Future Of Antiabortion-Rights Movement Uncertain In Wake Of Tiller Murder

Main Category: Abortion
Article Date: 09 Jun 2009 - 3:00 PDT

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The antiabortion-rights movement's presence in Wichita, Kan., faces an uncertain future as its leaders re-examine their strategy after the shooting death of Kansas abortion provider George Tiller, the New York Times reports. According to the Times, Wichita has been a center for the antiabortion-rights movement for almost two decades primarily because of the location of Tiller's clinic, which is one of the few in the U.S. that performs abortions later in pregnancy. Most notably, thousands of protesters converged on the city in the summer of 1991, known as the "Summer of Mercy," and the city is known as a "hot spot" for groups opposed to abortion rights, the Times reports. Antiabortion-rights group Operation Rescue moved its headquarters to Wichita to focus on Tiller's clinic, and there are five other operations in the city aimed at discouraging women from having abortions. However, many groups are concerned that interest in the antiabortion-rights movement and donations in support of the cause will drop without the presence of Tiller and his patients. Troy Newman, president of Operation Rescue, said that he does not "know what the future holds" and that it is "too early to say what comes next" for the movement. He added that Scott Roeder, the man charged with Tiller's murder, "did more to damage the pro-life movement than you can imagine."

According to the Times, the antiabortion-rights movement is facing increasing backlash related to the murder, with some abortion-rights supporters saying that abortion-rights opponents' inflammatory rhetoric helped incite the violence. Mark Gietzen, president of the Kansas Coalition for Life, said that there also is disagreement among antiabortion-rights groups over whether their leaders should have issued statements condemning the murder. Tiller's clinic currently is closed, and no patients are being given appointments, although his family said in a recent statement that it would like to continue his work, according to the Times. David Gittrich, development director of Kansans for Life, said that although Tiller's murder will "change things in the pro-life movement ... until abortion is illegal, unthinkable and unacceptable, there's going to be plenty of things for pro-lifers to do" (Davey, New York Times, 6/8).

Justice Department Launches Federal Probe of Murder

Meanwhile, the Department of Justice on Friday began a federal investigation into Tiller's murder and is seeking to determine whether more than one person was involved in the shooting, the Times reports. Federal officials will review evidence and look into possible violations of the Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances Act, according to DOJ. The investigation will be conducted alongside Kansas' murder prosecution. A DOJ spokesperson would not comment on whether the investigation would affect the jurisdiction in which Roeder is eventually tried (Cullotta, New York Times, 6/6).

Abortion Providers, Advocates Respond to Comments from Suspect

In related news, abortion-rights providers and advocates responded to Roeder's recent comments implying that more violence against abortion providers is planned, the AP/Google.com reports. In an interview with the Associated Press, Roeder said that there are "many other similar events planned around the country as long as abortion remains legal." Roeder refused to elaborate on his statement, and law enforcement officials said that they are not sure if his statement is legitimate. LeRoy Carhart, an abortion provider who practiced at Tiller's clinic, noted that Tiller was not the first abortion provider to be murdered, adding, "There is more than one lunatic running loose in this country that can be influenced by the religious rhetoric." Nancy Keenan, president of NARAL Pro-Choice America, said she believes it is "imperative for anti-choice groups to tone down that rhetoric and keep the more extreme elements in their movement from copying" Roeder (Hegeman, AP/Google.com, 6/8).

NPR Examines FACE Act, Antiabortion Violence

NPR's "Morning Edition" on Friday examined the impact of the Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances Act and the future of the law in the aftermath of Tiller's murder. According to "Morning Edition," the law was passed about 15 years ago and made crimes like trespassing or vandalism felonies if they are targeted at abortion providers or clinics. The law also made it a felony to use force to block abortion services. According to Vicki Saporta of the National Abortion Federation, the FACE Act appeared to slow antiabortion-rights violence for about 10 years, and some "were hoping that we had turned a corner." However, she said, "with the murder of Dr. Tiller, it's clear that that hasn't occurred. In some ways we've just been lucky." Saporta said the law has not stopped all antiabortion-rights violence because it does not target lower-level threats like harassment or stalking, which she said can lead to more serious violence. "Morning Edition" reports that abortion-rights advocates are calling for an expansion of the FACE Act to target the violent rhetoric used by some antiabortion-rights groups (Smith, "Morning Edition," NPR, 6/5).

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