George Tiller needs more than candlelight vigils

[Shallah Kali]

The doctor's murder is domestic terrorism, and if our leaders don't act boldly, there will be more violence
http://archive.salon.com/mwt/feature/2009/06/01/george_tiller/print.html

But that’s not nearly enough. He must immediately outline an action plan to increase federal protection for providers and clinics and call for stringent enforcement of the Federal Access to Clinic Entrances Act. He has an opportunity to make a speech that addresses women’s moral right to reproductive self-determination as passionately as his brilliant speech about race did during the primary. He can and should lead the nation to a larger and more productive conversation about the complex choices women make, and why women deserve the respect, equality and justice inherent in the right to choose to have, or not have, a child. He should bring together pro-choice and anti-choice leaders and get them to issue a joint statement decrying Tiller’s murder as well as all such violent opposition to one another’s efforts. Now that would be real common ground.

But even if the president did all of that, I would still not be ready for another candlelight vigil. The change we need in our culture’s attitudes toward women’s reproductive justice has to happen both top-down and bottom-up.

When it comes to decrying Tiller’s unspeakable murder, I want to hear it from Congress. I want to hear it from clergy, the medical profession, the media and civic leaders: "This kind of violation will not be tolerated. Period." I want to see leaders and people at the grassroots joining hands together in support of those who provide women with reproductive health services, including abortion. I want them to put the yellow armband on, to assume Tiller’s name as so many took on the Obama’s middle name, Hussein, when he was disparaged during the election. Doctors have a special responsibility. David Toub M.D, MBA, who provided abortions when he was a practicing physician in Philadelphia, told me, "This could have been any of us who provide or provided abortion services. I'm just as annoyed by some of my own colleagues and the American Medical Association who marginalized us and even looked down at anyone involved in providing abortion."

The silence overall from leaders so far has been deafening, as attorney and longtime Arizona volunteer for reproductive rights causes Leon Silver pointed out. And if our leaders remain silent, I can tell you with perfect assurance what will happen next. There will be more violence.

snip

But when it comes to changing a culture that has marginalized abortion by shaming women and hounding, even murdering, the doctors and clinic staff who provide safe abortions, when it comes to changing a culture bent on shaming women who are, in all good conscience, making the most moral of personal decisions -- candlelight vigils alone will never be enough.

[napoleon_in_rags]

1. It was a bad, bad thing that happened.

This issue has potential to really make a mess. Obama has himself said states should have the authority to ban late term abortions (when the health of the woman is not at risk), so this was something, the big scheme of things, that COULD have been compromised on, that could have been worked on in a legal way to create some kind of stable point of compromise between both sides. However, compromise on that issue is now synonymous to capitulation to terrorism: And any state leader who capitulates thus sends the message that the way to get them to change their mind on issues is to murder people. That is therefore far to risky for any leader to take.

So the bottom line here is that the situation is moving toward more conflict, further from people working together.

[annabanana]

2. Andrew Sullivan, on Keith's show last night had something important

to say. He's a conservative, pro-life individual. He researched the women who had been going to the Dr.'s clinic for the late term abortions and talked about what that actually IS.

The RW Commentariat makes it sound as if these women had just "changed their minds at the last minute", but Andrew said that they all were facing horrific situations. The foetuses were severely deformed and wouldn't survive more than a few minutes outside the womb... the women would be rendered infertile for the rest of their lives, or their lives were at risk.

We have hardly EVER heard these facts widely disseminated in the media. These poor women are facing things that few of us would wish on our worst enemies, and the crazy fundies and their cheering squad are piling on their hate on top of it.

[Berry Cool]

3. More women who have had late-term abortions need to come forward and say why.

It is obvious that as long as we continue to allow the right wing to frame the scenario of a late-term abortion, they are going to continue to depict late-term abortions as a situation in which selfish, slutty women who were just too damn busy/lazy to pencil it into their calendars earlier finally drag themselves into the clinic, with only about a month to go, and have a greedy, money-hungry abortion doctor chop up and scoop out their beautiful, perfectly formed little baby because motherhood "cramps their style."

We need to have people come forward and start telling the truth. About how very many of these abortions happen with dead or nonviable fetuses or fetuses that would not live long, if at all, outside the womb. About how agonizing it is for most women to find out that they are carrying such a pregnancy and how it breaks their hearts to think of having to carry such a pregnancy to term only to know that nothing will come of it.

We need to talk about how many come about as the result of life-threatening complications for the woman that don't develop or aren't found until well into the pregnancy...or situations in which the pregnancy isn't evident soon enough. And ask whether it's right to force them all to put their lives at risk to give birth.

And we need to talk about the very, very young girls, most frequently having been subjected to rape or incest, whom no one learns are pregnant (sometimes even themselves) until it's very, very late to do something about it. We need to ask them, is it necessary to force these girls to have their babies?

And if you think, in all the scenarios above, forcing a woman to carry a pregnancy full term is necessary...why?

We need to turn the spotlight on them and ask them to do some soul searching. That is, assuming they HAVE souls. As long as they are permitted to frame the argument, they will frame it as a matter of "Lazy Sluts Desiring Escape From Responsibility for Their Actions--At Whim--Vs. People Who Think Unborn Life Is Sacred and Killing Those Who Murder It Is Justified."

[jeremyfive]

4. Save the State Money--Pump Some Gas

Pump some lethal gas into this murderer ASAP and save the state money--we cannot afford to waste money in escalating court costs to further consider this madman and his cruel criminal lunacy.

Let him explain his actions to his God.

My God sees things a bit differently.