http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/31029377/
This is very sad news. The person who shot Dr. George Tiller needs our prayers - we don't know his motives for shooting him. Regardless, Dr. George Tiller and his family need our prayers. As Pro Life advocates we never advocate violence. Dr. Tiller was made in God's image and God does not will for one soul to be lost.
We are not anti-abortionists or Pro Life militants. People who shoot abortionists and bomb their clinics are associated with these 2 terms. We are Pro Life. God have mercy on us.
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WICHITA, Kansas - Wichita police said that abortion provider Dr. George Tiller has been shot and killed at his Wichita church.
Tiller has been among the few U.S. physicians performing late-term abortion. His clinic has repeatedly been the site of protests for about two decades. A protester shot Tiller in both arms in 1993, and his clinic was bombed in 1985.
Tiller's attorney Dan Monnat said Tiller was shot as he served as an usher during Sunday morning services at Reformation Lutheran Church. Monnat said Tiller's wife, Jeanne, was in the choir at the time of the shooting, reported just after 10 a.m.
The New York Times reported Sunday that the shots were fired from a handgun. Capt. Brent Allred said police were looking for a gunman who fled in a 1993 light blue Ford Taurus registered in Merriam, Kansas.
Anti-abortion group Operation Rescue, which has been critical of 67-year-old Tiller, issued the following statement on its Web site Sunday:
"We are shocked at this morning’s disturbing news that Mr. Tiller was gunned down. Operation Rescue has worked for years through peaceful, legal means, and through the proper channels to see him brought to justice. 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."
Tiller had been acquitted in March of 19 misdemeanor charges stemming from procedures he performed, but moments after the verdict the state’s medical board announced it was investigating allegations against him that are nearly identical to those the jury had rejected.
Prosecutors had alleged that Tiller had in 2003 gotten second opinions from a doctor who was essentially an employee of his, not independent as state law requires, but a jury took only about an hour to find him not guilty of all 19 counts.
Claimed prosecution was politically motivated
Tiller, who could have faced a year in jail for even one conviction, stared straight ahead as the verdicts were read, with one of his attorneys patting his shoulder after the decision on the final count was declared. His wife, seated across the courtroom, fought back tears and nodded. The couple had declined to speak to reporters afterward.
Image: George Tiller
Mike Hutmacher / MCT / Newscom file
Dr. George Tiller enters the courtroom Monday, March 23, 2009, on the first day of his jury trial in Wichita, Kansas. He was reportedly shot and killed Sunday at his Wichita church.
Tiller had claimed that the prosecution was politically motivated. An attorney general who opposed abortion rights began the investigation into Tiller’s clinic more than four years ago, but both his successor, who filed the criminal charges, and the current attorney general support abortion rights.
Tiller had been a favored target of anti-abortion protesters, and he testified that he and his family have suffered years of harassment and threats. His clinic was the site of the 1991 “Summer of Mercy” protests marked by mass demonstrations and arrests. His clinic was bombed in 1985, and an abortion opponent shot him in both arms in 1993.
Click for related content
Doctor acquitted in late-term abortion case
The Wichita Eagle reported Sunday that Tiller's clinic had been severely vandalized earlier this month. The newspaper said the Associated Press reported that wires to security cameras and outdoor lights were cut and that the vandals also cut through the roof and plugged the building's downspouts.
Tiller had reportedly asked the FBI to investigate the incident, which caused thousands of dollars of damage to the clinic when rain poured through the roof.
This is very sad news. The person who shot Dr. George Tiller needs our prayers - we don't know his motives for shooting him. Regardless, Dr. George Tiller and his family need our prayers. As Pro Life advocates we never advocate violence. Dr. Tiller was made in God's image and God does not will for one soul to be lost. We are not anti-abortionists or Pro Life militants. People who shoot abortionists and bomb their clinics are associated with these 2 terms. We are Pro Life. God have mercy on us.
-------------------------------
WICHITA, Kansas - Wichita police said that abortion provider Dr. George Tiller has been shot and killed at his Wichita church.
Tiller has been among the few U.S. physicians performing late-term abortion. His clinic has repeatedly been the site of protests for about two decades. A protester shot Tiller in both arms in 1993, and his clinic was bombed in 1985.
Tiller's attorney Dan Monnat said Tiller was shot as he served as an usher during Sunday morning services at Reformation Lutheran Church. Monnat said Tiller's wife, Jeanne, was in the choir at the time of the shooting, reported just after 10 a.m.
The New York Times reported Sunday that the shots were fired from a handgun. Capt. Brent Allred said police were looking for a gunman who fled in a 1993 light blue Ford Taurus registered in Merriam, Kansas.
Anti-abortion group Operation Rescue, which has been critical of 67-year-old Tiller, issued the following statement on its Web site Sunday:
"We are shocked at this morning’s disturbing news that Mr. Tiller was gunned down. Operation Rescue has worked for years through peaceful, legal means, and through the proper channels to see him brought to justice. 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."
Tiller had been acquitted in March of 19 misdemeanor charges stemming from procedures he performed, but moments after the verdict the state’s medical board announced it was investigating allegations against him that are nearly identical to those the jury had rejected.
Prosecutors had alleged that Tiller had in 2003 gotten second opinions from a doctor who was essentially an employee of his, not independent as state law requires, but a jury took only about an hour to find him not guilty of all 19 counts.
Claimed prosecution was politically motivated
Tiller, who could have faced a year in jail for even one conviction, stared straight ahead as the verdicts were read, with one of his attorneys patting his shoulder after the decision on the final count was declared. His wife, seated across the courtroom, fought back tears and nodded. The couple had declined to speak to reporters afterward.
Image: George Tiller
Mike Hutmacher / MCT / Newscom file
Dr. George Tiller enters the courtroom Monday, March 23, 2009, on the first day of his jury trial in Wichita, Kansas. He was reportedly shot and killed Sunday at his Wichita church.
Tiller had claimed that the prosecution was politically motivated. An attorney general who opposed abortion rights began the investigation into Tiller’s clinic more than four years ago, but both his successor, who filed the criminal charges, and the current attorney general support abortion rights.
Tiller had been a favored target of anti-abortion protesters, and he testified that he and his family have suffered years of harassment and threats. His clinic was the site of the 1991 “Summer of Mercy” protests marked by mass demonstrations and arrests. His clinic was bombed in 1985, and an abortion opponent shot him in both arms in 1993.
Click for related content
Doctor acquitted in late-term abortion case
The Wichita Eagle reported Sunday that Tiller's clinic had been severely vandalized earlier this month. The newspaper said the Associated Press reported that wires to security cameras and outdoor lights were cut and that the vandals also cut through the roof and plugged the building's downspouts.
Tiller had reportedly asked the FBI to investigate the incident, which caused thousands of dollars of damage to the clinic when rain poured through the roof.
