"I feel sorrow for the Tiller family. I respect the sanctity of life and the tragedy that took place today in Kansas clearly violates respect for life. This murder also damages the positive message of life, for the unborn, and for those living. Ask yourself, 'What will those who have not yet decided personally where they stand on this issue take away from today's event in Kansas?'
Regardless of my strong objection to Dr. Tiller's abortion practices, violence is never an answer in advancing the pro-life message."
Governor Sarah Palin
OMG I have to defend Sarah Palin?
I think this statement is right on the mark. Yesterday was the absolute worst day for the pro-life movement. They can't take the moral high ground with calculated murder in a church going on on their behalf. And holier than thou moral high ground is the one thing pro-lifers have going for them when looking for votes but more importantly, dollars. Pro-life is the biggest cash cow the Right has, and this hurts their wallet, you betcha.
She's delusional that there's anyone of any mental consequence who hasn't made up their minds on the abortion issue though. I think young women take choice for granted a bit much, but then again so do their baptist church-going parents when their daughter Missy makes a mistake with some football player.
From 2006:
"The Center For Reason, a private research group, undertook a study to test the premise: “Christians have fewer abortions than non-Christians”. The results disproved the premise.
The study, available as a downloadable report, reveals that Christians have just as many abortions as non-Christians. Data analyzed for all fifty states show that the rate of abortion is the same in the most-Christian segments of the population as it is in the least-Christian. The most-Catholic segments, on the other hand, showed significantly higher abortion rates."
The Tiller murder has already started a serious re-framing of abortion as an issue first and foremost about women's physical health. The testimonies coming out of vigils for Tiller are primarily about how the health of his patients was always Tiller's main concern and motivation.
I pray some good comes out of this horrible crime, and that the non-murdering majority of pro-life citizens wake up to the consequences of their agenda.
Once I hear the words "pro-life" applied to the issue of choice for women, I stop in my tracks and shout, "Are you in favor of the death penalty? If so, you cannot get away with calling yourself 'pro-life'" Pro-life is a feel good term for taking away choice from someone else's daughter because you would take choice away from your daughter. They are correctly referred to as the Anti-Choice movement. We, on the left should stop calling them pro anything. They are the anti everything party, they are the USA equivalent of those in the Muslim world calling for Sharia law. Taken to their logical conclusions if they had their way the vote would be taken from women. After all, women need to stay home with the children they will be forced to birth. The issue of choice is all about keeping women in their proper place. What woman needs a fancy education to raise babies?
ReplyDeleteSome people have a very principled stance on abortion, which transfers to positions on issues like the death penalty etc. Actually, the Catholic Church is (now) against the death penalty. And maybe we want The Church to finally hold that position, compared to how they were to my ancestors 500 yrs ago.
ReplyDeleteWhat drives me nuts, is they fail to mention that most of the people who seek late-abortions are doing so because they wanted the baby but it had a severe abnormality which could have threatened the mother's life.
I have an entry on my blog that actually addresses the Biblical questions regarding abortion. You may find it interesting.
Andy Sullivan has actually had excellent coverage on the Tiller Assassination.
this is all calculated by Palin - her handlers told her if she wants to remain relevant by '12 she better say what they wrote.
ReplyDeletepalin hasnt had a sympathetic bone in her body in 44 years. no one who kills animals from a helicopter has one iota of humanity.
call me insenstive - i think palin under the cobwebs she calls a brain is actually smiling.
Palin is so full of it. She is inciting more acts of terrorism by talking about the "unborn."
ReplyDeleteThis was one of THREE doctors nationwide who did late term abortions, which is almost always due to health issues to save the life of the Mother.
ReplyDeleteThis murderous idiot just made it harder for a Mother to get care in a serious life threatening situation.
I was thinking most of these anti choice people are only so when it comes to demanding someone else HAVE a baby. After that you are on your own.
You can struggle in poverty, have no resources for health care, no income to support the child or be supported, especially if the child has any disabilities or "special needs".
Right on up to preying on them to emlist in the military as young kids, because they are poor & expendible.
There may be a few exceptions, but I think most anti choice people only talk the talk. Have the baby.... beyond that.... nothing.
Having a baby is a lifetime commitment, and a solid few decades of full support. These highly opinionated people only care about the birthing-- even then, you are on your own.
Do you know of a anti choice foundation that pays for neonatal intensive care, and birthing costs?
No.
Just opinions. Talking the talk.
This Doctor that was murdered had 4 kids of his own.
I think it's more about women's rights than about the "unborn's" rights. The idea that an unborn baby, not yet a person, could have rights that trump those of a full grown human woman, is crazy. I think women should have total and complete autonomy over their bodies just like men do.
ReplyDeleteIf it really were a life or death situation, why can't ANY surgeon just perform the procedure? That's my question.
ReplyDeleteIE, say the baby is already dead or developing without a brain and could potentially develop gangrene?
Do other Drs just not have any balls?
Also, just FYI I was assigned to debate abortion a few years ago, and part of my research was looking at how come of these procedures are actually done.
ReplyDeleteIn "Partial Birth Abortions" or Procedure X, what they do is break the baby's skull open and suck out the brain via a vacuum device. So, let's say potentially the baby was viable outside the womb at some point as a preemie, well, not after having it's brain sucked out it won't be. They do this because they don't have to dilate the woman's cervix as much to get the baby out.
I mean, ... that is kinda morbid don't you think?
That said, I think it should be left up to the Dr and the woman on what they want to do. Chances are if they waited that long they really did want the baby but something went wrong.
How some of these procedures are actually done ... arg damn typos.
ReplyDeletehaving to choose to have the abortion, early or late is morbid.
ReplyDeleteno one i've ever know has decided to have an abortion without some gutwrenching agonizing thought processes.
especially late term. i have NEVER heard of a woman going "oh fiddle-dee-dee, i've changed my mind" about giving birth.tho i have heard right wing talkers say things like that to their listeners.
and yes, i think a lot of doctors and nurses and staff have been scared away from helping women because of having their homes and children photographed and the info distributed, receiving hatefulled death threats by phone and mail.
to me, it's a clear cut case of domestic terrorism fueled by violent retoric and it's been ignored far too long.
My aunt had to have a late term abortion, and I think her local surgeon did it because the baby was developing without a brain. It was more or less a DNC because there wasn't much of a head to get out the birth canal. I'm curious to ask her, but its probably a sore subject.
ReplyDeleteAlthough, one of my HS friends just didn't want the baby and procrastinated getting the abortion until about 25 weeks here in CA. That was quite a few yrs ago. Here problem was the clinic is up in the bay area. I didn't realize that the providers were so rare.