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Recent murder sparks national debate

Posted on Jun 09, 2009 in Opinion

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Abortion doctor George Tiller shot over abortion procedures

The recent murder of Dr. George Tiller of Wichita, Kansas, has sparked abortion debates among people across the country and in the media. He was allegedly murdered by a man named Scott Roeder, 51, who was apparently known to have suffered from mental illness and who was also known to be an anti-abortion activist.

Some people do not see George Tiller’s murder as a senseless crime, but as a justified act of vigilantism. George Tiller was known and accused for performing late-term abortions, which is understandably a very controversial procedure. However, Dr. George Tiller was a doctor who cared about women and was considered by many a savior of women.

Some extreme pro-life supporters like to refer to George Tiller’s procedures as murders of perfectly healthy babies who could have lived had they not been aborted. Bill O’ Reilly, host of “The O’ Reilly Factor” on Fox News, claimed that George Tiller was willing to kill babies hours before birth; implying that he was a ruthless, irrational murderer rather than a trained medical professional.

Just the thought that a woman carrying a child almost full-term and then deciding to have an abortion just for convenience is unreasonable; however, I think that it should be recognized that Dr. Tiller performed these procedures under extreme circumstances and not just for anyone willing to cut him a check for thousands of dollars.

I do not think that anyone in their right mind would say that they actually like abortions, but it is something that is legal in our country. I know the question of ‘legality’ is a tricky one, as one might argue that slavery was once legal in our country. However, the fact is that desperate situations do arise and it is much better for everyone if there is a safe way for desperate people to resolve their problems.

Late-term abortions are no doubt tragedies, and the women who have them probably would not have them if there weren’t some tragic, extreme situation pushing them to do so. The unborn baby could have a serious defect that could cause it to die, or the mother could be facing irreparable damage by having the baby, among other things.

There are very many problems that can occur during late pregnancy and abortion may be the only way to preserve a woman’s life. To the right are some interesting statistics taken from AmericanPregnancy.org regarding pregnancy and reproductive health.

The murder of Dr. George Tiller was a tragedy, and it can only be hoped that such violence against physicians, clinics and even patients who visit these clinics will end. Women should not have to fear going to a clinic for help when they feel they most need it. A doctor’s office is supposed to be a place of safety and confidentiality, not fear and condemnation.

Pregnancy statistics

Pregnancy
There are approximately 6 million pregnancies every year throughout the United States:
* 4,058,000 live births
* 1,995,840 pregnancy losses

Pregnancy Loss
Every year in the United States there are approximately 2 million women who experience pregnancy loss:
* 600,000 women experience pregnancy loss through miscarriage
* 1,200,000 women experience pregnancy loss through termination
* 64,000 women experience pregnancy loss through ectopic pregnancy (egg settles in fallopian tubes, outside of the uterus; ectopic pregnancies do not normally develop into a live birth.)
* 6,000 women experience pregnancy loss through molar pregnancies (false pregnancy where the egg is either lost or inactivated resulting in no actual fetus, no placenta, no fluids and no amniotic membranes, but instead a small bundle of cells called a mole.)
* 26,000 women experience pregnancy loss through stillbirth

Pregnancy Complications
Every year in the United States:
* 875,000 woman experience one or more pregnancy complications
* 458,952 babies are born to mothers without adequate prenatal care
* 467,201 babies are born prematurely
* 307,030 babies are born with low birth weight
* 154,051 children are born with birth defects
* 27,864 infants die before their first birthday

Reproductive Health
Every year in the United States, there are 60,000,000 women in the childbearing years of 15-44 :
* 70% of these women are sexually active
* 64% use a form of contraception
* 3,000,000 use NO contraception, accounting for 47% of unplanned pregnancies
* 6,000,000 women deal with infertility
* 2,000,000 married couples are infertile

Currently there are 68,000,000 individuals with an STD:
* There are 15,300,000 new STD cases each year
* 3,000,000 teenagers acquire an STD each year

Pregnancy & Social Concerns
Every year in the United States:
* 468,988 babies are born to teenage mothers each year
* 11% of pregnant woman are diagnosed with Post Partum Depression
* 820,000 woman smoke cigarettes while pregnant
* 221,000 women use illicit drugs during pregnancy
* 757,000 woman drink alcohol while pregnant
* 240,000 pregnant women are subject to domestic violence
* 40% of assaults begin during the first pregnancy
* Pregnant women are twice the risk of battery

Email: kscopeditorial@yahoo.com