When Trash Talk Inspires Murder The Talkers Talk Innocence

Pro-Life Groups Soundly Condemn Murder of Abortion Practitioner George Tiller
by Steven Ertelt LifeNews.com Editor May 31, 2009

Wichita, KS (LifeNews.com) -- Within hours of the Sunday murder of late-term abortion practitioner George Tiller, several leading pro-life groups genuinely and thoroughly condemned the killing. The reiterated the fact that, while they opposed the abortions Tiller did, they equally oppose the use of violence and death as a solution.

"We are shocked at this morning's disturbing news that Mr. Tiller was gunned down," Operation Rescue president Troy Newman told LifeNews.com.

"Operation Rescue has worked for years through peaceful, legal means, and through the proper channels to see him brought to justice," Newman added. "We denounce vigilantism and the cowardly act that took place this morning."

"We pray for Mr. Tiller's family that they will find comfort and healing that can only be found in Jesus Christ," Newman continued.

Kansans for Life, another pro-life group that relied only legal and political means of responding to Tiller's abortions, said it "deplored" the killing.

"Kansans for Life deplores the murder of Dr. George Tiller, and we wish to express our deep and sincere sympathy to his family and friends," KFL director Mary Kay Culp told LifeNews.com immediately after the shooting.

"Our organization has a board of directors, and a 35 year history of bringing citizens together to achieve thoughtful education and legislation on the life issues here in Kansas," she explained. "We value life, completely deplore violence, and are shocked and very upset by what happened in Wichita today."

Father Frank Pavone, the founder and director of Priests for Life, a very prominent pro-life Catholic group, urged the media and those involved in the abortion debate not to assign blame to the pro-life community that would never employ these kinds of tactics to oppose abortion.

“I am saddened to hear of the killing of George Tiller this morning," he told LifeNews.com.
"At this point, we do not know the motives of this act, or who is behind it, whether an angry post-abortive man or woman, or a misguided activist, or an enemy within the abortion industry, or a political enemy frustrated with the way Tiller has escaped prosecution. We should not jump to conclusions or rush to judgment," Pavone added.

“But whatever the motives, we at Priests for Life continue to insist on a culture in which violence is never seen as the solution to any problem. Every life has to be protected, without regard to their age or views or actions," he said.

Other pro-life advocates have also condemned the shooting in no uncertain terms, including pro-life activist Rev. Patrick Mahoney, members of the youth pro-life group Bound for Life, and others.

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It certainly looks like Bishop Finn's call to war has gone hot---again. This is not an isolated event. It has popped up before and it will continue during the Obama presidency. In a column for Huffington Post, Christina Page starkly points out the truth:

For those who would like to think today's murder in church of Dr. George Tiller, an abortion provider, is an isolated incident, here's the horrifying news: You are wrong. The pattern is clear and frightening.

In March 1993, three months into the administration of our first pro-choice president, Bill Clinton, abortion provider Dr. David Gunn was murdered in Pensacola, Florida. That was the beginning of what would become a five-fold increase in violence against abortion providers throughout the Clinton years.

Today's assassination of Dr. George Tiller comes 5 months into the term of our second pro-choice president. For anyone who would like to believe that this is a statistical anomaly, a coincidence that doesn't portend anything, again, you are wrong.

During the entire Bush administration, from 2000-2008 there were no murders.

During the Clinton era, between 1994-2000 there were 6 abortion providers and clinic staff murdered, and 17 attempted murders of abortion providers. There were 12 bombings or arsons during the Clinton years.

During the Bush administration, not only were there no murders, there were no attempted murders. There was one clinic bombing during the Bush years.

One can only conclude that like terrorist sleeper cells, these extremists have now been set in motion. Indeed the evidence is already there. The chatter, the threats, the hate-filled rhetoric are abundant.

In the last year of the Bush administration there were 396 harassing calls to abortion clinics. In just the first four months of the Obama administration that number has jumped to 1401.

The pro life groups who have expressed their outrage and condemnation of this cold blooded murder of Dr. Tiller need to ponder the above statistics. They need to ask why it is that violence against abortion providers and clinics sky rocket during Democratic administrations? If they choose to think it has nothing to do with the increase in violent language in their rhetoric, then they are as deluded as the deluded who carry out these attacks.

Even today, Catholic News Agency in their effort to distance themselves from this murder, could not resist linking Kathleen Sebelius to Dr. Tiller.

"Tiller was a significant donor to the political campaigns of the former Kansas governor Kathleen Sebelius, the pro-abortion Catholic recently appointed as Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services.

Tiller contributed to Sebelius directly and to political action committees that he controlled.

During Sebelius' tenure as governor, Kansas City Archbishop Joseph Naumann declared that Kansas had become "infamous for being the late-term abortion center for the Midwest."
Sebelius repeatedly vetoed legislation that would have affected Tiller's business."

If CNA doesn't think that they are painting a target on Governor Sebelius's forehead, they are truly deluded. The difference is that Sebelius has government security forces in her life and Tiller didn't. This is not to imply she's safe, because according to our own domestic terrorist people, anti abortion terrorism, like the violence of the rhetoric, is on the rise.

Since Obama's election, clinics have experienced far more picketing and far more invasive techniques from anti abortion protesters. In her column Page discusses protesters actually trapping patients in their cars or going so far as to get into their cars. The police response has been negligible. This is crossing a number of legal boundaries, and is not about non violent dialogue or a Christian response.

Pro life groups, like Operation Rescue, who use graphic media stunts and violent rhetoric better get used to issuing statements like the one's quoted above. There's more violence coming and they are the great enablers. Using what's basically trash talk to set off lone nutters is as predictable as lighting a fuse to set off a bomb. They know it and that's what's really frightening. They want a hot war they don't have to actually have to fight or for which they will ever face any legal accountability. Nice gig if you can get it.

Don't be surprised if the next attack is on a Catholic politician or Catholic Obama staffer. Once the trash talk gets out of control, there is no stopping a lone nut supporter. The Catholic end of the trash talk got out of control with Notre Dame. Someone will pay the price for that, and I doubt it's going to be Bishop Finn or Randall Terry.