I’m just going to let this one go where it wants to go.
When I think about the murder of Dr. Tiller, who was shot and killed while attending church yesterday, I can’t help but think of his family, friends and colleagues. I can’t help but hurt for them and their loss…for the church members who will be forever changed by this terrorist attack…for his children and grandchildren who are now left with memories…and for the staff of his clinic who have been so brave in the face of vicious attacks and the constant threat of violence.
And I hurt for his wife…oh, how I hurt for that woman…who was at worship when a shot rang out and took her husband’s life in their church home.
My thoughts also turn to the impact of terrorism…to the root motivation of acts of violence that centers around increasing fear to a level that discourages action.
But my mind always returns to the work…to the patients and the practice of providing safe and affordable reproductive healthcare to women in America.
And I shall not be moved.
Oh, I am also thinking of the walk many of us take from parking lots into reproductive health clinics that are targeted by anti-choice protestors…protestors who, despite their well phrased statements of condemnation, will seek to gain power through the residue left behind when a terrorist attacks a provider.
And I know…I am absolutely certain…that I shall not be moved.
Today those of us who work for reproductive justice will continue our work with heavy hearts, mournful concern and dedicated service.
And we shall not be moved.
The struggle to protect the truth of Dr. Tiller’s work…his faith that "Women and Families are intellectually, emotionally, spiritually, and ethically competent to struggle with complex health issues -- including abortion -- and come to decisions that are appropriate for themselves."…will continue.
Because we are fighting for our freedom, we shall not be moved.
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24 comments:
And we shall not be moved.Yes! Yes yes yes!
I am devastated for what has happened, and even now as we mourn it is more important to remember this.
Thank you.
Thank you for saying what leaves me speechless in my anger.
Personally I think anyone that performs a 3rd trimester abortion is a murderer.
Having said that, I do not in any way condone the murder of this doctor.
Taking a life is wrong. When a person becomes the devil that he despises, he is no better than that which he despises. It kind of throws a wrench in that whole moral high ground he's trying to stand on.
Kind of like the US torturing terrorists.
I am truly sorry for the doctor's family. I have no feelings for the church. They stand on the moral high ground of "Thou shalt not kill" and yet welcome a murderer into their congregation.
That is why I don't believe in religion or any church.
May the doctor's sins be forgiven and I hope he rests in peace.
Joe
Thank You for these words of wisdom Shark Fu. Bless you sista for them.
As a former escort for women entering clinics in San Diego back in the 90's, I wish I was healthy enough to continue. I hope that others will take up this cause that affects ALL women of child bearing age.
Thank you soo much. This is just how I feel. What a mean act of Terrorism/Violence on Dr. Tiller, his family, the people he worshiped with, and his community. I linked this post onto my blog. Hope you don't mind..
Well said, as usual.
I, too, feel for the family, and for those people that work to provide safe services for people who desire them.
This will not deter people. It may cause some hesitation, but people who want women to have a say in their bodies will not be stopped.
Thank you so much for this post. I needed to read something like this.
Join us at St. John's Episcopal Church in Tower Grove at 6:30pm tonight, June 1, for a vigil in memory of Dr. Tiller.
This will be a time to remember Dr. Tiller and to grieve the return of anti-choice violence.
St. John's is located at 3664 Arsenal St., St.
Louis 63116.
@Joe (assrot)
Just a bit of clarification: the man they have charged with Dr. Tiller's murder was not a member of the congregation of Dr. Tiller's church. He was from a small town in Kansas about 2.5 hours away. He had been to the church a few times before, presumably to check out the situation for himself, and knew that Dr. Tiller did not have security escorts on Sundays at church (who should?).
I'm from Wichita. The church is just a few miles from my house, and only a couple of blocks from the school I attended for middle and high school. This hits closer to home than I ever would have thought possible. There are so many misconceptions out there about what happened and why, and the truth is that we won't know for a while what was going through Dr. Tiller's murderer's mind.
My thoughts and prayers are with his family, with the clinic staff, with reproduction rights activists everywhere, and also with the members of the congregation that will never be able to attend church in that building without the reminder of what happened there.
IF abortion is murder and murder is WRONG, taking this man's life is wrong.
Just weeks ago, there was a furor about a report concerning homegrown right-wing terrorists.
It would seem that that report was correct.
The manufactured outrage about our president's speech at Notre Dame, but not his predecessor's death penalty stances, speaks volumes about hypocrisy.
This unfortunate Doctor is a victim of that hypocrisy.
We would do well to concern ourselves with the terrorists among us, they are our greatest threat.
Thanks for your conviction. I wish more of us would stand up and actively support reproductive health choice instead of just doing lip service. Maybe this wake up call will stir a few to the front lines.
Still clenching my teeth. Great post! A-men!
In the wake of the murder of Dr. George Tiller, this article is a must read:
The Deadly Illusion of "Common Ground" on Abortion
Response to Obama's speech at Notre Dame on common ground and abortion
By Sunsara Taylor
"When it comes to abortion, there really is only one moral question: Will women be free to determine their own lives, including whether and when they will bear children, or will women be subjugated to patriarchal male authority and forced to breed against their will?"
Read the whole article at http://revcom.us/a/166/ST_on_Obama-en.html
Thank you.
Thank you for this post, Shark-fu.
To Bob (assrot): I don't know if you're aware of this, but late-term abortions are done in cases of severe health problems. Here is the address of a website where some grieving parents tell their stories of the when they found themselves in need of Dr. Tiller's care. I would really recommend checking it out.
http://www.aheartbreakingchoice.com/kansasstories.html
I wish people would just keep it real.
Opposition to abortion as demonstrated by organizations like Operation Rescue has nothing to do with religion. It is an effort to eliminate the ability of women to determine their own medical treatment, undermine reproductive rights and discourage sexual education.
Cloaking it in religious rhetoric is simply a scam of the highest order, designed to mobilize certain segments of society and polarize others.
Everyone wants to paint it black or white when there are so many shades of gray it would make your head spin - NOTHING is ever as cut and dry as it appears.
It is not about what you or I would do when faced with such a choice; it is about whether or not a person should have that choice.
Great post! My sentiments exactly...we cannot be moved! Imagine men decided what is good or bad for women's bodies, as if they were gods! How dare they do this!
Tell me how is it that so many of the people who claim that abortion is murder are so quick to advocate for the death penalty, and for killing abortion doctors? What makes them so damned sure they are right? No one is forcing anyone to have an abortion-if you don't like it, then don't have one. But telling someone whom you don't even know what they should or shouldn't do with their life is simply none of their business to do!
This is a sad day.
An artist becomes a beloved one by perfectly expressing the emotions others feel. You do that in a beautiful way, and I must add my gratitude for this post and for your blog. Thank you my sister...
This is a great blog, full of life and outrage.
Glad Roeder has been charged with 1st Degree, plus agg assault.
Ironically, the party line says we are fighting terrorists to acheive in freedom in Iraq. Hmm.
DG
Affordable? Didn't he charge 5K per pop?
Also, it's "man-caused disaster" not "terrorist."
Anonymous...
Anyone who thinks $5k for a four day complicated medical procedure isn't affordable is in a serious state of denial.
And if it talks like it and acts like it, I call it what it is...a terrorist.
Get thee gone...
You are right-on Shark-fu. This man has behaved like a terrorist for years but even the FBI sort of shrugged him off until now. Pisses me off. You know what I don't see even here, people talking about their own abortion experiences. Until we come out of the closet, even anonymously, we have no skin in this game. I would use my name but this isn't about me.
I have never been pregnant, unfortunately. My two (adopted) kids have each had this experience very early on. Both healed and have no regrets for a variety of reasons. I supported whatever decision they they or their partner chose and supported them through the process and afterwards. It could have been a little complicated what with our family history but it wasn't at all for them, it turns out...or for me which was not important anyway.
The Southern Poverty Center keeps an eye on this problem nationwide (not just a Southern thing but that's where their work began) and they have been quite busy since November...
http://www.splcenter.org/blog/2009/06/11/alleged-holocaust-museum-shooter-had-given-up-hate-site-planned-other-attacks/
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