Violence Against Abortion Providers
On Sunday, May 31, 2009, Dr. George Tiller was assassinated while attending his church in Wichita, Kansas. Dr. Tiller has been the target of anti-abortion extremists for decades. His clinic was vandalized, picketed, and bombed, and in 1993 he was shot in the arms by Shelley Shannon (an anti-abortion terrorists in prison for shooting Tiller and firebombing clinics). Dr. Tiller and his dedicated staff endured years of harassment from anti-abortion terrorists.
Dr. Tiller’s contribution to women’s health and reproductive justice cannot be understated. He continued to provide reproductive health services to women – legal later term abortions – despite the violent targets against him.
Women’s health providers have been under attack for decades, and Dr. Tiller’s assassination is a tragic reminder that violence against our clinics still exists. Our staff, physicians, and clients are still at risk, even though we are vigilant in protecting ourselves and our clients. We continue to undertake all legal measures available to us against this terrorism.
We need the continuous support from our communities to help keep us safe. We need donations to help us offset security costs. We need volunteers to escort our clients and to monitor the protesters activities.
Please contribute to this blog to help us by sharing your opinions about clinic violence and strategy. We look forward to your ideas.
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