libertarian dad

Controversial abortion doctor George Tiller was murdered today while serving as an usher in his church.  Dr. Tiller was one of the few physicians in the country who performed late term abortions, sometimes as late as the ninth month of pregnancy.  His willingness to perform such procedures made him a frequent target of pro-life protests and had earned him the dubious nickname of “Tiller the baby killer.”

It was not his first brush with violence.  Previously he had survived a shooting 16 years ago when he was shot in both arms.  His clinic has been vandalized and bombed.  Earlier this year, Tiller was charged and acquitted for breaking a Kansas law that prohibits abortions to babies that could survive outside of the womb unless two doctor’s certified that the pregnancy would cause major harm to the mother.

Regardless of where you stand on the abortion issue, murder is not the answer.  I personally am opposed to abortion (with some limited exceptions), because I believe your actions have consequences.  If you don’t want to have a baby, then either don’t have sex or make sure to use birth control.  As the old saying goes, two wrongs don’t make a right.  If you are pro-life, the person who committed this crime is as guilty as the abortionist, and is really no better than a radical Muslim extremist.

I do find it somewhat ironic that the doctor was serving as an usher in a church service.  Most of the mainstream Christian churches would take a pro-life stand and would find Dr. Tiller’s abortion procedures to a blatant sin.  Not that any member of a church would be without sin, but most of the churches that I have ever attended would not allow someone to serve if they were blatantly involved in what they consider a sinful act.