You may have read in the news or in our Raleigh NOW newsletter, about how the anti-choice rhetoric creates the situation where a person would feel justified in murdering a doctor (although I am further horrified even for a nutcase to murder the doctor in a church). Dr. George Tiller was murdered while serving at his church on Sunday, 5/31/09 in Wichita Kansas. Dr Tiller was one of the nation's few providers of late-term abortions despite decades of protests and attacks.

The cold-blooded murder of Dr. George Tiller this morning in church is a stark reminder that women's bodies are still a battleground, and health care professionals are on the frontlines.

If you want an email with the articles on Dr. Tiller, please email president@raleighnow.org. I encourage you to zip around the web to read other articles.

There is an interview with the awful Ann Coulter "dancing on George Tiller's grave". Go to http://www.examiner.com/x-5063-Womens-Issues-Examiner~y2009m6d25-Ann-Coulter-dances-on-George-Tillers-grave-Her-shocking-comments-on-Bill-OReilly Coulter characterizes his murder as 'terminating George Tiller in his 203rd trimester'. Her comments sicken me. It is her encouragement that makes a murderer feel justified in killing a doctor in cold blood in his church.

For a look from pro-choice perspective, see 'The "Pro-Life" Movement's Hot Rhetoric and Outright Lies' at http://www.rhrealitycheck.org/blog/2009/06/02/the-prolife-movements-hot-rhetoric-and-allout-lies?page=3. I had quoted blogger Amanda Marcotte in the last Raleigh NOW newsletter.

Also see a video: http://www.pbs.org/now/shows/524/index.html, and read an article about it at PBS Examines "Abortion Providers Under Siege", at http://www.rhrealitycheck.org/blog/2009/06/18/video-pbs-examines-abortion-providers-under-siege. Blogger Emily Douglas calls this 'an exceptional segment about violence and harassment targeting abortion providers'.

I know one thing to do. At the National NOW conference in Indianapolis last weekend, Kansas NOW was selling t-shirts with a quote of George Tiller on the back. These were the shirts used by Kansas NOW's Martyr Guard at Dr. Tiller's funeral. On the back is one of Tiller's quotes 'Attitude is everything', with his birth and death date. I ordered one, and you can do so as well through www.ksnow.org.

Let's talk about what we can do to counter this culture of hate. Education panel, rally, protest? Email to president@raleighnow.org.

Our next meeting is Thursday, July 9th, 2009 at 7pm.