For Dr. George Tiller, even the sanctity of his house of worship could not protect him from those who vehemently opposed his life's work.
The abortion doctor met his untimely death on Sunday at the hands of Scott Roeder - who fired a single bullet from his handgun at Tiller while the doctor stood in the foyer of his church. Known as one of three physicians in the country who performed late-term abortions, Tiller sparked a string of violence from radicals hell-bent on closing down his Wichita clinic. From the 1986 bombing of his practice to being shot in each of his arms in 1993, Tiller refused to let such deterrents impede his ability to provide medical care to pregnant women and teens from across the country.
Simply put, Tiller's dedication to his work trumped any lingering fears for his own safety.
Call Tiller a ruthless killer or a medical wunderkind, his murder represents nothing more than a logically flawed statement on the part of a community that champions life. As eloquently stated by President Barack Obama, "However profound our differences as Americans over difficult issues such as abortion, they cannot be resolved by heinous acts of violence."
While the legality of Tiller's medical practices have been called into question, the act of taking the man's life surely was not the answer.
Just beyond the issue of America's flailing economy lies the legality of abortion - already the next hot political topic and destined to be further fueled by Tiller's death.
