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George Tiller

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George Tiller
Born
George Richard Tiller

(1941-08-08)August 8, 1941
Wichita, Kansas, US
DiedMay 31, 2009(2009-05-31) (aged 67)
Wichita, Kansas, U.S.
Cause of deathGunshot wound
EducationUniversity of Kansas (zoology, 1963)
University of Kansas School of Medicine (1967)
Internship, United States Navy
Known forPro-choice advocacy
RelativesJeanne Elizabeth (Guenther) Tiller, widow
Dean Jackson "Jack" Tiller, MD, father (1916–1970)
Medical career
ProfessionFamily medicine[1]
InstitutionsOwner-operator of Women's Health Care – Wichita, Kansas (1975–2009)
Sub-specialtiesLate-term abortion[2]

George Richard Tiller, MD (August 8, 1941 – May 31, 2009)[3] was a controversial American physician from Wichita, Kansas. He gained national attention as the medical director of Women's Health Care Services, one of only three clinics nationwide to provide late-term abortions at the time.[4]

During his tenure with the center, which began in 1975 and continued the medical practice of his father, Tiller was frequently targeted with protest and violence by anti-abortion groups and individuals. After his clinic was firebombed in 1986, Tiller was shot in both arms by anti-abortion activist Shelley Shannon in 1993. On May 31, 2009, Tiller was shot through the eye and killed by anti-abortion activist Scott Roeder, as Tiller served as an usher during the Sunday morning service at his church in Wichita. Roeder was convicted of murder on January 29, 2010, and sentenced to life imprisonment.

Career

George Tiller studied at the University of Kansas School of Medicine from 1963 to 1967. Shortly thereafter, he held a medical internship with United States Navy, and served as flight surgeon in Camp Pendleton, California, in 1969 and 1970.[1] In July 1970, he planned to start a dermatology residency. However on August 21, 1970, his parents, sister and brother-in-law were killed in an aircraft accident. In her will, his sister requested that Tiller take care of her one-year-old son. Tiller had intended to go back to Wichita, close up his father's family practice and then go back to become a dermatologist. However, he quickly felt pressure to take over his father's family practice. Tiller's father had performed abortions at his practice. After hearing about a woman who had died from an illegal abortion, Tiller stayed in Wichita to continue his father's practice.[5]

Tiller in 1997 at his clinic, Women's Health Care

Tiller's practice performed late-term abortions, which made Tiller a focal point for anti-abortion protest and violence. Tiller treated patients who discovered late in pregnancy that their fetuses had severe or fatal birth defects. He also aborted healthy late-term fetuses in cases where two doctors certified that carrying the fetus to term would cause the woman "substantial and irreversible impairment of a major bodily function."[6] His practice frequently made him the focus of anti-abortion groups. The Kansas Coalition for Life kept a daily vigil outside Tiller's facility from May 9, 2004, until May 31, 2009.[7] The group known as Operation Rescue held an event called 'The Summer of Mercy' in July and August 1991, focusing on Tiller's clinic but also protesting other abortion providers in Wichita, Kansas. Years later, a branch that split from the main Operation Rescue group moved from California to Kansas specifically to focus on Tiller, initially named Operation Rescue West.

Kansas law prohibits abortions after the beginning of fetal viability unless two doctors certify that continuing the pregnancy would cause the woman "substantial and irreversible impairment of a major bodily function."[6] The two consulting doctors must not be "financially affiliated" with the doctor doing the abortion. Tiller was charged with 19 misdemeanors for allegedly consulting a second physician in late-term abortion cases who was not truly "unaffiliated".[8][9] The case became a cause célèbre for both supporters and opponents of abortion. WorldNet Daily Columnist Jack Cashill compared the trial to the Nuremberg Trials of Nazi war criminals,[10] while New York University Professor Jacob Appel described Tiller as "a genuine hero who ranks alongside Susan B. Anthony and Martin Luther King Jr. in the pantheon of defenders of human liberty."[11] The trial took place in March 2009, with the jury finding Tiller not guilty on all charges on March 27, approximately two months before his death.

Violence directed at Tiller

Throughout his career, Tiller was a frequent target of anti-abortion violence. In June 1986, his clinic was firebombed. While it was being rebuilt, Tiller displayed a sign reading "Hell no, we won't go".[12] On August 19, 1993, Shelley Shannon shot Tiller five times, while he was in his car.[13][14][15] At the time she attacked Tiller, Shannon had been an anti-abortion activist for five years and had written letters of support to the convicted murderer Michael Griffin, who had murdered David Gunn. She called him "a hero."[16] At her trial in state court, Shannon testified that there was nothing wrong with trying to kill Tiller. The jury convicted Shannon of attempted murder, and she was sentenced to 11 years in prison.[17][18] The following year, however, Shannon was sentenced to an additional 20 years in prison on charges of arson, interference with commerce by force and interstate travel in aid of racketeering in connection to her participation in several fires and acid attacks on abortion clinics.[19][20][21]

Tiller was also discussed in 28 episodes of the Fox News talk show The O'Reilly Factor before his death in May 2009, focusing national attention on his practice. He was sometimes described as "Tiller the Baby Killer"; show host Bill O'Reilly did not invent the nickname; previously, Congressman Robert K. Dornan had used it on the floor of Congress. O'Reilly said he would not want to be Tiller, Kathleen Sebelius, and other pro-choice Kansas politicians "if there is a judgment day."[22] On November 3, 2006, O'Reilly featured an exclusive segment on The O'Reilly Factor, saying that he had an "inside source" with official clinic documentation indicating that Tiller performed late-term abortions to alleviate "temporary depression" in pregnant woman.[23] Although O'Reilly later denied it after Tiller was murdered, he repeatedly referred to the doctor as "Dr. Killer" and "Tiller the baby killer." He characterized the doctor as "a savage on the loose, killing babies willy-nilly," and "operating a death mill." He accused Tiller of protecting the rapists of children, and portrayed him as being a killer beyond the reach of the law: "[O'Reilly] repeatedly portrayed the doctor as a murderer on the loose, allowed to do whatever he wanted by corrupt and decadent authorities." He suggested that Tiller performed abortions for women who had "a bit of a headache or anxiety" or "feeling a bit blue." Writers have pointed out that O'Reilly put Tiller into the public eye of a movement known for assaults and the killings of abortion doctors.[24]

Assassination in May 2009

Main article: Assassination of George Tiller
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A June 1, 2009, candlelight vigil in Boston, Massachusetts, for George Tiller

Tiller was fatally shot in the side of the head on May 31, 2009, by anti-abortion activist Scott Roeder during worship services at the Reformation Lutheran Church in Wichita, where he was serving as an usher and handing out church bulletins.[12][25][26] After threatening to shoot two people who initially pursued him, Roeder fled and escaped in a car.[27] Three hours after the shooting, Roeder was arrested about 170 miles (270 km) away in suburban Kansas City. On June 2, 2009, Roeder was charged with first-degree murder and two counts of aggravated assault in connection with the shooting,[26][28] subsequently convicted in January 2010 on those charges, and sentenced on April 1, 2010, to life imprisonment without parole for 50 years, the maximum sentence available in Kansas.[29]

Tiller's killing was largely condemned by groups and individuals on both sides of the abortion issue.[30][31][32][33][34][35][36] US President Barack Obama said he was "shocked and outraged"[30] by the murder. David N. O'Steen, director of the National Right to Life Committee, said the group "unequivocally condemns any such acts of violence regardless of motivation."[31] Some others who spoke publicly were more confrontational. Anti-abortion activist Randall Terry described Tiller as a mass murderer and said of other abortion providers, "We must continue to expose them in our communities and peacefully protest them at their offices and homes, and yes, even their churches,"[37] and Southern Baptist minister and radio host Wiley Drake said, "I am glad that he is dead."[38][39]

After the shooting, Tiller's colleague, Leroy Carhart of Nebraska, stated that Tiller's clinic, Women's Health Care Services, would reopen after being closed for one week to mourn his death.[40] The following week, Tiller's family announced that the clinic would be closed permanently.[41]

In October 2010, it was reported that a federal grand jury is investigating whether Tiller's murder was connected to a broader case involving radical anti-abortion activists, according to a federal law enforcement official familiar with the case.[42]

The aftermath of Tiller's assassination was the subject of the 2013 documentary After Tiller, which followed the daily lives and work of the four remaining late-term abortion providers in the United States.

See also

References

  1. ^ a b "Dr. Tiller – Biography". The George Fund. Retrieved January 18, 2013.
  2. ^ Tumulty, Karen (May 31, 2009). "George Tiller Murdered". Time. Retrieved June 1, 2009. [...]specialist in late-term [abortion] procedures {{cite news}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  3. ^ "George Tiller shot to death at Wichita church". Kansas City Star. May 31, 2009. {{cite news}}: |access-date= requires |url= (help)
  4. ^ Stumpe, Joe. "Jurors Acquit Kansas Doctor in a Late-Term Abortion Case", The New York Times, March 27, 2009. Retrieved May 31, 2009.
  5. ^ "George R. Tiller, MD". Physicians for Reproductive Choice and Health. 2008. Retrieved May 31, 2009.
  6. ^ a b Simon, Stephanie; Bustillo, Miguel. "Abortion Provider Is Shot Dead; George Tiller, Attacked at His Church, Had Long Been a Focal Point of Protests", Wall Street Journal, June 1, 2009.
  7. ^ "KCFL - Project LPPPA". Kansas Coalition for Life. Retrieved September 27, 2012.
  8. ^ Tiller Jury Selection, Kansas City Star, March 18, 2009.
  9. ^ "Jury set in trial of Wichita late-term abortionist", Kansas Liberty, March 18, 2009.
  10. ^ "Why George Tiller is on trial in Wichita", World Net Daily, March 19, 2009.
  11. ^ Los Angeles Times, March 21, 2009.
  12. ^ a b Pilkington, Ed. "For years anti-abortionists tried to stop Doctor Tiller. Finally a bullet did", The Guardian, June 1, 2009.
  13. ^ "Clinic violence and intimidation" (PDF). NARAL Pro-Choice America Foundation. 2006. Retrieved April 13, 2006.
  14. ^ Crow, Karen (August 19, 2005). "A Violent Week in August". Choice! Magazine. Retrieved April 13, 2006.
  15. ^ Phillips, Don (August 22, 1993). "Violence Hardly Ruffled Protest Ritual". The Washington Post. Retrieved June 10, 2006.
  16. ^ Johnson, Dirk (August 28, 1993). "Abortions, Bibles and Bullets, And the Making of a Militant". The New York Times. Retrieved June 7, 2009.
  17. ^ Ryan, Harriet (March 11, 2003). "Kopp fifth clinic shooter to face trial". Court TV. Retrieved January 9, 2007.
  18. ^ "The Week March 20–26". Time. April 4, 1994. Retrieved January 9, 2007.
  19. ^ "Antiabortion Extremist Indicted in Attacks on Clinics in West". The Washington Post. October 25, 1994. Retrieved January 9, 2007.
  20. ^ "Guilty Plea Expected In Fires at Clinics". The New York Times. June 4, 1995. Retrieved January 9, 2007.
  21. ^ "Woman Gets 20-Year Sentence In Attacks on Abortion Clinics". The New York Times. September 9, 1995. Retrieved January 9, 2007.
  22. ^ "O'Reilly's campaign against murdered doctor". salon.com. May 31, 2009. Retrieved May 31, 2009.
  23. ^ O'Reilly, Bill (November 6, 2006). "Talking Points". The O'Reilly Factor. Fox News. Archived from the original on November 6, 2006. Retrieved November 7, 2006. {{cite web}}: |archive-date= / |archive-url= timestamp mismatch; November 7, 2006 suggested (help)
  24. ^ Winant, Gabriel. O'Reilly's campaign against a murdered doctor. Date 2009-05-31 Accessed 2012-11-12.
  25. ^ Robin, Abcarian (May 31, 2009). "Abortion doctor George Tiller is killed; suspect in custody". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved June 1, 2009.
  26. ^ a b Finger, Stan (May 31, 2009). "George Tiller Shot to Death at Wichita Church". The Wichita Eagle. The McClatchy Company. {{cite news}}: |access-date= requires |url= (help)
  27. ^ "Suspect in Custody Identified in Tiller Shooting is a 1976 graduate of Topeka High". WIBW.com. June 1, 2009. Retrieved January 18, 2013.
  28. ^ "Criminal Complaint/Information (Kansas v. Scott P. Roeder)". FindLaw. June 2, 2009. Retrieved June 5, 2009.
  29. ^ Sylvester, Ron (April 1, 2010). "Scott Roeder gets Hard 50 in murder of abortion provider George Tiller". The Wichita Eagle. Retrieved April 1, 2010.
  30. ^ a b "Barack Obama shocked by abortion doctor shooting". London: Telegraph.co.uk. June 1, 2009. Retrieved May 3, 2010.
  31. ^ a b "National Right to Life condemns the killing of Dr. George Tiller". National Right to Life. May 31, 2009.
  32. ^ "KS NOW Mourns the Murder of Dr. George Tiller". Kansas Now. May 31, 2009. Archived from the original on June 6, 2009.
  33. ^ "Jewish groups speak out on Tiller killing", Jewish Telegraphic Agency (JTA), June 2, 2009.
  34. ^ "Operation Rescue Denounces The Killing of Abortionist Tiller". Operation Rescue. May 31, 2009.
  35. ^ "Pro-life groups condemn slaying of late-term abortionist". CatholicCutlure.org. June 1, 2009.
  36. ^ "Murder Not Justified, Pro-Life Leaders Say". Baptist Press. June 1, 2009. Retrieved January 18, 2013.
  37. ^ Veritas, Sandy. "George Tiller was a Mass-Murderer, says Randall Terry -- We Grieve That he Did Not Have Time to Properly Prepare his Soul to Face God". Christian News Wire.
  38. ^ Koppelman, Alex. "Keyes' running mate: Tiller murder "answer to prayer"". Salon.com. Retrieved June 2, 2009.
  39. ^ Allen, Bob (June 2, 2009). "Former SBC officer says Tiller murder answer to prayer". Associated Baptist Press. Archived from the original on July 19, 2011.
  40. ^ Finger, Stan (June 1, 2009). "Nebraska physician vows to keep Tiller's abortion clinic open". Wichita Eagle. {{cite news}}: |access-date= requires |url= (help)
  41. ^ Abcarian, Robin (June 10, 2009). "'Abortion fatigue' on both sides as Kansas clinic closes". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved June 10, 2009.
  42. ^ Hegeman, Roxana (October 8, 2010). "AP source: Grand jury probing anti-abortion murder". The Wichita Star. Archived from the original on October 11, 2010. Retrieved January 18, 2013.

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