A story posted on Salon.com yesterday argues that FoxNews host Bill O’Reilly is responsible for pushing an image of a Kansas abortion provider that was so monstrous and exaggerated that it fanned the flames of violent anger among the anti-abortion activists, perhaps even encouraging the doctor’s murder.

“O’Reilly didn’t tell anyone to do anything violent, but he did put Tiller in the public eye, and help make him the focus of a movement with a history of violence against exactly these kinds of targets (including Tiller himself, who had already been shot),” writes Gabriel Winant.

O’Reilly had nicknamed the Kansas abortion provider “Tiller the Baby Killer,” and mentioned him on his show nearly 30 times over the past four years.

From Winan’ts story:

O’Reilly’s language describing Tiller, and accusing the state and its elites of complicity in his actions, could become extremely vivid. On June 12, 2007, he said, “Yes, I think we all know what this is. And if the state of Kansas doesn’t stop this man, then anybody who prevents that from happening has blood on their hands as the governor does right now, Governor Sebelius.”

Three days later, he added, “No question Dr. Tiller has blood on his hands. But now so does Governor Sebelius. She is not fit to serve. Nor is any Kansas politician who supports Tiller’s business of destruction. I wouldn’t want to be these people if there is a Judgment Day. I just — you know … Kansas is a great state, but this is a disgrace upon everyone who lives in Kansas. Is it not?”

The conservative American Spectator defends O’Rielly against Winant today, calling the suspected murderer a “crackpot”:

There is no evidence to suggest that O’Reilly had anything to do with the murder in which 51-year-old Scott Roeder is reportedly a suspect. Reports by the Kansas City Star indicate that Roeder had for many years been a particular type of crackpot. Roeder was reportedly involved in the so-called “Freeman” militia movement long before the first episode of “The O’Reilly Factor” was aired on Fox News.

However anyone might reproach O’Reilly for his rhetoric, the Fox personality is not responsible for the murder of Dr. Tiller.

Others have accused Operation Rescue, the anti-abortion group, of encouraging violence against Tiller. The group had moved its headquarters to Wichita in order to focus its opposition on him, targeting the doctor, his employees and their families at their homes and churches. That effort was the subject of a 2004 story in Rolling Stone, “One Man’s God Squad.” The group also made an extremely shocking video (Warning: this video is extremely graphic) about Tiller.

A person using the same name as the suspected killer, Scott Roeder, posted several times to an Operation Rescue blog, once writing about confronting Tiller at his church: 

Bleass everyone for attending and praying in May to bring justice to Tiller and the closing of his death camp.

Sometime soon, would it be feasible to organize as many people as possible to attend Tillers church (inside, not just outside) to have much more of a presence and possibly ask questions of the Pastor, Deacons, Elders and members while there? Doesn’t seem like it would hurt anything but bring more attention to Tiller.

But Randall Newman of Operation Rescue told the New York Times that Roeder was, “not a friend, not a contributor, not a volunteer.”

Operation Rescue founder Randall Terry, who is now the leader of Operation Save America, released the following statement today:

George Tiller was a mass-murderer. We grieve for him that he did not have time to properly prepare his soul to face God.   I am more concerned that the Obama Administration will use Tiller’s killing to intimidate pro-lifers into surrendering our most effective rhetoric and actions. Abortion is still murder. And we still must call abortion by its proper name; murder.
Those men and women who slaughter the unborn are murderers according to the Law of God. We must continue to expose them in our communities and peacefully protest them at their offices and homes, and yes, even their churches.