atrocities than Adolf Hitler. So I am happy. I am glad that he is dead."[54][55]

See also
Anti-abortion violence
Christian terrorism
Domestic terrorism in the United States
Fox News Channel controversies

References
^ Tumulty, Karen (31 May 2009). "George Tiller Murdered". Time magazine. http://swampland.blogs.time.com/2009/05/31/george-tiller-murdered/. Retrieved on 1 June 2009. "[...]specialist in late-term [abortion] procedures"
^ "Late Abortion Care: Elective". Women's Heatlth Care Services, P.A.. Archived from the original on 5 May 2009. http://74.125.93.132/search?q=cache:http://www.drtiller.com/elect.html. Retrieved on 1 June 2009. "At Women's Health Care Services, we specialize in "late" abortion care."
^ "George Tiller shot to death at Wichita church". Kansas City Star. 2009-05-31. http://www.kansascity.com/news/breaking_news/story/1225751.html. Retrieved on 2009-05-31.
^ a b Robin, Abcarian (2009-05-31). "Abortion doctor George Tiller is killed; suspect in custody". Los Angeles Times. http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-tiller1-2009jun01,0,7068875.story. Retrieved on 2009-06-01.
^ (March 27, 2008). "[1]" New York Time Retrieved May 31, 2009.
^ Phillips, Don (1993-08-22). "Violence Hardly Ruffled Protest Ritual". The Washington Post. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/national/longterm/abortviolence/stories/tiller3.htm. Retrieved on 2006-06-10.
^ a b "Clinic violence and intimidation" (PDF). NARAL Pro-Choice America Foundation. 2006. http://www.prochoiceamerica.org/assets/files/Abortion-Access-to-Abortion-Violence.pdf. Retrieved on 2006-04-13.
^ a b Crow, Karen (2005-08-19). "A Violent Week in August". Choice! Magazine. http://www.plannedparenthood.org/pp2/portal/files/portal/webzine/eyeonextremism/eoe-050819-tiller-patterson.xml. Retrieved on 2006-04-13.
^ a b Finger, Stan (2009-05-31). "George Tiller Shot to Death at Wichita Church". The Wichita Eagle. The McClatchy Company. http://www.kansas.com/news/breaking/story/833730.html. Retrieved on 2009-05-31.
^ "Our Medical Director". Women's Health Care Services. http://drtiller.com/medir.html. Retrieved on 2006-06-10.
^ "George R. Tiller, MD". Physicians for Reproductive Choice and Health. 2008. http://www.prch.org/george-r-tiller-md. Retrieved on 2009-05-31.
^ a b The Guardian, 1 June 2009, For years anti-abortionists tried to stop Doctor Tiller. Finally a bullet did
^ Phillips, Don (1993-08-22). "Violence Hardly Ruffled Protest Ritual". The Washington Post. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/national/longterm/abortviolence/stories/tiller3.htm. Retrieved on 2006-06-10.
^ a b Ryan, Harriet (2003-03-11). "Kopp fifth clinic shooter to face trial". Court TV. http://www.courttv.com/trials/kopp/others_ctv.html. Retrieved on 2007-01-09.
^ "The Week March 20-26". Time Magazine. 1994-04-04. http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,980456-2,00.html. Retrieved on 2007-01-09.
^ "Antiabortion Extremist Indicted in Attacks on Clinics in West". The Washington Post. 1994-10-25. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/national/longterm/abortviolence/stories/shannon.htm. Retrieved on 2007-01-09.
^ "Guilty Plea Expected In Fires at Clinics". New York Times. 1995-06-04. http://www.nytimes.com/1995/06/04/us/guilty-plea-expected-in-fires-at-clinics.html. Retrieved on 2007-01-09.
^ "Woman Gets 20-Year Sentence In Attacks on Abortion Clinics". New York Times. 1995-09-09. http://www.nytimes.com/1995/09/09/us/woman-gets-20-year-sentence-in-attacks-on-abortion-clinics.html. Retrieved on 2007-01-09.
^ "Gallery Two". Justice for Christin. http://justiceforchristin.com/gallery2.htm.
^ "Grand jury to probe abortion clinic". KTEN News. 2006. http://www.kten.com/Global/story.asp?S=4933352. Retrieved on 2006-06-10.
^ Phillips, Rachel (2006-05-22). "Abortion Doctor Subject of Grand Jury Investigation". KAKE News. http://www.kake.com/news/headlines/2851636.html. Retrieved on 2006-06-10.
^ "O'Reilly's campaign against murdered doctor". salon.com. 2009-31-05. http://www.salon.com/news/feature/2009/05/31/tiller/. Retrieved on 2009-05-31.
^ O'Reilly, Bill (2006-11-06). "Killing Babies in America". The O'Reilly Factor Talking Points. FoxNews.com. http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,227658,00.html. Retrieved on 2006-11-07.
^ "Dr. Tiller Abortion Patient Speaks Out!". FoxNews.com. 2006-12-13. http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,236279,00.html. Retrieved on 2009-05-31.
^ Abortion Provider Is Shot Dead; George Tiller, Attacked at His Church, Had Long Been a Focal Point of Protests, By Stephanie Simon and Miguel Bustillo, Wall Street Journal, June 1, 2009.
^ Abortion Provider Is Shot Dead; George Tiller, Attacked at His Church, Had Long Been a Focal Point of Protests, By Stephanie Simon and Miguel Bustillo, Wall Street Journal, June 1, 2009.
^ Tiller Jury Selection, Kansas City Star, March 18.
^ Jury set in trial of Wichita late-term abortionist, Kansas Liberty, March 18, 2009.
^ Why George Tiller is on trial in Wichita, World Net Daily, March 19, 2009.
^ Los Angeles Times, March 21, 2009.
^ "Kan. doctor acquitted in abortion case - Crime & courts- msnbc.com". http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/29918417/. Retrieved on 2009-04-23.
^ "AP Names Suspect in Tiller Shooting". 2009-05-31. http://www.kwch.com/global/story.asp?s=10451609. Retrieved on 2009-05-31.
^ "George Tiller suspect may be charged Monday". Wichita Eagle. 2009-06-01. http://www.kansas.com/news/breaking/story/833730.html. Retrieved on 2009-06-01.
^ "Nebraska physician vows to keep Tiller's abortion clinic open", by Stan Finger, Wichita Eagle, published in Fort Worth Star-Telegram, June 1, 2009]
^ "Tiller Shooting Suspect En Route to Wichita". 2009-05-31. http://www.kwch.com/global/story.asp?s=10451609. Retrieved on 2009-05-31.
^ "George Tiller Fatally Shot at Wichita Church". KSHB-TV. 2009-05-31. http://www.nbcactionnews.com/content/breaking/story/George-Tiller-Fatally-Shot-at-Wichita-Church/NoIGaXuul0C-RBrbTPnBjw.cspx. Retrieved on 2009-05-31.
^ http://www.kansascity.com/703/story/1229242.html
^ "Man charged in slaying of Kansas abortion doctor - CNN.com". cnn.com. http://www.cnn.com/2009/CRIME/06/01/kansas.doctor.killed.charges/index.html. Retrieved on 2009-06-01.
^ "Barack Obama shocked by abortion doctor shooting". Telegraph. 2009-06-01. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/northamerica/usa/barackobama/5418993/Barack-Obama-shocked-by-abortion-doctor-shooting.html. Retrieved on 2009-06-01.
^ http://community.seattletimes.nwsource.com/archive/?date=19960417&slug=2324642
^ http://www.truecrimereport.com/
^ http://www.nbcactionnews.com/news/local/story/Ex-Wife-of-Scott-Roeder-Speaks-Out/WzA-h3Svc0axH4fFoPEDVw.cspx?rss=764
^ http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/northamerica/usa/5423829/Suspect-in-abortion-doctor-killing-had-history-of-mental-illness.html
^ "Defendant in doc's killing railed against abortion". The Associated Press. 2009-06-01. http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5hEsxTHOvCbc954sBWc59DuoqWxiwD98I4KLO0. Retrieved on 2009-06-01.
^ For the Prayer & Action website, see http://www.saltshaker.us/indexdave.html
^ KS NOW Mourns the Murder of Dr. George Tiller.
^ Barack Obama shocked by abortion doctor shooting.
^ "Attorney General Directs U.S. Marshals to Protect Abortion Providers After Murder", Fox News, June 01, 2009
^ "Statement of the Attorney General on Murder of Doctor George Tiller", Department of Justice website, May 31, 2009
^ Operation Rescue Denounces The Killing of Abortionist Tiller.
^ George Tiller was a Mass-Murderer, says Randall Terry.
^ Pro-life groups condemn slaying of late-term abortionist.
^ National Right to Life condemns the killing of Dr. George Tiller.
^ Salon.com article on Drake's response
^ Associated Baptist Press article on Drake's comments

External links
Womens' Health Care Services[dead link] Tiller's clinic in Wichita, Kansas
"Remembered for Lifelong Dedication to Women's Reproductive Health" Five women (two of them doctors) who worked with Dr. Tiller; Democracy Now!, June 1, 2009 (video, audio, and print transcript)
George Tiller focus page on DailyMe, featuring news from leading sources
Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_Tiller"

Iowa Independent » Open Letter to Obama: A Personal Perspective on Late-Term Abortion

Iowa Independent » Open Letter to Obama: A Personal Perspective on Late-Term Abortion

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