Mr. Scott Roeder has been formally charged with the murder of Dr. George Tiller in Wichita this past Sunday. Mr. Roeder is a staunch anti-abortionist who viewed Dr. Tiller as evil because he performed late-term abortions on those who sought his services. Roeder's ex-wife has described him as having "a fanatical preoccupation with certain views, including those on abortion." The abortion issue has many sides, and is not a simple matter of right-to-life versus pro choice.
No matter where one stands on this issue, the fundamental question in this case has to do with the act of killing an abortion doctor. Does Mr. Roeder's belief that abortion is wrong, and that those who perform abortions are, by extension, evil doers, justification for killing to prevent more abortion procedures being done? I believe Dr. Tiller's death is serving as a call-to-arms for much of American society, and many who previously held no opinion on the issue are now forcing themselves to consider it.
Roe v. Wade, 410 U.S. 113 (1973), affirmed a woman's right to choose, within fairly strict guidelines as to how far along in the term of pregnancy a woman finds herself, whether or not to carry a fetus to term and give birth. Ever since this statutory birth of the pro-life movement there have been legal challenges, bombings of clinics that perform abortions, protests by the right-to-life side of the equation, and killings of medical personnel who perform the procedures. I believe that the overwhelming majority of Americans viewed the issue as I always have - that the question of whether or not to abort a fetus is for the woman involved (or the couple involved in conception) and is not a matter to be decided by old, rich, white men in Washington, DC. Dr. Tiller's murder has forced me to consider the abortion issue once again. However, this time, I cannot opine on the morality of aborting a fetus because I find myself incapable of focusing on anything but the senseless murder of a medical practitioner. Mr. Roeder has done considerable harm, in my view, to the right-to-life movement by (allegedly) brazenly and very publicly killing a doctor while he attended a worship service. By committing this act, Mr. Roeder has forced American society to concentrate on his violent act in the name of his cause, rather than on the cause itself.
Most of you who know me know that I lost my religious faith many, many years ago. Therefore, I must view the abortion issue in legal terms, as well as within the context of my personal code of morality. Since I will never personally face the question of whether or not to abort a fetus, I must side with the Constitution and the Bill of Rights FOR THOSE WHO DO FACE THIS QUESTION. The Constitution and Bill of Rights guarantee absolutely three things ... life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. The 5th and 14th Amendments to the Constitution say, in essence, that those rights can be taken away only through the exercise of due process. Mr. Roeder, in his support of the anti-abortion philosophy, and perhaps in retaliation for abortions already committed, has denied Dr. Tiller the right to LIVE. He did so on his own, without the protection afforded both parties in a legal battle, sentenced Dr. Tiller to death, and carried out an execution in public on a date and time of his own choosing. In doing so, Mr. Roeder moved the discussion of the merits of pro-choice versus pro-life out of the logical, legal, legislative, and public opinion arenas, and turned the discussion into one of extremism and the motivation behind it. He also decided to offer himself up as a martyr for the cause of pro-life, quite probably endangering its very existence.
As always, these are only my thoughts. Your mileage may vary.
No comments:
Post a Comment