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June 1, 2009
I was listening to the news reports about Dr. George Tiller, a physician who was murdered in his Lutheran Church. I was trying to find out what kind of doctor he was … everywhere I looked this morning, all I’ve heard/read is that he’s an “abortionist” or an “abortion doctor.” Funny, I’ve never seen anyone go to medical school to major in abortions — in fact, I don’t think a degree in that particular specialty actually exists anywhere.
Why are these doctors called abortion doctors? These are physicians, many of them Ob/Gyns, some general practitioners who can perform surgeries. These are doctors who care about the health of women. No one is “pro-abortion.” People just have different THEORIES about when life starts, and when life is viable (which varies individually from pregnancy to pregnancy). I am certainly not pro-abortion, but neither am I strictly anti-abortion in any situation, and I think most people in the U.S. share this view with me.
The abortion debate is not something I can morally get involved with on either side, because in my mind it is an individual circumstance, a decision that can only be made on a case-by-case basis. I don’t think abortion should be used as a form of birth control, but neither would I favor passing sweeping laws that deny this procedure to anyone. What I am in favor of is education, giving all possible options to people, and easy access to birth control, including in high schools and colleges.
On a religious level, while I consider myself a Christian, I believe that I am completely unqualified to pass final moral judgement on anyone. That is up to God, not to any mortal. It seems to me that the only extremists who can become doctor-murdering terrorists on this level are religious fanatics who have no idea what Jesus died on the cross for, or who don’t read the bible except for certain passages over and over that are taken out of context of the whole message of the bible.
Why is it that the anti-abortion extremists aren’t all over condemning Scott Reoder, the man who murdered Dr. Tiller? After all, a life was taken, and isn’t every life precious? Isn’t every life sacred and worth protecting, in their minds? Are they just saying the only lives that are worth anything are that of the unborn? One argument of extremists is that an abortion could be killing the next Beethoven. Well, what if the doctor these people just murdered were to discover the cure for cancer if they had not been killed? What if the work they are doing inspires the next Ghandi? It’s not just the potential of the unborn babies people should worry about, it’s the potential of the already-born and living human beings, who can continue to contribute great things to the world even when they’re in their 80’s or 90’s or later.
Okay, I could go on, but I have to do homework — finals this week. My trip back to college as an old lady will be in a later blog. 
The message I wanted to leave here today is that the murder of this doctor should horrify everyone, and anyone who commits or plans to commit this type of act should be treated no differently from any other crazy fundamentalist terrorist who murders or plans to commit murder in the name of their religion.
March 05, 2008 by Heidi
I apologize for the lengthy silence in the past week or two. I was away in Arizona with my husband for an annual business meeting, and I did not have the equipment nor the opportunity to submit any articles.
Hopefully I will be able to sit down and write something substantial before the weekend, as I continually come up with new ideas to share. This is a busy week for me at home, and I am also dealing with some medical issues that I hope will be resolved soon — nothing serious, just painful!
Thank you as always for visiting our page and reading, as well as leaving your comments and involving yourself in our discussions. We should be getting back into the swing of things soon, and there have been a number of exciting political, social, and newsworthy developments in the past week to talk about here.
About the Authors
Cindy and Heidi have been best friends since the 8th grade, and over the years have shared each other’s successes and storms. Life’s experiences and adventures have given them the ability to pass on their views to you. They hope to spark intelligent discussions and provide advice and empathy to those who need it.
Heidi is on the west coast, in Southern California, and Cindy is on the east coast, in Delaware. They have had very different upbringings and some opposing opinions, but they find through their strong friendship that they are able to respect each other’s differences and discuss them without judging or fighting. They both believe that the world would be a better place if everyone could be like this!
Topics
Cindy’s interests include cats (and other animals), politics, books, movies, television, relationships, social issues, and hotbutton discussions.
Heidi’s interests include politics, social issues, education, family, books, movies, psychology, and people in general.
Look for our writing here, and feel free to comment and engage in discussions!
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