The body of Dr. George Tiller, one of the few U.S. physicians that performed late-term abortions, is removed from Reformation Lutheran Church in Wichita, Kansas, on Sunday, May 31, 2009 after a gunman shot the abortion provider dead in the lobby of the church. (AP/Travis Heying, Wichita Eagle)
Dr. George Tiller, whose Kansas women's clinic was the epicenter of the state's battles over abortion for nearly two decades, was shot and killed at his church Sunday morning, various news sources reported.
Tiller, 67, was fatally shot shortly after 10 a.m. Sunday at Reformation Lutheran Church, where he was an usher and his wife was in the choir, Wichita police said.
He was killed in a church, of all places...what a nice touch!
Authorities took a man into custody near Kansas City after stopping a car that matched a description of the killer's getaway vehicle, according to sheriff's deputies in Johnson County, Kansas. No charges had been filed and a motive for the killing was not immediately known, CNN reported.
Tiller, who began performing abortions in 1973, was one of the few U.S. physicians who still performed late-term abortions. His clinic is one of three in the nation where abortions are performed after the 21st week of pregnancy, when the fetus is considered viable, and has repeatedly been the site of protests for about two decades, AP reported. A protester (Shelley Shannon, who is now serving a 20-year sentence in federal prison) shot Tiller in both arms in 1993, and his clinic was bombed in 1985, CNN reported.
Tiller "dedicated his life to providing women with high-quality heath care despite frequent threats and violence," his family said Sunday in a written statement. "We ask that he be remembered as a good husband, father and grandfather and a dedicated servant on behalf of the rights of women everywhere." Tiller's wife, four children and 10 grandchildren said their loss "is also a loss for the city of Wichita and women across America."
Abortion-rights group Planned Parenthood called Tiller's death "an enormous loss," CNN reported. Tiller did not work for the group but provided "critical reproductive health care services" to women "facing some of the most difficult medical circumstances," the group said.
"He was continually harassed by abortion opponents for much of his career--his clinic was burned down, he was shot by a health center protester, and he was recently targeted for investigation only to be acquitted by a jury just a few months ago," Planned Parenthood Federation President Cecile Richards said in a written statement. "None of this stopped George Tiller from his commitment to providing women and their families with compassionate care that others were unwilling to offer."
In March, Tiller was acquitted of 19 counts of performing procedures unlawfully at his clinic. In 2008, a probe initiated by abortion opponents who petitioned state authorities to convene a grand jury ended without charges, CNN reported.
Leading anti-abortion groups condemned the shooting, noting they support only nonviolent protest and the shutting of Tiller's practice by legal means.
"We are shocked at this morning's disturbing news that Mr. Tiller was gunned down,"
In 1991, the Summer of Mercy protests organized by Operation Rescue drew thousands of anti-abortion activists to this city for demonstrations marked by civil disobedience and mass arrests, USA Today reported.
On its Web site, Operation Rescue refers to Tiller as a "monster" who has "been able to get away with murder," CNN reported. Operation Rescue founder Randall Terry, who is no longer affiliated with the group, called Tiller "a mass murderer."
The National Right to Life Committee, the largest U.S. anti-abortion group, said it "unequivocally condemns any such acts of violence regardless of motivation," CNN reported. "The pro-life movement works to protect the right to life and increase respect for human life," it said. "The unlawful use of violence is directly contrary to that goal."
Anti-abortion leaders voiced concern that the Obama administration and other Democrats may try to capitalize on the murder to defuse the abortion issue in upcoming Supreme Court confirmation hearings for nominee Sonia Sotomayor, AP reported. Her exact views on abortion aren't known, but conservatives fear she supports abortion rights.
After the 1991 protests, Tiller kept mostly to his heavily guarded clinic, although in 1997 he opened it to three tours by state lawmakers and the media, USA Today reported. The clinic is fortified with bulletproof glass, and Tiller hired a private security team to protect the facility. Once outside the clinic, Tiller was routinely accompanied by a bodyguard.
At a recent trial, he told jurors that he and his family have suffered years of harassment and threats and that he knew he was a target of anti-abortion protesters, USA Today reported.
If Tiller was slain because of his work, he would be the fourth U.S. physician killed by abortion opponents since 1993, CNN reported. In 1998, a sniper killed Dr. Barnett Slepian in his Amherst, New York, home. Anti-abortion activist James Kopp was later arrested in France and is serving life in prison. In 1994, Dr. John Bayard Britton and one of his volunteer escorts were shot and killed outside an abortion clinic in Pensacola, Florida. Paul Hill, a former minister, was convicted of the killings and executed in 2003. And in 1993, another doctor, David Gunn, was shot to death outside a different Pensacola clinic. His killer, Michael Griffin, is serving a life sentence, CNN reported.
Going back further, to 1977, Tiller would be the eighth U.S. abortion provider murdered, with 17 others being targeted with attempted murder, AP reported based on statistics provided by the National Abortion Federation.
Sources: The Associated Press, CNN, USA TodayCopyright © 2009
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