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“Dr. Tiller was a person of conscience and faith,” writes Joan Lamunyon Sanford of the New Mexico Religious Coalition for Reproductive Choice, in reaction to the murder of Dr. George Tiller, who was shot Sunday in the foyer of his church in Wichita, Kansas.
Police have arrested a suspect who had made well known his belief that killing an abortion provider was justifiable.
Here is Sanford’s full statement:
The New Mexico Religious Coalition for Reproductive Choice extends our deepest sympathy and our prayers to the family of Dr. George Tiller, who was assassinated this morning in the lobby of Reformation Lutheran Church in Wichita, Kansas, where he was a member of the congregation. We are horrified and outraged and saddened at this enormous loss – for his family, for all the women who need his care now and will need it in the future.
Today we are mourning the loss of a hero, a man who was fundamentally pro-life. Dr. Tiller saved the lives of women again and again. We know most of the so-called ‘pro-life movement’ deplores this action, and condemns it, and we can not blame the whole movement for the actions of one madman. But the fact that the murder took place in his church reminds us that some people use religion as an excuse for acts of hatred. Let us remember that violence and murder are perversions of religion.
Dr. Tiller was a person of conscience and faith, who provided abortion services for women in the greatest medical need and for poor women in particular, who are the women most likely to need abortions in the second trimester, Dr. Tiller was an essential provider. He was one of the very few doctors providing medically indicated late-term abortion services and he did not waver from the provision of this service, despite frequent threats, lawsuits and violence and was well aware that he was never far from danger.
Tragically, there were many warning signs that this cruel act could take place. Dr. Tiller’s clinic was severely vandalized earlier this month and it was reported that Dr. Tiller had asked the FBI to investigate the incident. Today, as we mourn the loss of Dr. Tiller, we urge the federal government to take swift action against the person or persons who committed this act.
