Dr. George Tiller is a late-term abortion provider. He was shot in the lobby of the Reformation Lutheran Church in Wichita, Kansas today by Scott Roeder, 51. Roeder is an active member the group Operation Rescue, which is an anti-abortion activist.

There were incidences of violence with George Tiller in the past. In 1993, he was shot it both arms and in 1986 there was a bomb blast at his clinic. George Tiller may have been shot because of his views on abortion and because of the fact that he was a late-term abortionist. However, just because George Tiller performed late-term abortions, this does not give anyone the right to just gun him down like this. This was cold-blooded murder and it should never have happened.

JLHanna, a 22 year old college student and I, a 48 year old woman on a disability pension, had a debate about the issue of late-term abortions and even though we are both against abortions, I think you will find our debate interesting.

Our Debate

Introduction

I, myself, am against abortions. I think that a fetus has the right to live, no matter what. I believe in birth control and abstinence.

JLHanna is for and against abortion. However, she is completely against late-term abortions. If someone was raped and became pregnant as a result of that she believes it should be okay for them to abort the pregnancy. If someone wanted to have an abortion because they aren’t in the financial position, aren’t old enough or don’t want the baby for some other reason, then they should have used birth control or practice abstenance and should not be allowed to abort the baby.

1. Why are you against or for abortions?

Me - I am against abortions because I do not believe in killing another human being. Killing is wrong, no matter what. Abortions are also dirty and can lead to severe infections and even death of the mother.

JLHanna - I am against abortion becuase people who are old enough to partake in sexual intercourse and give their consent to their partner should be able to deal with the consequences. As long as the person is in the mental state to take care of the baby they should not have the option to abort it. This brings me to why I am also for abortion, people who have been raped and became pregnant from a result of this should have the option to abort. If the baby is a result from a horrifying event how could the mother have the proper mental state to care for the child. How could the mother look into the babys eyes everyday and not think of that event?

2. Why are you against or for late-term abortions?

Me - I am against late-term abortions more than I am against abortions because I think late-term abortions are very risky and late-term abortions may cause damage to the mother. I think it is risky because it may cause the death of the mother.

JLHanna - I am dead set against late-term abortions whether the woman was raped or not. I believe this is completely wrong because the baby has completley developed at this point and has a limited knowledge that it is alive, it has to be. Being able to take a late-term baby out of the mother and kill it off because the mother changed her mind and didn’t want the baby is just wrong. The mother should have decided long before this point if she wanted the baby or not. For parents who decide they don’t want the baby late into the pregnancy, they always have adoption as an option.

3. Do you feel that abortion clinics should be legal?

Me - I feel that abortion clinics should not be legal at all. If an abortion does need to be done than I think that abortions should be performed in a hospital, where there are properly trained staff that can take care of the mother properly and the proper sterilized equipment to do the job properly. When I think of an abortion clinic, I think of infection, dirt and death.

JLHanna - I believe that abortion clinics should not be legal and abortions should only continue in a hospital environment. Abortions should only be made for those who aren’t mentally capable to take care of the baby and those who have been raped. People who don’t want to have the baby for other reasons can always turn to adoption. Doctors who are predicting serious harm to a mother if she goes through a full term pregnancy should also give the mother the option to abort. Aside from this I feel nobody should have the option to abort a baby.

4. Do you feel it is right to target abortionists, ie, murder them, torture them?

Me - While I do not agree with abortion at all, we do have abortionists in this world and I do not for one second think that abortionists should be harmed in anyway whatsoever. If they are doing something that is illegal, then they should be penalized by the court system.

JLHanna - I also feel that the doctors should not be harmed just because they partake in abortions. It is the demand for the practice that keeps them in business. Obviously if everybody felt abortions were wrong they wouldn’t be in practice so I think people need to learn to distance themselves a little bit more from things they can’t change. Since when did it become right for one man to kill another? If abortionists were selective and only performed abortions for those who really needed it, maybe they wouldn’t get harmed so often.

5. In your opinion, what should be done about the countless acts of violence against abortionists?

Me - I think for once and for all our government needs to say yes we are for abortions or no we are against abortions and just be done with it one way or another. If abortions are legal then we are going to have abortionists and they should be treated with the respect they deserve, just like any other human being. If abortions are illegal then we can arrest abortionists, get them off our streets once and for all and be done with it. I think it is the fault of our governments that the violence continues the way it does.

JLHanna - I believe if you can catch the ones who are performing the acts against the abortionists they should be locked up. The abortionist may have deserved it but being grown up means being able to keep your feelings under control and to them it may just be a job.

Conclusion

Me - In conclusion, I do not agree with what George Tiller stood for but that does not mean he should have been murdered.

JLHanna - In conclusion, even though I am against most of what George Tiller stood for he never should have been killed and the person who killed him should be brought to justice.