Frank Schaeffer, who with his father was one of the aggressive peddlers of anti-choice ideas, has commendably accepted part of the blame for the Tiller murder, admitting that he and his kind contributed to the atmosphere of hate. Unfortunately, he fails with this bit in the middle.
Contributing to an extreme and sometimes violent climate has not only been the fault of the antiabortion crusaders. The Roe v. Wade decision went to far, too fast and was too sweeping. I believe that abortion should be legal. But I also believe that it should be re-regulated according to fetal development. It's the late term abortions that horrify most people. And for the sake of keeping abortion legal adjustments need to be made. Roe is far too all or nothing (as I explain in my book Crazy for God: How I Grew Up as One of the Elect, Helped Found the Religious Right, and Lived to Take All -- or Almost All -- of It Back). As I say in my book today I believe that abortion should be legal but more regulated than Roe allows. I also think that we should do what President Obama calls for: use sex education and contraceptive distribution and programs to help women and children in a way that results in less abortions.
No, not good enough. Abortion must remain a decision between a woman and her doctor…crazy evangelists (or ex-evangelists) and senators have no part in it. And the late term abortions? I am so fed up with the oh-so-concerned "pro-lifers" being "horrified" by them — those abortions are carried out when the pregnancy is threatening the life of the mother. Those are specifically decisions from which some patriarchal relic should be ejected. Does he really hope to place more obstacles and more stress in the way of frightened and often grieving women?
And speaking of not-pologies, look at Randall Terry's.
"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."
Randall Terry is available for comment at
FUK-YOU-TERY
He's more concerned about the government response to a murder by zealots like him? And he's afraid the government will close down his most effective actions…like what, murder? Or is he afraid his ability to terrify frightened women and harass health care professionals might be limited? Way to place your priorities, man.
As for being available for comment, I hope no one bothers with the grandstanding ghoul.
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