Mobile
Monday, June 1, 2009
News Shouldn't political murder, not abortion, be the issue today?
Posted By John Grooms on Mon, Jun 1, 2009 at 12:02 PM
The murder in Wichita on Sunday of Dr. George Tiller, in addition to being a personal tragedy for Tiller's family and friends, has dragged the issue of abortion to the forefront of national debate once again. Frankly, that seems strange to me and I'll tell you why. Think about it for a minute. Abortion, no matter what you or I think about it, is legal. Repeat: it is legal. Shooting someone in cold blood in the foyer of his church is, needless to say, highly illegal. Shouldn't the airwaves today, then, be focusing on the issue of politically inspired murder — and maybe look at who is egging on the anti-abortion movement's lunatic fringe — rather than concentrating on abortion as a possible "cause" for the murderer's actions?
Pro-choice people are responding to Tiller's murder in different ways. Candlelight vigils were held in several cities last night, as has been the practice every time some lawless "pro-life" jerk snaps and kills people who were engaged in a legal medical practice. Pro-choicers are also calling for stricter government protection of hospitals and clinics where abortions are performed (which Attorney General Eric Holder has promised this morning), and others are calling on conservative TV and radio pundits of the O'Reilly/Rush ilk to tone down their nasty rhetoric. Salon.com is running a story detailing the barrages of hate directed at Dr. Tiller by Bill O'Reilly over the years, and I'll bet a dollar to a doughnut that at least one member of the rightwing echo chamber will outrage the country today with defenses of Tiller's murder. The rabid state of the militant "pro-life" movement was on display last night at a vigil in Wichita when anti-abortion demonstrators — on the day the doctor was murdered — "protested" the vigil, and apparently condoned first-degree murder, by carrying signs saying "Baby killer in hell."
Speaking of...
Latest in The CLog
More by John Grooms
-
Live review: Moogfest, Asheville 1
Five memorable performances from the weekend.
-
Question the Queen City: What lurks in the woods of Camp Greene? 1
The World War 1 training facility's tragic past lingers even today
-
One-night-only art show at Hart Witzen
