Well, this is horrible. Doctor George Tiller was shot and killed this morning while he was in church. I suppose I shouldn't be surprised. It's not the first time an "abortion doctor" has been maimed or killed. In fact, Doctor Tiller himself was shot in both arms in 1993. Despite that, he continued to provide late term abortions to women at his clinic for women's health care services in Wichita. It's highly disturbing whenever a person decides to "take matters" into their own hands and commit such a horrific act of violence against another person. I'm sure many "pro-lifers" will say that Dr. Tiller did performed a similar act whenever he aborted a viable fetus. Now, i"m sure many other news sources and bloggers will report on this much better than I ever could, but I would still like to point out a few things and express my opinion. I have a great deal of respect for Dr. Tiller. It is clear to me that he devoted his life to helping women in need.
What so many people don't comprehend is that abortion is a necessary part of life for many people. What the so called pro-life side doesn't understand, is that almost every woman takes great care with making the decision to abort their fetus. In fact, in this instance it would probably be best to refer to the fetus as a baby because that is how most women feel towards what is growing inside them. It is a part of them and they care for it. Unfortunately, in so many places, for a variety of reasons, as much a woman may want a child, she can not care for it. While many would advocate for adoption, what they fail to understand is that during pregnancy, a woman goes through so much, including learning to love their child. It seems that the "pro-lifers" See the woman as just a vessel for a child. they are not aware or don't care that a woman is going through not just physical, but emotional changes. When the time comes for them to give their child up or adoption, they might not be able to do it because they have learned to love their baby and don't want to give it up. That could end up badly for both the mother and the child. Sadly,there are also many horror stories when it comes to adoption. It isn't a perfect system. Of course, in a perfect world, we wouldn't need abortion because every child would be a wanted child who would be given all the love, care, and opportunities the world has to offer. The reality isn't like that, and there a a great deal many reasons for that. The point is that abortion is what I suppose could be described as a necessary "evil." We can't go back to the days where women were forced to go to extreme measures to end a pregnancy, often resulting in the women being maimed or killed.
As Hillary Clinton said, "Abortion should be safe,legal, and rare." I realize that I have spent almost the entirety of this post discussing abortion rather than Doctor Tiller himself. This will likely be the focal point of almost everything that has and will be written about his death. That is because providing abortions is what Doctor Tiller devoted his life to. Also because the topic of abortion is such a controversial and sensitive issue in the world. There is something that perhaps not everyone knows about and that is that the Wichita Women's Health Care Services clinic provides funerary services to its patients. That is most unusual for clinics. It is also the biggest reason for my immense respect for Doctor Tiller. The clinic offers services such as photographs, burial, cremation, baptism, hand printing and foot printing, and other services. It is clear to me that Doctor Tiller and the Women's Health Care Services Clinic respected their patients a great deal and understood what a weighty decision that abortion is for these women and families. They understood that most women see their fetus as being living beings and they would want and need some closure. In the times to come, I am sure that there will be some wonderful tributes written to Doctor Tiller. This is not one of them. However, I felt compelled to write this. I also must express my wish that the murderer of Doctor Tiller is brought to justice as soon as possible. This person is a menace to society and shouldn't be allowed to receive any lenient treatment once he or she is arrested. Finally, even though I know that very few people will read this, I would still like to extend my condolences to Doctor Tiller's family and friends.
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"...When the time comes for them to give their child up or adoption, they might not be able to do it because they have learned to love their baby and don't want to give it up..."
...and./or she might not be able to do it because no one else is willing to adopt her baby in the first place.
Some mothers have to choose between keeping the baby and an orphanage, or between keeping the baby and a foster care system, instead of between keeping the baby and adoption.
Thanks for commenting! You're right, it's not quite as simple as what I said, but I didn't really edit it. I was being very general and I wrote in in quite a hurry because I had just heard he had died so I was kind of upset and not paying attention to details.