Accidental Blogger

A general interest blog

Recent posts

about

George Tiller, “Abortion Doctor” (Joe)

So, you know, he was killed today by some anti-choice nut.  (Sad, etc.)  Actually, in this case, let's call the person who killed Tiller a "pro-life" nut — it's more ironic than usual.

"Abortion doctor" — don't we have a better label than this?  I've seen this term used in CNN and NYT headlines.  It's better than "abortionist," I suppose, but it's still on the disrespectful/demeaning end of things.

We have oncologists and dermatologists and orthopedic surgeons, not cancer doctors and skin doctors and bone-setters.  We have to be able to do better than abortion doctors.

Do a Google News search — no one is calling him an obstetrician, or an OB-GYN.  I haven't done my fact-checking (as was pointed out in the comments on one of Ruchira's posts, we're not journalists here), so it's possible there's some reason that term doesn't fit, but in that case wouldn't even "abortion provider" be better?

Posted in

12 responses to “George Tiller, “Abortion Doctor” (Joe)”

  1. What is Wrong with America?

    How do u know it was an anti-choice nut?

    Like

    Reply
  2. Joe

    Circumstantial evidence. It’s theoretically possible that a famous provider of late-term abortions who has previously been attacked and is consistently a target of abusive speech was the only person killed at his small-town church for some other reason, but that’s very unlikely.

    Like

    Reply
  3. Tasha Halterman

    Well,I guess you could call me a pro-life nut too.Although I would not murder someone because they murder babies,I feel like justice has been served.Why is his life any more important than the thousands of babies he has killed over the years?He probably thought that the fact that he went to church made him right with God.Well,it did not.He is burning in hell.I guess it is comforting to know that all of those precious babies that he killed are in the armss of Jesus.I look forward to your reply.

    Like

    Reply
  4. Joe

    Tasha, let me ask you this — if murdering this doctor is “justice,” then why wouldn’t you do it? Maybe you wouldn’t do it because murder (even murdering someone you think has done bad things) is wrong?
    As to your question, first, fetuses aren’t babies. They don’t, and I believe they shouldn’t, have the same rights that people have. Second, even if fetuses were people, women should have the right to choose whether to have an abortion or carry to term, in light of the hardships — including significant health risks — of pregnancy.
    Third, and most responsive to your “one versus thousands” question, is the simple consequentialist point that legalized abortion saves lives. This is true even if you count fetuses as people. There is some statistical evidence suggesting that legalized abortion actually lowers the abortion rate, and in any event, it is clear that it does not increase the abortion rate. Add to that the health risks of illegal abortion, and the end result is that we do not have more aborted pregnancies, but we do have more living women. (It’s also worth emphasizing that it’s the women who choose to have abortions who were the most relevant moral actors in each instance, not the physician.)
    As to all your fire and brimstone and an unforgiving God, well, that’s inconsistent with my understanding of Christianity. Jesus forgives, etc., which is meaningless if the only people forgiven are those who haven’t done anything wrong.

    Like

    Reply
  5. Tasha Halterman

    I just love how people that think abortion is okay always bring up the womans rights.Good grief,what about the babies rights?Such a double standard!A baby is a baby from the time that it is conceived whether you want to beleive that or not.Why is a fetus not a baby?Because you say so?Just wondering though,when do you think a fetus turns into a baby?Is there a magical moment this happens?Let me tell you something about God too.God is forgiving.But we have to ask for his forgiveness,turn away from our wicked ways and strive everyday to live for him.This does not mean that we won’t ever do bad things again,but if you are truly saved,you will have a desire to do what is right.There are A LOT of people who think they will go to heaven when they die.But they won’t.People that are lukewarm disgust God.(Revelation 3:16)It seems like Dr.Tiller’s whole church was full of people who are lukewarm.The reason I say this is because they chose to worship with a man who practiced this lifestyle.Dr.Tiller was a murderer.I think we can both agree that murder is taking someones life.Be honest,is that not what he was doing when he ended the “fetus’” life? However he chose to do it.On his website he say’s that the baby feels no pain when he injects the medication(poison)into it’s beating heart.How in the world does he know that??????? He doesn’t!As you can tell,I am very passionate about this subject.I am a woman,but I DO NOT have the right to kill.This world is so evil and wicked and it is only going to get worse.You might reply to this and you might not.It doesn’t really matter.I know that I am right.Because the Bible tells me so.The Bible also says that homosexuality is wrong.If I had to guess,I would say that you think homosexuality is okay too because it is their “right”.The Bible offends people and that’s okay.God has rights too.He has the right to send every person who has ever walked the face of this earth to hell.But he doesn’t.He only sends the ones who reject him.Please don’t reject him.HE loves you!

    Like

    Reply
  6. Anna

    Tasha, I cannot think of a more effective sermon you could have given, to convince me not to embrace the religion you purport to espouse. Even were I to agree with you that what Dr. Tiller did was wrong– I do not– your “eye for an eye” version of Christianity would still strike me as profoundly wrong. In fact, it sounds more similar to the moral code that the Jesus of the scriptures explicitly rejects: Compare the Code of Hammurabi (an eye for an eye) and Matthew 5:38-39 (“You have heard that it was said, ‘Eye for eye, and tooth for tooth.’But I tell you, Do not resist an evil person. If someone strikes you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also.”). Frankly, your position seems to assume a rather presumptuous authority on what the divinity wants, and to take an unseemly glee in murder and eternal suffering. Death, violence, and suffering are sad, whether or not the murdered person’s religion, or lack thereof, agrees with our own.

    Like

    Reply
  7. Tasha Halterman

    You don’t have a clue.One day you will find out though.I have a feeling my sermon will come to your mind .The problem is,it will be too late then.It is too bad that you choose to reject Jesus after what he did for you.But on the judgement day,which will happen “Every knee will bow,every tongue confess,that Jesus Christ is Lord”.I will be praying that God would soften your heart.

    Like

    Reply
  8. Joe

    Tasha, I would appreciate if you could use better punctuation in your comments. You’re omitting the space between each punctuation mark and the first word of the following sentence, and it makes it hard to read what you wrote.
    As to the basic thrust of your comments, my main response is that we live in a pluralistic society. We have to live by a system of rules that can be agreed upon by people with different perspectives, which means that laws will sometimes diverge from what some (or even most) of us think is morally right or wrong. “Render unto Caesar that which is Caesar’s, and unto God that which is God’s,” wasn’t it? And “my kingdom is not of this world.” I’m not going to be persuaded as to what is right or wrong, never mind what should be lawful or unlawful, on the basis of your conversations with the Bible.
    I do think it’s interesting that you brought homosexuality into this conversation, however. The two are not of the same kind. Abortion is plainly something everyone would like to see minimized (we disagree on how); homosexuality is not. Again, you can’t expect rational citizens of divergent backgrounds and faiths to take your word (based on your interpretation of your holy text) as the final determinant of how citizens must behave. One cannot argue with faith.

    Like

    Reply
  9. Tasha Halterman

    The holy text of which I speak is the only opinion that matters. It does not matter what you think, what I think, what any one thinks. If God says it, that is All that matters. That is the problem with this world. Everyone thinks that something is right or wrong based on how they feel about it. There are absolute wrongs and absolute wrongs. That is the way it is. And let me clarify, I am not a religious person. I don’t like religion. It is all man made. I am a follower of the ONE TRUE GOD!Hope that the punctuation worked out better for you.

    Like

    Reply
  10. Joe

    But who decides what God said? (Or says, if there’s a difference, which there shouldn’t be since God has to be omnitemporal.) About 1/3 of this planet’s people are Christians — so most people would disagree that it’s the New Testament Bible. Maybe the Complete Calvin and Hobbes is the one true holy text. Plus this one time I did shrooms, I totally thought the universe was revealing some majors truths to me, and I’m pretty sure Harry Potter factored in there somehow.
    I think we’ve arrived at, if not a definitional stop (I’m not entirely sure), then at least the limits of plausible back-and-forth on this issue.

    Like

    Reply
  11. Tasha Halterman

    Yeah,I guess I am done debating the issue. I don’t think we are ever going to get to a point where we would agree. I am pretty closed minded. I wish you nothing but good things. God bless you.

    Like

    Reply
  12. kochuthresiamma p j

    Chicago tribune’s headlines used abortion provider.
    but i dont see why we should look for euphimisms.

    Like

    Reply

Leave a comment