Editorials, Opinion Pieces React To Kansas Abortion Provider Tiller's Murder

Several newspapers on Wednesday published editorials and opinion pieces responding to the shooting death of Kansas abortion provider George Tiller, who was one of the few physicians in the country providing care for women in need of the procedure later in pregnancy. Summaries appear below.Editorials~ Boston Globe: Although officials are calling Tiller"s murder ""the act of an isolated individual," ... the generalized culture of violence and hate in the antiabortion movement that feeds the fanaticism of disturbed individuals with guns is not so easily explained away," a Globe editorial states. The editorial notes, "Many responsible abortion opponents, including Americans United for Life, condemn the killing," but "other so-called pro-life leaders insist on finding a moral equivalence between Tiller"s murder and abortion." The editorial continues, "Also victimized by Tiller"s murder are the anguished women who have sought late-term abortions because their pregnancies have gone horribly wrong." According to the editorial, the "sad irony" is that these procedures "are not a matter of "choice,"" as the "overwhelming majority of these women desperately wanted their children to be born." It adds, "Tiller"s brave and compassionate care saved the lives of these women and their futures as mothers." In his speech last month at the University of Notre Dame"s commencement ceremony, President Obama "called for people of good will on both sides of the abortion issue to bridge the divide," the editorial states, concluding, "An end to the hateful rhetoric over issues of faith that lead unhinged individuals to murder would be a good place to start" (Boston Globe, 6/2).~ USA Today: Tiller"s "insistence" on continuing to practice, despite protests and threats of violence, "was remarkably courageous," but, "[r]egrettably, threats by antiabortion activists have worked all too well," a USA Today editorial states. According to the Guttmacher Institute, the number of abortion providers has decreased by 40% since a peak in 1982, and 87% of U.S. counties have no provider, forcing many women to travel long distances to obtain care, the editorial says. "Mainstream pro-life groups should not be blamed for the actions of a suspected killer who appears to have lurked in the violent and twisted fringe of the movement," the editorial continues. However, the "braying of cable TV hosts," such as Fox News" Bill O"Reilly, "and activists such as Operation Rescue founder Randall Terry contributes to a climate of intolerance that can encourage deranged individuals," the editorial says. According to USA Today, "Thwarted in legislatures and courts, some antiabortion activists are achieving with intimidation and harassment what they can"t through the political process," but "[r]egardless of personal beliefs about abortion, authorities have an obligation to protect those providing and receiving abortion services, and to prosecute those who harass or threaten them." The editorial concludes that "Tiller"s death will only be compounded if it frightens away more doctors and makes a legal procedure even harder to come by" (USA Today, 6/3).~ Washington Post: Tiller"s death "is a tragedy for his family, his patients and his profession," and "[i]t should serve as a wake-up call that more must be done to ensure that women have access to this legal procedure," a Post editorial states. "It is unclear how this violence has affected decisions by health care providers," according to the editorial. However, it is clear that "the number of places where women can go for abortions has been declining since 1982," and "[v]ery few are performed in hospitals -- a sign that mainline medicine is not living up to its responsibility," the editorial says. The editorial notes that Attorney General Eric Holder "is offering U.S. Marshals Service protection for abortion clinics and the doctors who staff them," concluding, "It"s the right call, but one that underscores the urgency of coming up with better solutions for the delive