2001-07-09
Abortion Foes Return to Kansas
(APW_ENG_20010709.0776)
1) Much has changed in the 10 years since abortion opponents put this heartland city in the middle with 45 days of protests and thousands of arrests.
2) Anti-abortion activists targeting Wichita for a weeklong renewal of the Summer of Mercy beginning Sunday will find tough new local and federal laws governing abortion protests. And they will see Wichita's abortion-rights supporters _ caught off guard by the 1991 uprising _ better organized.
3) Abortion foes are vowing passionate protests and prayer, but this time they say they will try to avoid arrests.
4) ``I cannot answer for everybody that is coming here,'' but illegal protesting ``is not what this is about,'' said Donna Lippoldt, director of Operation Save America-Wichita, which is spearheading this summer's campaign.
5) In 1991, Operation Save America was known as Operation Rescue and led by Randall Terry, the firebrand who advocated killing abortion doctors.
6) Abortion opponents have since distanced themselves from Terry and chaotic protests, and Terry _ who was censured by his church last year after being accused of extramarital affairs _ is not expected in Wichita this time.
7) Operation Save America is now led by the Rev. Flip Benham, who was also at the 1991 demonstrations and was arrested leading a march on a clinic operated by Dr. George Tiller. Tiller's clinic was bombed in 1985 and he was shot and wounded two years after the first Summer of Mercy. He is being targeted again this summer.
8) Protesters have noted with pride that Tiller's clinic, one of the few in the nation that still perform late-term abortions, is the only Wichita facility that still performs abortions _ down from three in 1991.
9) Also, in December, the anti-abortion side opened a medical clinic next door to Tiller's where expectant mothers are shown three-dimensional sonograms designed to encourage them to bond with their fetuses.
10) Still, in the past decade, abortions performed in Kansas have increased 22 percent _ from 10,141 in 1991 to 12,323 last year. At the same time, abortions nationwide have fallen to their lowest point in 20 years.
11) Abortion foes say Tiller's clinic is largely responsible for the state's increase in abortions. Nearly half the patients who obtained abortions in Kansas last year came from out of state.
12) In 1991, the Summer of Mercy ended with 2,700 arrests on charges ranging from loitering and trespassing to assaulting law officers. Protesters blocked entrances to clinics and forced their way inside one of them. At one anti-abortion rally, police estimated the crowd at 30,000 people.
13) But if early housing requests are any indication, this summer's renewal will be much smaller. ``We are looking in the hundreds, not the thousands,'' Lippoldt said.
14) After the first Summer of Mercy, city officials passed an ordinance imposing $2,000 bail on people who block access to local businesses. In 1991, most arrested protesters were released on their own recognizance.
15) In 1994, Congress passed the Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances Act, which bans the use of force, threats or blockades.
16) The protesters this time must also contend with abortion-rights supporters. In 1991, abortion-rights supporters thought that if they just let the abortion opponents protest peacefully for one week as promised, they would go away.
17) ``I think the city is better prepared this time. The last time, we didn't have the knowledge,'' said Susan Collison, 55, a Wichita optometric technician who helped escort women into the clinics during the 1991 protests.
18) Abortion-rights activists have put together training sessions for their demonstrators and have scheduled their own rallies.


Abortion Foes Return to Kansas
(APW_ENG_20010709.0854)
1) Much has changed in the 10 years since abortion opponents put this heartland city in the middle with 45 days of protests and thousands of arrests.
2) Anti-abortion activists targeting Wichita for a weeklong renewal of the Summer of Mercy beginning Sunday will find tough new local and federal laws governing abortion protests. And they will see Wichita's abortion-rights supporters _ caught off guard by the 1991 uprising _ better organized.
3) Abortion foes are vowing passionate protests and prayer, but this time they say they will try to avoid arrests.
4) ``I cannot answer for everybody that is coming here,'' but illegal protesting ``is not what this is about,'' said Donna Lippoldt, director of Operation Save America-Wichita, which is spearheading this summer's campaign.
5) In 1991, Operation Save America was known as Operation Rescue and led by Randall Terry, the firebrand who advocated killing abortion doctors.
6) Abortion opponents have since distanced themselves from Terry and chaotic protests, and Terry _ who was censured by his church last year after being accused of extramarital affairs _ is not expected in Wichita this time.
7) Operation Save America is now led by the Rev. Flip Benham, who was also at the 1991 demonstrations and was arrested leading a march on a clinic operated by Dr. George Tiller. Tiller's clinic was bombed in 1985 and he was shot and wounded two years after the first Summer of Mercy. He is being targeted again this summer.
8) Protesters have noted with pride that Tiller's clinic, one of the few in the nation that still perform late-term abortions, is the only Wichita facility that still performs abortions _ down from three in 1991.
9) Also, in 1999, the anti-abortion side opened a medical clinic next door to Tiller's where expectant mothers are shown three-dimensional sonograms designed to encourage them to bond with their fetuses.
10) Still, in the past decade, abortions performed in Kansas have increased 22 percent _ from 10,141 in 1991 to 12,323 last year. At the same time, abortions nationwide have fallen to their lowest point in 20 years.
11) Abortion foes say Tiller's clinic is largely responsible for the state's increase in abortions. Nearly half the patients who obtained abortions in Kansas last year came from out of state.
12) In 1991, the Summer of Mercy ended with 2,700 arrests on charges ranging from loitering and trespassing to assaulting law officers. Protesters blocked entrances to clinics and forced their way inside one of them. At one anti-abortion rally, police estimated the crowd at 30,000 people.
13) But if early housing requests are any indication, this summer's renewal will be much smaller. ``We are looking in the hundreds, not the thousands,'' Lippoldt said.
14) After the first Summer of Mercy, city officials passed an ordinance imposing $2,000 bail on people who block access to local businesses. In 1991, most arrested protesters were released on their own recognizance.
15) In 1994, Congress passed the Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances Act, which bans the use of force, threats or blockades.
16) The protesters this time must also contend with abortion-rights supporters. In 1991, abortion-rights supporters thought that if they just let the abortion opponents protest peacefully for one week as promised, they would go away.
17) ``I think the city is better prepared this time. The last time, we didn't have the knowledge,'' said Susan Collison, 55, a Wichita optometric technician who helped escort women into the clinics during the 1991 protests.
18) Abortion-rights activists have put together training sessions for their demonstrators and have scheduled their own rallies.


Abortion Foes Return to Kansas
(APW_ENG_20010709.0868)
1) Much has changed in the 10 years since abortion opponents besieged this heartland city with 45 days of protests.
2) Anti-abortion activists targeting Wichita for a weeklong renewal of the Summer of Mercy beginning Sunday will find tough new local and federal laws governing abortion protests. And they will see Wichita's abortion-rights supporters _ caught off guard by the 1991 uprising _ better organized.
3) Abortion foes are vowing passionate protests and prayer, but they say they will try to avoid a repeat of the thousands of arrests a decade ago.
4) ``I cannot answer for everybody that is coming here,'' but illegal protesting ``is not what this is about,'' said Donna Lippoldt, director of Operation Save America-Wichita, which is spearheading this summer's campaign.
5) In 1991, Operation Save America was known as Operation Rescue and led by Randall Terry, the firebrand who advocated killing abortion doctors.
6) Abortion opponents have since distanced themselves from Terry and chaotic protests, and Terry _ who was censured by his church last year after being accused of extramarital affairs _ is not expected in Wichita this time.
7) Operation Save America is now led by the Rev. Flip Benham, who was also at the 1991 demonstrations and was arrested leading a march on a clinic operated by Dr. George Tiller. Tiller's clinic was bombed in 1985 and he was shot and wounded two years after the first Summer of Mercy. He is being targeted again this summer.
8) Protesters have noted with pride that Tiller's clinic, one of the few in the nation that still perform late-term abortions, is the only Wichita facility that still performs abortions _ down from three in 1991.
9) Also, in 1999, the anti-abortion side opened a medical clinic next door to Tiller's where expectant mothers are shown three-dimensional sonograms designed to encourage them to bond with their fetuses.
10) Still, in the past decade, abortions performed in Kansas have increased 22 percent _ from 10,141 in 1991 to 12,323 last year. At the same time, abortions nationwide have fallen to their lowest point in 20 years.
11) Abortion foes say Tiller's clinic is largely responsible for the state's increase in abortions. Nearly half the patients who obtained abortions in Kansas last year came from out of state.
12) In 1991, the Summer of Mercy ended with 2,700 arrests on charges ranging from loitering and trespassing to assaulting law officers. Protesters blocked entrances to clinics and forced their way inside one of them. At one anti-abortion rally, police estimated the crowd at 30,000 people.
13) But if early housing requests are any indication, this summer's renewal will be much smaller. ``We are looking in the hundreds, not the thousands,'' Lippoldt said.
14) After the first Summer of Mercy, city officials passed an ordinance imposing $2,000 bail on people who block access to local businesses. In 1991, most arrested protesters were released on their own recognizance.
15) In 1994, Congress passed the Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances Act, which bans the use of force, threats or blockades.
16) The protesters this time must also contend with abortion-rights supporters. In 1991, abortion-rights supporters thought that if they just let the abortion opponents protest peacefully for one week as promised, they would go away.
17) ``I think the city is better prepared this time. The last time, we didn't have the knowledge,'' said Susan Collison, 55, a Wichita optometric technician who helped escort women into the clinics during the 1991 protests.
18) Abortion-rights activists have put together training sessions for their demonstrators and have scheduled their own rallies.



2001-07-10
Abortion Foes Return to Kansas
(APW_ENG_20010710.0602)
1) Much has changed in the 10 years since abortion opponents besieged this heartland city with 45 days of protests.
2) Anti-abortion activists targeting Wichita for a weeklong renewal of the Summer of Mercy beginning Sunday will find tough new local and federal laws governing abortion protests. And they will see Wichita's abortion-rights supporters _ caught off guard by the 1991 uprising _ better organized.
3) Abortion foes are vowing passionate protests and prayer, but they say they will try to avoid a repeat of the thousands of arrests a decade ago.
4) ``I cannot answer for everybody that is coming here,'' but illegal protesting ``is not what this is about,'' said Donna Lippoldt, director of Operation Save America-Wichita, which is spearheading this summer's campaign.
5) In 1991, Operation Save America was known as Operation Rescue and led by Randall Terry, the firebrand who advocated that abortion doctors be prosecuted and given the death penalty.
6) Abortion opponents have since distanced themselves from Terry and chaotic protests, and Terry _ who was censured by his church last year after being accused of extramarital affairs _ is not expected in Wichita this time.
7) Operation Save America is now led by the Rev. Flip Benham, who was also at the 1991 demonstrations and was arrested leading a march on a clinic operated by Dr. George Tiller. Tiller's clinic was bombed in 1985 and he was shot and wounded two years after the first Summer of Mercy. He is being targeted again this summer.
8) Protesters have noted with pride that Tiller's clinic, one of the few in the nation that still perform late-term abortions, is the only Wichita facility that still performs abortions _ down from three in 1991.
9) Also, in 1999, the anti-abortion side opened a medical clinic next door to Tiller's where expectant mothers are shown three-dimensional sonograms designed to encourage them to bond with their fetuses.
10) Still, in the past decade, abortions performed in Kansas have increased 22 percent _ from 10,141 in 1991 to 12,323 last year. At the same time, abortions nationwide have fallen to their lowest point in 20 years.
11) Abortion foes say Tiller's clinic is largely responsible for the state's increase in abortions. Nearly half the patients who obtained abortions in Kansas last year came from out of state.
12) In 1991, the Summer of Mercy ended with 2,700 arrests on charges ranging from loitering and trespassing to assaulting law officers. Protesters blocked entrances to clinics and forced their way inside one of them. At one anti-abortion rally, police estimated the crowd at 30,000 people.
13) But if early housing requests are any indication, this summer's renewal will be much smaller. ``We are looking in the hundreds, not the thousands,'' Lippoldt said.
14) After the first Summer of Mercy, city officials passed an ordinance imposing $2,000 bail on people who block access to local businesses. In 1991, most arrested protesters were released on their own recognizance.
15) In 1994, Congress passed the Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances Act, which bans the use of force, threats or blockades.
16) The protesters this time must also contend with abortion-rights supporters. In 1991, abortion-rights supporters thought that if they just let the abortion opponents protest peacefully for one week as promised, they would go away.
17) ``I think the city is better prepared this time. The last time, we didn't have the knowledge,'' said Susan Collison, 55, a Wichita optometric technician who helped escort women into the clinics during the 1991 protests.
18) Abortion-rights activists have put together training sessions for their demonstrators and have scheduled their own rallies.


Abortion Foes Return to Kansas
(APW_ENG_20010710.0805)
1) Much has changed in the 10 years since abortion opponents besieged this heartland city with 45 days of protests.
2) Anti-abortion activists targeting Wichita for a weeklong renewal of the Summer of Mercy beginning Sunday will find tough new local and federal laws governing abortion protests. And they will see Wichita's abortion-rights supporters _ caught off guard by the 1991 uprising _ better organized.
3) Abortion foes are vowing passionate protests and prayer, but they say they will try to avoid a repeat of the thousands of arrests a decade ago.
4) ``I cannot answer for everybody that is coming here,'' but illegal protesting ``is not what this is about,'' said Donna Lippoldt, director of Operation Save America-Wichita, which is spearheading this summer's campaign.
5) In 1991, Operation Save America was known as Operation Rescue and led by Randall Terry, the firebrand who advocated that abortion doctors be prosecuted and given the death penalty.
6) Abortion opponents have since distanced themselves from Terry and chaotic protests, and Terry _ who was censured by his church last year after being accused of extramarital affairs _ is not expected in Wichita this time.
7) Operation Save America is now led by the Rev. Flip Benham, who was also at the 1991 demonstrations and was arrested leading a march on a clinic operated by Dr. George Tiller. Tiller's clinic was bombed in 1985 and he was shot and wounded two years after the first Summer of Mercy. He is being targeted again this summer.
8) Protesters have noted with pride that Tiller's clinic, one of the few in the nation that still perform late-term abortions, is the only Wichita facility that still performs abortions _ down from three in 1991.
9) Also, in 1999, the anti-abortion side opened a medical clinic next door to Tiller's where expectant mothers are shown three-dimensional sonograms designed to encourage them to bond with their fetuses.
10) Still, in the past decade, abortions performed in Kansas have increased 22 percent _ from 10,141 in 1991 to 12,323 last year. At the same time, abortions nationwide have fallen to their lowest point in 20 years.
11) Abortion foes say Tiller's clinic is largely responsible for the state's increase in abortions. Nearly half the patients who obtained abortions in Kansas last year came from out of state.
12) In 1991, the Summer of Mercy ended with 2,700 arrests on charges ranging from loitering and trespassing to assaulting law officers. Protesters blocked entrances to clinics and forced their way inside one of them. At one anti-abortion rally, police estimated the crowd at 30,000 people.
13) But if early housing requests are any indication, this summer's renewal will be much smaller. ``We are looking in the hundreds, not the thousands,'' Lippoldt said.
14) After the first Summer of Mercy, city officials passed an ordinance imposing $2,000 bail on people who block access to local businesses. In 1991, most arrested protesters were released on their own recognizance.
15) In 1994, Congress passed the Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances Act, which bans the use of force, threats or blockades.
16) The protesters this time must also contend with abortion-rights supporters. In 1991, abortion-rights supporters thought that if they just let the abortion opponents protest peacefully for one week as promised, they would go away.
17) ``I think the city is better prepared this time. The last time, we didn't have the knowledge,'' said Susan Collison, 55, a Wichita optometric technician who helped escort women into the clinics during the 1991 protests.
18) Abortion-rights activists have put together training sessions for their demonstrators and have scheduled their own rallies.



2001-07-15
Abortion Opponents March in Wichita
(APW_ENG_20010715.0980)
1) Abortion opponents marched at five Wichita churches Sunday, confronting worshippers with large signs showing aborted fetuses and spreading their message with bullhorns.
2) As part of the weeklong Summer of Mercy Renewal, nearly 30 demonstrators went to Reformation Lutheran Church, which is attended by Dr. George Tiller, one of the few physicians in the country who still performs late-term abortions.
3) Tiller's clinic was bombed in 1985 and he was shot and wounded two years after the first Summer of Mercy was staged in Wichita 10 years ago. Demonstrations also are planned at his clinic this week.
4) ``He is told what he is doing is righteous. He is told he is going to heaven,'' said Troy Newman, director of Los Angeles-based Operation Rescue West. ``Tiller has a guilty conscious _ that is why he runs to churches.''
5) Tiller was not at Reformation Lutheran during the demonstrations, which upset church members, particularly children who saw the bloody photographs.
6) Keith Martin said children in his Sunday School class were ``crying like crazy'' after passing the demonstrators to get to church. ``I don't think any First Amendment idea is being conveyed to them,'' he said.
7) ``I think what they would like us to do is ask the Tiller family to leave our church _ that is hardly Christian,'' said church member David Johnson. ``To put those signs out there is to frighten God's children.''
8) Newman said it was not the demonstrators' intention to upset children. ``Every one of these children understand abortion is murder _ that is why they are upset,'' he said.
9) Demonstrators Megan Cloud, 16, of St. Louis, held pictures of fetuses. She said the pictures bother her, too, and she hates to look at them.
10) ``But these kids are growing up, and their parents are allowing them to see this as an all-right thing,'' she said.
11) Protesters also went to nearby Chapel Hill Fellowship, where Mayor Bob Knight attended the service. Knight declined to talk to a reporter: ``I am not here to do interviews, I am here to go to church.''
12) Knight has said he would hold leaders of Operation Save America, organizer of the Summer of Mercy Renewal, responsible for any disturbances during the week of protests.
13) Demonstrators also targeted Metropolitan Church because of its support of homosexuals, and marched at two churches that have supported abortion rights, United Methodist Church and Congregational Church.



2001-07-16
Abortion Opponents Target Wichita
(APW_ENG_20010716.0008)
1) Abortion opponents marched at five Wichita churches Sunday, confronting worshippers with large signs showing aborted fetuses and spreading their message with bullhorns.
2) As part of the weeklong Summer of Mercy Renewal, nearly 30 demonstrators went to Reformation Lutheran Church, which is attended by Dr. George Tiller, one of the few physicians in the country who still performs late-term abortions.
3) Tiller's clinic was bombed in 1985 and he was shot and wounded two years after the first Summer of Mercy was staged in Wichita 10 years ago. Demonstrations also are planned at his clinic this week.
4) ``He is told what he is doing is righteous. He is told he is going to heaven,'' said Troy Newman, director of Los Angeles-based Operation Rescue West. ``Tiller has a guilty conscience _ that is why he runs to churches.''
5) Tiller was not at Reformation Lutheran during the demonstrations, which upset church members, particularly children who saw the bloody photographs.
6) Keith Martin said children in his Sunday School class were ``crying like crazy'' after passing the demonstrators to get to church. ``I don't think any First Amendment idea is being conveyed to them,'' he said.
7) ``I think what they would like us to do is ask the Tiller family to leave our church _ that is hardly Christian,'' said church member David Johnson. ``To put those signs out there is to frighten God's children.''
8) Newman said it was not the demonstrators' intention to upset children. ``Every one of these children understand abortion is murder _ that is why they are upset,'' he said.
9) Demonstrators Megan Cloud, 16, of St. Louis, held pictures of fetuses. She said the pictures bother her, too, and she hates to look at them.
10) ``But these kids are growing up, and their parents are allowing them to see this as an all-right thing,'' she said.
11) Protesters also went to nearby Chapel Hill Fellowship, where Mayor Bob Knight attended the service. Knight declined to talk to a reporter: ``I am not here to do interviews, I am here to go to church.''
12) Knight has said he would hold leaders of Operation Save America, organizer of the Summer of Mercy Renewal, responsible for any disturbances during the week of protests.
13) Demonstrators also targeted Metropolitan Church because of its support of homosexuals, and marched at two churches that have supported abortion rights, United Methodist Church and Congregational Church.


Abortion Opponents Target Wichita
(APW_ENG_20010716.0109)
1) Abortion opponents marched at five Wichita churches Sunday, confronting worshippers with large signs showing aborted fetuses and spreading their message with bullhorns.
2) As part of the weeklong Summer of Mercy Renewal, nearly 30 demonstrators went to Reformation Lutheran Church, which is attended by Dr. George Tiller, one of the few physicians in the country who still performs late-term abortions.
3) Tiller's clinic was bombed in 1985 and he was shot and wounded two years after the first Summer of Mercy was staged in Wichita 10 years ago. Demonstrations also are planned at his clinic this week.
4) ``He is told what he is doing is righteous. He is told he is going to heaven,'' said Troy Newman, director of Los Angeles-based Operation Rescue West. ``Tiller has a guilty conscience _ that is why he runs to churches.''
5) By the end of the day, about 1,000 abortion opponents gathered at the Word of Life Church across town for a worship service.
6) ``I don't think we need to have a civil war over this,'' said Wes Wolken, associate pastor of Word of Life Church.
7) But he added, ``I think there will be a lot of patience tried before this is over with _ city police, us, them.''
8) Tiller was not at Reformation Lutheran during the demonstrations, which upset church members, particularly children who saw the bloody photographs.
9) Keith Martin said children in his Sunday School class were ``crying like crazy'' after passing the demonstrators to get to church. ``I don't think any First Amendment idea is being conveyed to them,'' he said.
10) ``I think what they would like us to do is ask the Tiller family to leave our church _ that is hardly Christian,'' said church member David Johnson. ``To put those signs out there is to frighten God's children.''
11) Newman said it was not the demonstrators' intention to upset children. ``Every one of these children understand abortion is murder _ that is why they are upset,'' he said.
12) Demonstrator Megan Cloud, 16, of St. Louis, held pictures of fetuses. She said the pictures bother her, too, and she hates to look at them.
13) ``But these kids are growing up, and their parents are allowing them to see this as an all-right thing,'' she said.
14) Protesters also went to nearby Chapel Hill Fellowship, where Mayor Bob Knight attended the service. Knight declined to talk to a reporter: ``I am not here to do interviews, I am here to go to church.''
15) Knight has said he would hold leaders of Operation Save America, organizer of the Summer of Mercy Renewal, responsible for any disturbances during the week of protests.
16) Demonstrators also targeted Metropolitan Church because of its support of homosexuals, and marched at two churches that have supported abortion rights, United Methodist Church and Congregational Church.


Abortion Opponents Begin Protest Week
(APW_ENG_20010716.0249)
1) Tense moments unfolded when anti-abortion protesters descended on a church attended by an abortion provider _ only to be met by churchgoers less than pleased by the disruption.
2) As part of the first full day of the weeklong Summer of Mercy Renewal demonstrations, nearly 30 protesters went to Reformation Lutheran Church, where Dr. George Tiller, one of the few physicians in the country who still performs late-term abortions, is a parishioner. Tiller wasn't there.
3) The demonstration upset many church members, particularly children who saw the protesters' bloody photographs of fetuses.
4) Keith Martin said children in his Sunday School class were ``crying like crazy'' after passing the demonstrators to get to church. ``I don't think any First Amendment idea is being conveyed to them,'' he said.
5) ``I think what they would like us to do is ask the Tiller family to leave our church _ that is hardly Christian,'' said church member David Johnson. ``To put those signs out there is to frighten God's children.''
6) Troy Newman, director of Los Angeles-based Operation Rescue West, said it was not the demonstrators' intention to upset children. ``Every one of these children understand abortion is murder _ that is why they are upset,'' he said.
7) Tiller's clinic was bombed in 1985 and he was shot and wounded two years after the first Summer of Mercy was staged in Wichita 10 years ago. Demonstrations also are planned near his clinic this week.
8) The protesters had wanted to parade past Tiller's clinic twice daily from Tuesday through Saturday. But city officials denied the request and closed the streets around the clinic.
9) On Monday, anti-abortion activists planned to march several blocks through downtown Wichita to City Hall.
10) ``I don't think we need to have a civil war over this,'' said Wes Wolken, associate pastor of Word of Life Church where some 1,000 abortion opponents gathered Sunday.
11) But he added, ``I think there will be a lot of patience tried before this is over with _ city police, us, them.''
12) Protesters gathered Sunday on the sidewalk in front Tiller's clinic to pray and preach. Nearby were abortion rights supporters. A snow fence was erected along the property and the curb to keep demonstrators off the streets and off the clinic property.
13) There were no arrests.
14) By sundown, the sidewalk was deserted. A city order last month imposes higher minimum bails for people who live outside Sedgwick County than for county residents.
15) In 1991, the Summer of Mercy ended with 2,700 arrested after more than 45 days of protests and city officials want to avoid a repeat of that.
16) At the Sunday night worship service, the mood was more about conciliation than confrontation.
17) Talking to reporters, the Rev. Flip Benham, director of Operation Save America, said, ``Our mission hasn't changed. Our strategy has.''
18) Asked if protesters planned to block the clinic, Benham said, ``That's not a planned strategy. Ours is wider in scope and we are winning the battle.''
19) Demonstrators also targeted Metropolitan Church because of its support of homosexuals, and marched at two churches that have supported abortion rights.


Abortion Opponents Begin Protests
(APW_ENG_20010716.0697)
1) Abortion rights activists demonstrated Monday outside a clinic that provides late-term abortions, while opponents went to court to fight the city's refusal to let them parade at the clinic.
2) Most anti-abortion events planned Monday for the weeklong Summer of Mercy Renewal were to be held elsewhere in the city, including a march through several blocks of downtown to City Hall.
3) About 200 demonstrators, most of them abortion rights activists, gathered Monday at the clinic of Dr. George Tiller, one of the few physicians in the country who still performs late-term abortions.
4) Tiller's clinic was bombed in 1985 and he was shot and wounded in 1993, two years after the first Summer of Mercy was staged in Wichita.
5) On Sunday, abortion opponents marched outside the church Tiller attends, Reformation Lutheran, using bullhorns and carrying photographs of bloody fetuses.
6) Tiller was not at the church, but other parishioners were upset.
7) ``I think what they would like us to do is ask the Tiller family to leave our church _ that is hardly Christian,'' said church member David Johnson. ``To put those signs out there is to frighten God's children.''
8) Troy Newman, director of Los Angeles-based Operation Rescue West, said it was not the demonstrators' intention to upset children. ``Every one of these children understand abortion is murder _ that is why they are upset,'' he said.
9) The protesters had wanted to parade past Tiller's clinic twice daily during the week, but city officials denied the request.
10) Operation Save America filed a lawsuit against the city and a hearing was set Monday afternoon in federal court. The group also was challenging the constitutionality of stiffer bail bonds that target arrests of out-of-town residents at the clinic this week.
11) ``I don't think we need to have a civil war over this,'' said Wes Wolken, associate pastor of Word of Life Church, where some 1,000 abortion opponents gathered Sunday.
12) But he added: ``I think there will be a lot of patience tried before this is over with _ city police, us, them.''
13) In 1991, the Summer of Mercy ended with 2,700 arrested after more than 45 days of protests.
14) At the Sunday night service at Word of Life, the mood was more about conciliation than confrontation.
15) ``Our mission hasn't changed. Our strategy has,'' the Rev. Flip Benham, director of Operation Save America, told reporters.
16) Asked if protesters planned to block the clinic, Benham said: ``That's not a planned strategy. Ours is wider in scope and we are winning the battle.''
17) Demonstrators also targeted Metropolitan Church on Sunday because of its support of homosexuals, and marched at two churches that have supported abortion rights.


Abortion Opponents Protest in Kansas
(APW_ENG_20010716.0781)
1) Demonstrators demanding an end to abortions marched through downtown Monday, reading Bible verses over a loudspeaker mounted on a truck.
2) The activists, in town for the weeklong Summer of Mercy Renewal marking a decade since large protests here, also had started a court fight against the city's refusal to let them parade outside an abortion clinic.
3) Some 400 anti-abortion demonstrators _ men, women and children _ marched several blocks with a police escort past City Hall and the federal courthouse.
4) Many of the demonstrators also carried banners that read ``Life Yes, Abortion No'' and ``The unborn child should be set free to live life in America.''
5) Earlier in the day, about 200 demonstrators, most of them abortion rights activists, had gathered at the clinic of Dr. George Tiller, one of the few physicians in the country who still performs late-term abortions.
6) Tiller's clinic was bombed in 1985 and he was shot and wounded in 1993, two years after the first Summer of Mercy was staged in Wichita.
7) The protesters had wanted to parade past Tiller's clinic twice daily during the week, but city officials denied the request.
8) Operation Save America filed a lawsuit against the city and a hearing was set Monday afternoon in federal court. The group also was challenging the constitutionality of stiffer bail bonds that target arrests of out-of-town residents at the clinic this week.
9) ``I don't think we need to have a civil war over this,'' said Wes Wolken, associate pastor of Word of Life Church, where some 1,000 abortion opponents gathered Sunday.
10) But he added: ``I think there will be a lot of patience tried before this is over with _ city police, us, them.''
11) In 1991, the Summer of Mercy ended with 2,700 arrested after more than 45 days of protests.
12) On Sunday, abortion opponents marched outside the church Tiller attends, Reformation Lutheran, using bullhorns and carrying photographs of bloody fetuses.
13) Tiller was not at the church, but other parishioners were upset.
14) ``I think what they would like us to do is ask the Tiller family to leave our church _ that is hardly Christian,'' said church member David Johnson.
15) At the Sunday night service at Word of Life, the mood was more about conciliation than confrontation.
16) ``Our mission hasn't changed. Our strategy has,'' the Rev. Flip Benham, director of Operation Save America, told reporters.
17) Asked if protesters planned to block the clinic, Benham said: ``That's not a planned strategy. Ours is wider in scope and we are winning the battle.''
18) Demonstrators also targeted Metropolitan Church on Sunday because of its support of homosexuals, and marched at two churches that have supported abortion rights.


Abortion Opponents Protest in Kan.
(APW_ENG_20010716.0953)
1) Demonstrators demanding an end to abortions marched through downtown Monday, reading Bible verses over a loudspeaker mounted on a truck.
2) The activists, in town for the weeklong Summer of Mercy Renewal marking a decade since large protests here, also had started a court fight against the city's refusal to let them parade outside an abortion clinic.
3) Anti-abortion demonstrators _ men, women and children _ marched several blocks with a police escort past City Hall and the federal courthouse.
4) Many of the demonstrators also carried banners that read ``Life Yes, Abortion No'' and ``The unborn child should be set free to live life in America.''
5) Organizers said there were about 1,000 marchers; police put the number between 500 and 1,000 and said there were no problems during the march. Afterward, marchers returned to a park along the Arkansas River to preach and pray.
6) Earlier in the day, about 200 demonstrators, most of them abortion rights activists, had gathered at the clinic of Dr. George Tiller, one of the few physicians in the country who still performs late-term abortions.
7) Tiller's clinic was bombed in 1985 and he was shot and wounded in 1993, two years after the first Summer of Mercy was staged in Wichita.
8) The protesters had wanted to parade past Tiller's clinic twice daily during the week, but city officials denied the request.
9) Operation Save America filed a lawsuit against the city and a hearing was set Monday afternoon in federal court. The group also was challenging the constitutionality of stiffer bail bonds that target arrests of out-of-town residents at the clinic this week.
10) ``I don't think we need to have a civil war over this,'' said Wes Wolken, associate pastor of Word of Life Church, where some 1,000 abortion opponents gathered Sunday.
11) But he added: ``I think there will be a lot of patience tried before this is over with _ city police, us, them.''
12) In 1991, the Summer of Mercy ended with 2,700 arrested after more than 45 days of protests.
13) On Sunday, abortion opponents marched outside the church Tiller attends, Reformation Lutheran, using bullhorns and carrying photographs of bloody fetuses.
14) Tiller was not at the church, but other parishioners were upset.
15) ``I think what they would like us to do is ask the Tiller family to leave our church _ that is hardly Christian,'' said church member David Johnson.
16) At the Sunday night service at Word of Life, the mood was more about conciliation than confrontation.
17) ``Our mission hasn't changed. Our strategy has,'' the Rev. Flip Benham, director of Operation Save America, told reporters.
18) Asked if protesters planned to block the clinic, Benham said: ``That's not a planned strategy. Ours is wider in scope and we are winning the battle.''
19) Demonstrators also targeted Metropolitan Church on Sunday because of its support of homosexuals, and marched at two churches that have supported abortion rights.


Abortion Opponents Protest in Kan.
(APW_ENG_20010716.0993)
1) Hundreds of demonstrators took to the streets Monday to demand an end to abortions, reading Bible verses over a loudspeaker as they marched through downtown with a police escort.
2) The activists, in town for a renewal of the Summer of Mercy anti-abortion protests that crippled Wichita a decade ago, also started a court fight against the city's refusal to let them parade outside an abortion clinic.
3) Police put the number of marchers at between 500 and 1,000.
4) Organizers of the protests filed a federal lawsuit alleging the city improperly denied them a permit for marches near the clinic of Dr. George Tiller, one of the few physicians in the country to perform late-term abortions. The clinic was bombed in 1985 and Tiller was shot and wounded in 1993, two years after the first Summer of Mercy in Wichita.
5) The group also challenged the constitutionality of a municipal court order imposing stiffer bail for any nonresidents arrested at the clinic this week.
6) City officials have said that the parade permit was denied for safety reasons, and that the higher bail should not matter to a group that has proclaimed it planned peaceful protests.
7) In 1991, the first Summer of Mercy _ led by firebrand Randall Terry and Operation Rescue _ ended with 2,700 people arrested in more than 45 days of protests. The group has since distanced itself from Terry and calls itself Operation Save America.



2001-07-18
2 Arrested Outside Abortion Clinic
(APW_ENG_20010718.0846)
1) Two people were arrested on Wednesday as tensions rose between abortion opponents and supporters of abortion rights outside a clinic that is the focus of a week of protests.
2) The arrests, the first during the anti-abortion Summer of Mercy renewal campaign, were made after separate shoving incidents between the two sides.
3) Both people arrested were abortion-rights supporters, police said. They faced misdemeanor battery charges.
4) Demonstrators had started lining up before sunrise outside the clinic operated by Dr. George Tiller, one of the few doctors in the country who perform late-term abortions. The clinic was bombed in 1985, and Tiller was shot and wounded outside the clinic in 1993.
5) Jennifer Stark, an intern for the Los Angeles-based Feminist Majority Foundation, was at Tiller's clinic before 5 a.m.
6) ``We wanted to get here early to make sure we got our people out there,'' she said.
7) This week's campaign is a a renewal of anti-abortion protests that paralyzed Wichita in 1991, when 2,700 people were arrested in 45 days of demonstrations.
8) On Tuesday, heat and humidity did what city officials couldn't _ limit the abortion opponents' marches in front of Tiller's clinic. The temperature rose above 100 degrees.
9) Operation Save America, which is sponsoring the protests, said morning and afternoon parades would continue every day through Saturday, but with a slight change in the afternoon because of the heat.
10) ``It's going to be a driving parade. If the heat is too much for you, come in your car and turn on your air conditioning,'' said Troy Newman of the Los Angeles-based Operation Rescue West, a parade organizer.
11) On Monday, U.S. District Judge Thomas Marten ruled that the city's denial of a parade permit violated Operation Save America's First Amendment rights. The judge said the demonstrators could march near the clinic each day for an hour in the morning and again in the afternoon.



2006-04-06
Abortion foes petition to convene grand jury in Kansas abortion death
(APW_ENG_20060406.0041)
1) Abortion foes are invoking a seldom-used Kansas law to try to force a grand jury to investigate the case of a mentally retarded woman who died after receiving a late-term abortion.
2) The case represents the latest skirmish over abortion in Kansas, which has become a major battleground, in part because it is where Dr. George Tiller, one of the few physicians in the U.S. to perform abortions late in pregnancy, has his practice.
3) Tiller has been the target of protests for years. His clinic was bombed in 1985, and he was shot by a protester in 1993.
4) On Friday, abortion opponents plan to present Sedgwick County with a petition signed by nearly 7,000 local residents asking a grand jury to look at the circumstances surrounding the death of Christin Gilbert, a 19-year-old woman whose family brought her to Tiller's clinic in Wichita for an abortion in January 2005.
5) Abortion foes want to see Tiller charged with such offenses as involuntary manslaughter, mistreatment of a dependent adult, and failure to report abuse of a child. They contend the woman did not have the mental capacity to consent to either the sex or the abortion.
6) A 1970 Kansas law allows citizens to call for a grand jury investigation when they feel local law enforcement agencies have failed to act. Kansas is one of the few states with such a law.
7) "The deeper we looked into this case, the more we realized there was a lack of justice _ a travesty that has been committed," said Troy Newman, president of Operation Rescue in Wichita.
8) Tiller declined to comment. Attorney Lee Thompson _ who represents Tiller's clinic, Women's Health Care Services _ said in a statement that a grand jury would be "a waste of public resources."
9) "The clinic respects the privacy of its patients, and continues to express condolences to the family," Thompson said. "It is unfortunate that some have chosen to exploit this matter of personal grief for political purposes."
10) Last year, the Kansas Board of Healing Arts, which regulates doctors, cleared Tiller in Gilbert's death. While an autopsy listed complications from the abortion as the cause of death, the board concluded neither Tiller nor his staff was responsible.
11) Anti-abortion groups questioned whether the investigation was thorough because Gov. Kathleen Sebelius appointed many of the board's members and has received campaign contributions from Tiller and other abortion rights supporters.
12) "We trust the Board of Healing Arts conducted a thorough investigation in this matter and we have no further comment," Sebelius spokeswoman Nicole Corcoran said.
13) Kansas has also become a battleground in recent years because of Kansas Attorney General Phill Kline, a staunch abortion opponent elected in 2002. He is waging a legal battle to look at patient records from two abortion clinics for evidence of misconduct by the clinics as well as child abuse or child rape.
14) Also, Kline is in the middle of a dispute in federal court for interpreting a Kansas law as requiring doctors, teachers and others to report suspected sexual activity between consenting minors under 16.
15) Gilbert, who had Down Syndrome, was 28 weeks pregnant when her parents took her to the Wichita clinic. She died three days later from an infection. Activists contend proper medical monitoring of the woman's condition should have found the infection and her worsening condition.
16) Under state law, a grand jury may be summoned within 60 days after a petition is presented bearing the signatures of slightly more than 2 percent of a county's registered voters. If the signatures are found to be valid, a judge determines the petition is in proper form, a grand jury can be convened to decide whether to bring criminal charges.
17) Pornography opponents used the law in Wichita last year to get an indictment against a store selling adult sexual materials.
18) "It is a great tool," Newman said. "It gives the ability to citizens to deliver justice when officials aren't doing their job."



2006-12-22
Kansas attorney general files criminal charges against abortion provider, attorney says
(APW_ENG_20061222.1082)
1) Kansas' attorney general, a vocal abortion opponent, has filed criminal charges against Wichita abortion provider George Tiller, the doctor's attorney said Friday.
2) Attorney Dan Monnat did not identify the charges, and officials in Attorney General Phill Kline's office did not immediately return calls seeking comment.
3) Tiller's clinic, known for being one of the few in the U.S. to do late-term procedures, has been a high-profile target of anti-abortion protesters for decades. The clinic was bombed in 1985, and Tiller was shot in both arms by a protester in 1993.
4) Kline, who lost his re-election bid in November and leaves office in three weeks, has been investigating whether Tiller and other abortion providers performed illegal late-term abortions in Kansas or failed to report suspected child abuse as required by law.
5) He waged a two-year legal battle before finally this year obtaining the records of 90 patients from Tiller's Wichita clinic and a clinic operated in Overland Park by Planned Parenthood of Kansas and Mid-Missouri.
6) Since the election, abortion rights activists have expected him to move against Tiller and perhaps Planned Parenthood, as well.
7) Tiller and Planned Parenthood have repeatedly said they have committed no wrongdoing and that the patient records Kline obtained contained no evidence of crimes by either the clinics or their doctors.
8) "We also intend to explore any and all means of holding Kline personally responsible for his malicious actions," Monnat said.
9) "The filing of criminal charges by Phill Kline is the last gasp of a defeated and discredited politician," the attorney said. "Rather than executing his duty as a prosecutor to see that justice is done, he has chosen to engage in a malicious and spiteful prosecution on the eve of Christmas."
10) The incoming attorney general, Democrat Paul Morrison, has criticized Kline for seeking the records, describing it as an invasion of the patients' privacy, but he would not say if he would drop any investigation Kline started against the clinics.
11) Mark Simpson, a spokesman for Morrison, said neither he nor his aides had any information about the charges and could not comment. He said they would issue a statement once they learned the details.
12) The court clerk's office in Sedgwick County also said it did not have any information that it could discuss.


Kansas attorney general files criminal charges against abortion provider, but judge rejects them
(APW_ENG_20061222.1261)
1) Kansas' attorney general, a vocal abortion opponent, charged a well-known abortion provider with illegally performing late-term abortions, but a judge on Friday threw out the charges after less than a day.
2) Judge Paul W. Clark dismissed the charges against Dr. George Tiller after Sedgwick County District Attorney Nola Foulston said her office had not been consulted by Attorney General Phill Kline.
3) Clark signed his one-page order only hours after Kline's complaint against Tiller was unsealed.
4) Kline'soffice did not immediately return calls seeking comment. Kline lost his re-election bid in November and leaves office in three weeks.
5) Most of the 30 misdemeanor counts Kline filed against Dr. George Tiller involve abortions performed on patients 17 or younger, including a 10-year-old, according to the criminal complaint unsealed Friday in Sedgwick County District Court.
6) Tiller's clinic, known for being one of the few in the United States' to perform late-term abortions, has been a high-profile target of anti-abortion protesters for decades. The clinic was bombed in 1985, and Tiller was shot in both arms by a protester in 1993.
7) Kline has been investigating whether Tiller and other abortion providers performed illegal late-term abortions in Kansas or failed to report suspected child abuse as required by law.
8) He waged a two-year legal battle before finally this year obtaining the records of 90 patients from Tiller's Wichita clinic and a clinic operated in Overland Park by the pro choice organization Planned Parenthood of Kansas and Mid-Missouri.
9) Since the election, abortion rights activists have expected him to move against Tiller and perhaps Planned Parenthood, as well.
10) Under Kansas law, if a woman wants to obtain an abortion after the 22nd week of her pregnancy, a doctor must first determine whether the fetus can survive outside the womb. If the fetus is viable, the procedure can only be used to preserve her physical or mental health.
11) Tiller and Planned Parenthood have repeatedly said they have committed no wrongdoing and that the patient records Kline obtained contained no evidence of crimes by either the clinics or their doctors.
12) "We also intend to explore any and all means of holding Kline personally responsible for his malicious actions," Monnat said. "Rather than executing his duty as a prosecutor to see that justice is done, he has chosen to engage in a malicious and spiteful prosecution on the eve of Christmas."
13) The incoming attorney general, Democrat Paul Morrison, has criticized Kline for seeking the records, describing it as an invasion of the patients' privacy, but he would not say if he would drop any investigation Kline started against the clinics.



2006-12-23
Kansas attorney general files criminal charges over late-term abortions, but judge rejects them
(APW_ENG_20061223.0088)
1) Kansas' attorney general, a vocal abortion opponent, charged a well-known abortion provider with illegally performing late-term abortions, but a judge threw out the charges within hours.
2) Sedgwick County Judge Paul W. Clark dismissed the charges against Dr. George Tiller on Friday at the request of county District Attorney Nola Foulston, who said her office had not been consulted by Attorney General Phill Kline.
3) Kline, who lost his re-election bid in November and leaves office in three weeks, said he would try to get Clark to reinstate the charges.
4) The 30 misdemeanor counts Kline filed against Tiller involve 15 abortions from July through November 2003. They were performed on patients 22 years old or younger, including a 10-year-old, according to the criminal complaint unsealed Friday in Sedgwick County District Court.
5) Tiller's clinic, known for being one of the few in the country to perform late-term abortions, has been a high-profile target of anti-abortion protesters for decades. The clinic was bombed in 1985, and Tiller was shot in both arms by a protester in 1993.
6) Kline has been investigating whether Tiller and other abortion providers performed illegal late-term abortions in Kansas or failed to report suspected child abuse as required by law. Earlier this year, he obtained the records of 90 patients from Tiller's clinic and a clinic operated by Planned Parenthood of Kansas and Mid-Missouri.
7) Tiller and Planned Parenthood have repeatedly said that they have committed no wrongs and that the patient records Kline obtained contained no evidence of crimes by either the clinics or their doctors.
8) The incoming attorney general, Democrat Paul Morrison, has criticized Kline for seeking the records, describing it as an invasion of the patients' privacy, but he would not say if he would drop any investigation Kline started against the clinics.



2006-12-26
Judge reopens arguments on Kansas attorney general ' s bid to file charges against abortion doctor
(APW_ENG_20061226.0927)
1) A judge agreed Tuesday to let Kansas' attorney general, a vocal abortion opponent, try to persuade him to reinstate charges against a well-known abortion provider.
2) District Judge Paul W. Clark scheduled a hearing for Wednesday after Attorney General Phill Kline asked him to reconsider his decision to dismiss the case against Dr. George Tiller over a jurisdictional issue.
3) Kline, who lost his re-election bid in November and leaves office in three weeks, filed 30 misdemeanor counts last week accusing Tiller of illegally performing 15 late-term abortions.
4) Tiller's clinic, one of the few in the United States to perform late-term abortions, has been a high-profile target of abortion opponents for decades. The clinic was bombed in 1985, and Tiller was shot in both arms by a protester in 1993.
5) On Friday, Clark dismissed the charges after Sedgwick County District Attorney Nola Foulston argued that Kline did not have the authority to file the charges.
6) The judge said he would consider on Wednesday only whether a district court can limit a district attorney's power to dismiss a criminal case and, if there are circumstances allowing a court to intervene, whether they are present in Tiller's case.
7) Clark said Attorney General-elect Paul Morrison could participate.
8) Kline, a Republican and staunch abortion opponent, lost the Nov. 7 general election to Morrison, a Democrat.
9) Kline has been investigating whether Tiller and other abortion providers performed illegal late-term abortions in Kansas or failed to report suspected child abuse as required by law. Earlier this year, he obtained the records of 90 patients from Tiller's clinic and a clinic operated by Planned Parenthood of Kansas and Mid-Missouri.
10) Tiller's attorneys have contended the charges are groundless.
11) Kline spokesman Jan Lunsford and Foulston spokeswoman Georgia Cole did not immediately return calls Tuesday seeking comment.



2006-12-27
Judge reopens arguments on Kansas attorney general ' s bid to file charges against abortion doctor
(APW_ENG_20061227.0045)
1) A judge agreed to let Kansas' attorney general, a vocal abortion opponent, try to persuade him to reinstate charges against a well-known abortion provider.
2) District Judge Paul W. Clark scheduled a hearing for Wednesday after Attorney General Phill Kline asked him to reconsider his decision to dismiss the case against Dr. George Tiller over a jurisdictional issue.
3) Kline, who lost his re-election bid in November and leaves office in three weeks, filed 30 misdemeanor counts last week accusing Tiller of illegally performing 15 late-term abortions.
4) On Friday, Clark dismissed the charges after Sedgwick County District Attorney Nola Foulston argued that Kline did not have the authority to file the charges.
5) The judge said he would consider on Wednesday only whether a district court can limit a district attorney's power to dismiss a criminal case and, if there are circumstances allowing a court to intervene, whether they are present in Tiller's case.
6) Tiller's attorney, Dan Monnat, said that he is confident Clark's earlier dismissal of the charges would stand. "This could be viewed as a basic question of separation of powers: When a prosecutor wants to dismiss a case, what power does a court have to interfere?"
7) Kline has been investigating whether Tiller and other abortion providers performed illegal late-term abortions in Kansas or failed to report suspected child abuse as required by law. Earlier this year, he obtained the records of 90 patients from Tiller's clinic and a clinic operated by the pro-choice organization Planned Parenthood of Kansas and Mid-Missouri.
8) Critics have accused Kline of letting a personal, ideological agenda drive his decisions.
9) Kline did not return telephone messages Tuesday.
10) "Tomorrow's hearing will tell if corrupt partisan politics will continue to interfere with justice," said Troy Newman, president of the anti-abortion group Operation Rescue.
11) Tiller's clinic, one of the few in the U.S. to perform late-term abortions, has been a high-profile target of abortion opponents for decades. The clinic was bombed in 1985, and Tiller was shot in both arms by a protester in 1993.



2006-12-28
Kansas attorney general blocked in efforts to prosecute well-known abortion provider
(APW_ENG_20061228.0610)
1) Kansas' attorney general, a vocal abortion opponent, might leave office frustrated in his attempts to prosecute the state's most visible abortion provider.
2) Attorney General Phill Kline suffered another setback Wednesday when a judge refused to reinstate 30 misdemeanor charges Kline had filed against Dr. George Tiller, alleging he performed illegal late-term abortions.
3) The same judge dismissed the charges last week.
4) Kline, a Republican who leaves office in less than two weeks, responded by naming a special prosecutor to pursue Tiller's case.
5) But he acknowledged that Paul Morrison, the abortion rights Democrat who ousted him from office in the November election, could abolish the special prosecutor's job after he becomes attorney general on Jan. 8.
6) And Sedgwick County District Attorney Nola Foulston said the special prosecutor will have no authority to file charges against Tiller in that county. She successfully argued twice in six days that Kline could not file charges because she did not consent to it. If Tiller is prosecuted, she said, her office will do it.
7) "Our power and authority is to prosecute all of the crimes that occur within this county," Foulston told reporters. "You just can't walk in and make those filings without having gone through the regular hoops."
8) Kline filed his charges Dec. 21, accusing Tiller of illegally using the mental health concerns of patients, aged 10 to 22, to justify late-term abortions. He also alleged that Tiller failed to properly report details of his late-term procedures to state health officials.
9) District Judge Paul W. Clark dismissed the charges the next day at Foulston's request, citing the jurisdiction issue. Kline asked the judge to reconsider and Clark held a hearing Wednesday but ruled against Kline.
10) Tiller is among the few doctors in the U.S. who perform late-term abortions, which has made his clinic a target of protesters. Tiller's clinic was bombed in 1985, and a protester shot him in both arms eight years later.
11) Wichita attorney Don McKinney, who Kline named as the special prosecutor, did not return a telephone message after the hearing.



2007-01-08
Kansas Attorney General concerned patient records may have been copied in abortion doctor case
(APW_ENG_20070108.1204)
1) Kansas' new attorney general said Monday he is concerned that patient records his predecessor gathered in a failed attempt to prosecute a nationally-known abortion doctor may have been copied and are not secure.
2) Former Attorney General Phill Kline, who lost the November election, had appointed a special prosecutor to handle the case against Dr. George Tiller, one of the few doctors in the United States who perform late-term abortions.
3) Kline's successor, Paul Morrison, said he plans to fire the special prosecutor, a Democrat who has ardently opposed abortion and protested outside Tiller's clinic in the past. But he said Kline had already given the man partial records on about 90 abortion clinic patients.
4) "I do have concerns about how many copies have been made of that material and who's got possession of them," Morrison said. He said of the special prosecutor, Wichita lawyer Don McKinney: "I do not view him as being even remotely independent or remotely objective."
5) McKinney did not return a telephone message left at his office seeking comment.
6) Kline waged a successful two-year legal battle to get patient records from Tiller and other abortion providers, but his attempt to charge Tiller in Sedwick County late last month failed because of a jurisdiction issue.
7) Kline alleges that Tiller performed 15 illegal late-term abortions in 2003 on patients aged 10 to 22 and failed to properly report the details of the procedures to state health officials.
8) Tiller's attorneys say the allegations are groundless.
9) Tiller has long been a target of protests by abortion opponents. His Wichita clinic was bombed in 1985, and a protester shot him in both arms eight years later. He also helped finance hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of advertising aimed at defeating Kline in 2002 and 2006.
10) Morrison, an abortion-rights supporter, said he will not withdraw a request McKinney filed Friday with the Kansas Supreme Court to have Kline's charges against Tiller reinstated, but he said he plans to review the evidence against the doctor before deciding whether to prosecute.
11) "We will give those allegations a really good review, and I'm going to use my independent judgment on it," Morrison said.



2007-10-24
Abortion doctor wants inquiry started by anti-abortion groups stopped
(APW_ENG_20071024.1502)
1) One of the United States' few late-term abortion providers is asking Kansas' highest court to block a grand jury investigation of him and his clinic that was initiated by anti-abortion groups.
2) Anti-abortion groups collected nearly 7,900 signatures, more than three times the number required, to force the creation of a grand jury to consider whether Dr. George Tiller violated a 1998 state law restricting late-term abortions.
3) Kansas is one of the few states where citizens can petition to create a grand jury.
4) The abortion issues remains sensitive in the U.S., even decades after the nation's highest court established a constitutional right to the procedure.
5) Tiller denies the allegations and wants the Kansas Supreme Court to prevent the panel from meeting Tuesday.
6) "This is a proceeding brought for harassment and in bad faith by the petition gatherers," Tiller attorney Lee Thompson said Wednesday. "You approach the level of vigilantism, and I think we see that happening in this instance."
7) Tiller's attorneys filed a petition Friday with the high court, which has not scheduled a hearing.
8) Mary Kay Culp, executive director of Kansans for Life, the state's largest anti-abortion group, said abortion opponents sought a grand jury because of Tiller's influence in state politics and because potential violations of the law have been ignored for years.
9) "Nothing Dr. Tiller or any of his lawyers do surprises me -- nothing," Culp said. "It makes have to wonder just what it is they're so afraid of."
10) This is the second time in 18 months abortion foes have petitioned for a grand jury to investigate Tiller. Last year, a grand jury reviewed the death of a Texas woman who had had an abortion at Tiller's clinic but issued no indictments.



2008-01-17
Abortion foes use 19th-century Kansas law to launch grand jury investigations of clinics
(APW_ENG_20080117.1292)
1) Religious conservatives in Kansas have dusted off a largely forgotten 1887 state law that allows citizens to launch grand jury investigations, and they are using it to help turn the state into one of America's biggest battlegrounds over abortion.
2) A grand jury that was impaneled Jan. 8 by way of a citizen petition drive is investigating Dr. George Tiller, a Wichita clinic operator abhorred by anti-abortion activists because he is one of the few U.S. physicians who perform late-term abortions.
3) This is the second such citizen investigation of Tiller since 2006. A grand jury determines whether there is enough evidence for a trial, but normally prosecutors decide whether to convene a grand jury and whether to bring charges.
4) Phillip Jauregui, counsel for the anti-abortion Life Legal Defense Foundation, said Kansans are invoking the 19th-century law because prosecutors are too soft on abortion.
5) "This is a right the people of Kansas have given themselves," he said.
6) But others say the law is a dangerous tool.
7) "This is a witch hunt -- plain and simple," said Vicki Saporta, president of the National Abortion Federation, an abortion rights group. "It clearly demonstrates the inherent danger of empowering biased advocacy groups to impanel a grand jury."
8) Abortion has remained a controversial issue in the United States, even after the Supreme Court made abortion legal throughout the country in the 1973 Roe vs. Wade decision. Several states have passed laws restricting the practice.
9) Under the Kansas law, enacted during the great US. railroad boom to curb political corruption, the people can force an investigation if they collect signatures from a certain percentage of voters in a county. In small counties, that can be a few hundred signatures; in Wichita's Sedgwick County, about 4,000.
10) Five other states provide for citizen-petitioned grand juries: Oklahoma, New Mexico, North Dakota, Nebraska and Nevada, according to a Tiller attorney.
11) One of the most publicized grand juries convened by citizen petition was formed in Oklahoma after the 1995 Oklahoma City bombing, which killed 168 people. The investigation was prompted by suspicions that Timothy McVeigh and Terry Nichols had help in the bombing. But the grand jury found no evidence of a wider conspiracy or a government cover-up.
12) So far, no other state appears to have used the process to pursue a social and moral agenda as extensively as Kansas, which is attacking not just abortion, but pornography.
13) Since 2005, citizen petitions have forced several grand juries in Kansas to investigate whether adult bookstores should be charged with obscenity. Twenty stores were indicted, said Phillip Cosby, executive director of the National Coalition for Protection of Children and Families. Most of the cases have not been resolved.
14) The strategy? "To strengthen the prosecutor's hand" and let authorities know that "they are not alone -- that we the people feel there is a very big problem," Cosby said.
15) The anti-abortion movement rediscovered the law when David Gittrich used it in 2006 to force an investigation into the death of a Texas woman who had an abortion at Tiller's clinic. Though the grand jury failed to return an indictment, people noticed.
16) Said Gittrich: "I was inspired by God to use the grand jury."
17) This time, Tiller is under investigation on suspicion of violating a 1998 state law restricting late-term abortions. He has denied any wrongdoing.
18) Tiller has long been at the very center of the nation's abortion battle. His clinic was bombed in 1985, and eight years later, a woman shot him in both arms.
19) "We see in Kansas a perfect example of a system which has virtually become active vigilantism," said Lee Thompson, an attorney for Tiller. "A very small minority number of people who have a specific agenda can force a criminal investigation -- and I think that is a usurpation of the executive power of government."
20) Forcing a grand jury investigation requires signatures from 2 percent of the number of people who voted in the last governor's election in the county, plus 100 more names. In Tiller's county, activists gathered nearly 8,000, or twice as many as required.
21) Similarly, in December, a citizen-impaneled grand jury began investigating a Planned Parenthood clinic in the Kansas City suburb of Overland Park.
22) Then-Kansas Attorney General Phill Kline filed charges against Tiller in 2006, accusing him of performing 15 late-term abortions without the required medical justification and failing to report details to state health authorities. But a judge threw out the case in a jurisdictional dispute involving the district attorney in Wichita.
23) Then in June, Kline's successor, Paul Morrison, brought new charges against Tiller, accusing him of not getting the signature of a second doctor before performing late-term abortions.
24) Abortion opponents complained that the charges did not go far enough, and took matters into their own hands by pressing for a grand jury.
25) "I am still looking for justice," Gittrich said. "I am going to figure some way to get justice."



2009-02-25
Judge refuses to throw out Kansas abortion case
(APW_ENG_20090225.1420)
1) A judge has refused to toss out the criminal case against a doctor accused of violating Kansas' late-term abortion law.
2) Sedgwick County Judge Clark Owens on Wednesday denied a defense request to dismiss charges against Dr. George Tiller of Wichita or throw out evidence because of the conduct of former prosecutor Phill Kline.
3) Owens found that Kline's conduct during the investigation of Tiller did not warrant such action.
4) Tiller is scheduled to go to trial on March 16 on 19 misdemeanor charges alleging he failed to obtain a second opinion for some late-term abortions from an independent physician, as required by Kansas law.
5) Kline, an anti-abortion Republican, began investigating clinics when he served as Kansas' attorney general from 2003 to 2007.



2009-03-14
US late-term abortion provider faces trial
(APW_ENG_20090314.0839)
1) For abortion opponents, the trial of one of the nation's few late-term abortion providers has been a long time coming, a chance for a little bit of justice after years of seeing their efforts thwarted.
2) To abortion-rights supporters, Dr. George Tiller's trial set to begin Monday is the culmination of repeated harassment, a witch hunt in which his foes have been willing to do anything and everything to gain a conviction.
3) Tiller and his Kansas clinic have been regular targets of anti-abortion demonstrations, including the 45-day "Summer of Mercy" event staged by Operation Rescue in 1991. His clinic was damaged by a pipe bomb in 1986, and in 1993 a protester shot him in both arms.
4) Abortion opponents contend Tiller illegally aborts fetuses that could survive outside the womb. Kansas law allows late-term abortions if two doctors agree that it is necessary to save a women's life or prevent "substantial and irreversible" harm to "a major bodily function," a phrase that's been interpreted to include mental health.
5) Tiller is charged with 19 misdemeanors alleging he failed to obtain the required second opinion from an independent physician that a late-term abortion is necessary. If convicted, the physician could face a year in the county jail or a fine of $2,500 for each charge.
6) Judge Clark Owens set aside three days, beginning Monday, for jury selection. Opening arguments and trial testimony are set to begin March 23.
7) Defense attorney Dan Monnat said he could not comment on specific evidence. "But we can say this: Dr. Tiller is innocent," Monnat added. "We expect the prosecution's evidence and any defense evidence to make that very, very clear."
8) Prosecutors contend Tiller had a financial relationship with the doctor he relied upon for his second opinion that an abortion is necessary, in violation of Kansas law. They expect to present their case in one day, and could call that physician, Dr. Ann Kristin Neuhaus, who has been granted immunity from prosecution.
9) "We are treating this case just like any other criminal case," said Ashley Anstaett, spokeswoman for Attorney General Steve Six, a Democrat who supports abortion rights.
10) Abortion opponents and abortion-rights activists plan to be out in full force for the trial.
11) Trucks emblazoned with graphic images of aborted fetuses are set to arrive at the courthouse an hour before jury selection starts. Operation Rescue President Troy Newman said the activists are not trying to influence jurors. Instead, he said, "We are hoping God will influence them."
12) Abortion-rights supporters plan to counter with their own demonstrations.
13) "This is just a continuation of the dog-and-pony show in trying to shut down (Tiller's) Women's Health Care Services (clinic) and trying to make women's reproductive health care inaccessible," said Julie Burkhart, a lobbyist with ProKanDo, a political action committee Tiller formed in 2002.
14) Opponents twice tried unsuccessfully to get grand juries to indict Tiller. Kansas is one of only six states that allow citizens to petition to create a grand jury.
15) They also watched as another case -- brought by a former state prosecutor -- was tossed out on jurisdictional grounds. Although that case was different than the current one, the medical records gathered by former Attorney General Phill Kline, a Republican, formed the basis of both prosecutions.
16) The current case has survived numerous legal challenges, mainly over the way in which Kline handled his investigation, which Tiller's attorneys contended was unconstitutionally selective and relied on evidence gathered illegally.
17) Even as Tiller's trial begins, abortion foes are pushing two bills in the Legislature.
18) One would require the State Board of Healing Arts, which regulates Kansas doctors, to revoke a medical license for just one misdemeanor conviction of the late-term abortion law, unless two thirds of the board decides otherwise. Under current law, the board may revoke a license after just one conviction, but it does not have to.
19) While Burkhart said the bill "was written specifically" for Tiller, Kathy Ostrowski, state legislative director of Kansans for Life, said it would not affect this case because the charges were filed under the current law.
20) "As it stands today, the board can use even one misdemeanor conviction to investigate revocation of his license," she said.



2009-03-18
Jury picked for Kansas abortion provider ' s case
(APW_ENG_20090318.0953)
1) A jury has been selected for the trial of one of America's few late-term abortion providers, a target of anti-abortion activists for decades.
2) The panel of four men and four women was seated Wednesday to hear charges that Dr. George Tiller violated the state's late-term abortion law.
3) Tiller and his clinic in Wichita have long been targets of abortion opponents, including the 45-day "Summer of Mercy" demonstrations staged by Operation Rescue in 1991. His clinic was damaged by a pipe bomb in 1986, and in 1993 a protester shot him in both arms.
4) He is charged with 19 misdemeanors alleging he failed to obtain a second opinion for late-term abortions from an independent physician as required by Kansas law.
5) If convicted, he could face a year in jail or a fine of $2,500 for each misdemeanor charge.
6) Abortion opponents contend Tiller illegally aborts fetuses that could survive outside the womb. Kansas law allows late-term abortions if two doctors agree that it is necessary to save a women's life or prevent "substantial and irreversible" harm to "a major bodily function," a phrase that has been interpreted to include mental health.
7) Prosecutors contend Tiller had a financial relationship with the doctor he relied upon for his second opinion that an abortion is necessary, in violation of Kansas law. They expect to present their case in one day, and could call that physician, Dr. Ann Kristin Neuhaus, who has been granted immunity from prosecution.
8) Abortion opponents and abortion-rights activists plan to be out in full force for the trial.
9) "This is just a continuation of the dog-and-pony show in trying to shut down (Tiller's) Women's Health Care Services (clinic) and trying to make women's reproductive health care inaccessible," said Julie Burkhart, a lobbyist with ProKanDo, a political action committee Tiller formed in 2002.
10) Opponents twice tried unsuccessfully to get grand juries to indict Tiller. Kansas is one of only six states that allow citizens to petition to create a grand jury.
11) The U.S. Supreme Court widely legalized abortion across the country with its 1973 Roe vs. Wade verdict, but the practice remains controversial and some states have tried to restrict it.



2009-03-27
Jury finds US doctor not guilty in abortion case
(APW_ENG_20090327.1185)
1) Jurors have acquitted one of the few U.S. late-term abortion providers of violating Kansas law requiring an independent second opinion for the procedure.
2) Dr. George Tiller was found not guilty Friday of 19 misdemeanor charges stemming from some abortions he performed at his Wichita clinic in 2003. Prosecutors had alleged that a doctor he used for second opinions was essentially an employee of his and not independent as state law requires.
3) If convicted, Tiller had faced a year in jail or a fine of $2,500 for each misdemeanor charge. The medical board could have used even one misdemeanor conviction to investigate revocation of his license.


Jury finds US doctor not guilty in abortion case
(APW_ENG_20090327.1297)
1) Jurors have acquitted one of the nation's few late-term abortion providers of violating Kansas law requiring an independent second opinion for the procedure.
2) But moments after the verdict was announced Friday, the state's medical board made public a complaint against Dr. George Tiller on similar allegations.
3) Tiller was found not guilty of 19 misdemeanor charges stemming from abortions he performed at his Wichita clinic in 2003. Prosecutors had alleged that a doctor he used for second opinions was essentially an employee and not independent as state law requires.
4) If convicted, Tiller had faced a year in jail for each charge.
5) The medical board considering the complaint against Tiller could revoke, suspend or limit his medical license, or fine him.


Jury finds US doctor not guilty in abortion case
(APW_ENG_20090327.1389)
1) One of the nation's few late-term abortion providers was acquitted Friday of misdemeanor charges stemming from procedures he performed, but moments after the verdict the state's medical board said it was investigating similar allegations against him.
2) Prosecutors alleged that Dr. George Tiller had in 2003 gotten second opinions from a doctor who was essentially an employee of his, not independent as state law requires. But a jury took only about an hour to find him not guilty of all 19 counts.
3) Tiller, who could have faced a year in jail for even one conviction, stared straight ahead as the verdicts were read, with one of his attorneys patting his shoulder after the decision on the final count was declared. His wife, seated across the courtroom, fought back tears and nodded. The couple declined to speak to reporters afterward.
4) Tiller, 67, has claimed that the prosecution was politically motivated. An attorney general who opposed abortion rights began the investigation into Tiller's clinic more than four years ago, but both his successor, who filed the criminal charges, and the current attorney general support abortion rights.
5) Soon after the verdict was announced, the state's Board of Healing Arts made public a complaint against Tiller on allegations similar to those at issue in the criminal case. The complaint was filed in December but not released until Friday.
6) The board, which regulates doctors, could revoke, suspend or limit Tiller's medical license, or fine him.
7) Tiller has been a favored target of anti-abortion protesters, and he testified that he and his family have suffered years of harassment and threats. His clinic was the site of the 1991 "Summer of Mercy" protests marked by mass demonstrations and arrests. His clinic was bombed in 1985, and an abortion opponent shot him in both arms in 1993.
8) Kansas law allows abortions after a fetus can survive outside the womb only if two independent doctors agree that it is necessary to save a women's life or prevent "substantial and irreversible" harm to "a major bodily function," a phrase that has been interpreted to include mental health.
9) Dr. Ann Kristin Neuhaus provided second opinions on late-term abortions before Tiller performed them.
10) According to trial testimony, Tiller's patients paid Neuhaus $250 to $300 in cash for providing the consultation, and the only way patients could see her was to make an appointment with Tiller's office.
11) Tiller testified that he used Neuhaus based on advice from his lawyers and from Larry Buening, who was then executive director of the Board of Healing Arts.
12) Tiller also testified that in about five cases each year, Neuhaus would disagree with him about the necessity of a late-term abortion. When she declined to concur, the abortion was not done, he said.
13) Tiller estimated that he performed 250 to 300 late-term abortions in 2003, each costing an average of $6,000.
14) Tiller said he is one of three doctors in the U.S. who currently perform late-term abortions. The others are in Boulder, Colorado, and Los Angeles, he said.


Jury finds US doctor not guilty in abortion case
(APW_ENG_20090327.1476)
1) One of the few late-term abortion providers in the United States was acquitted Friday of misdemeanor charges stemming from procedures he performed.
2) But moments after the verdict, the state's medical board announced it was investigating allegations against him that are nearly identical to those the jury had rejected.
3) Prosecutors had alleged that Dr. George Tiller in 2003 got second opinions from a doctor who was essentially an employee, not an independent physician as state law requires. But a jury took only about an hour to find Tiller not guilty of all 19 counts.
4) Tiller, who could have faced a year in jail for even one conviction, stared straight ahead as the verdicts were read, with one of his attorneys patting his shoulder after the decision on the final count was declared. His wife, seated across the courtroom, fought back tears and nodded.
5) The couple declined to speak to reporters afterward.
6) "You would hope it would be over," said Tiller attorney Dan Monnat, "but there is a group of people who want to suppress the constitutional rights of women."
7) Tiller, 67, has claimed that the prosecution was politically motivated. An attorney general who opposed abortion rights began the investigation into Tiller's clinic more than four years ago, but both his successor, who filed the criminal charges, and the current attorney general support abortion rights.
8) Prosecutor Barry Disney said the case was one "that needed to be tried for the community, for everyone to have resolved."
9) Soon after the verdict was announced, the state's Board of Healing Arts made public a complaint against Tiller that alleges, as prosecutors did, that Tiller and Neuhaus had financial or legal ties that violated the law regarding abortions performed in 2003. The complaint was filed in December but not released until Friday.
10) The board, which regulates doctors, could revoke, suspend or limit Tiller's medical license, or fine him.
11) Board spokeswoman Kristi Pankratz said the criminal case and its outcome did not affect the administrative case, which will "proceed on its own merits." No hearings have been scheduled yet, she said.
12) Tiller has been a favored target of anti-abortion protesters, and he testified that he and his family have suffered years of harassment and threats. His clinic was the site of the 1991 "Summer of Mercy" protests marked by mass demonstrations and arrests. His clinic was bombed in 1985, and an abortion opponent shot him in both arms in 1993.
13) Kansas law allows abortions after a fetus can survive outside the womb only if two independent doctors agree that it is necessary to save a women's life or prevent "substantial and irreversible" harm to "a major bodily function," a phrase that has been interpreted to include mental health.
14) Dr. Ann Kristin Neuhaus provided second opinions on late-term abortions before Tiller performed them.
15) According to trial testimony, Tiller's patients paid Neuhaus $250 to $300 in cash for providing the consultation and the only way patients could see her was to make an appointment with Tiller's office.
16) Tiller testified that he used Neuhaus based on advice from his lawyers and from Larry Buening, who was then executive director of the Board of Healing Arts.
17) Mary Kay Culp, executive director of Kansans for Life, said abortion opponents were never confident that Tiller would be prosecuted aggressively enough by Attorney General Steve Six.
18) "Even if Tiller had been found guilty, he would have appealed to the Supreme Court," Culp said, noting that four of the Kansas high court's seven justices were appointed by Democratic Gov. Kathleen Sebelius, who supports abortion rights.
19) Tiller said he is one of three doctors in the U.S. who currently perform late-term abortions. The others are in Boulder, Colorado, and Los Angeles, he said.



2009-05-31
Wichita police: Slaying at abortion doc ' s church
(APW_ENG_20090531.0531)
1) Media outlets are reporting that late-term abortion doctor George Tiller has been shot and killed at his church in Wichita, Kansas.
2) Anonymous police sources told The Wichita Eagle and other media that the 67-year-old doctor was killed Sunday morning at Reformation Lutheran Church.
3) Police spokesman Gordon Bassham would not confirm the victim's identity pending notification of relatives but said a 67-year-old "high-profile individual in the community" was shot and killed.
4) Tiller has been among the few U.S. physicians performing late-term abortions. His clinic has repeatedly been the site of protests for about two decades and he was shot and wounded by a protester in 1993.


Wichita police: Slaying at abortion doc ' s church
(APW_ENG_20090531.0562)
1) A city official has confirmed that late-term abortion doctor George Tiller was shot and killed at his church in Wichita, Kansas.
2) A City Hall official who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak about the case told The Associated Press that the 67-year-old doctor was killed Sunday morning at Reformation Lutheran Church.
3) Police spokesman Gordon Bassham would not confirm the victim's identity pending notification of relatives. He says the shooting occurred at 10:03 a.m. and the gunman fled the scene in a 1993 powder blue Ford Taurus registered in another part of the state.
4) Bassham says no suspects are in custody.
5) Tiller has been among the few U.S. physicians performing late-term abortions. His clinic has repeatedly been the site of protests and he was shot and wounded by a protester in 1993.


Source: Abortion doctor Tiller killed at church
(APW_ENG_20090531.0578)
1) Dr. George Tiller, a prominent advocate for abortion rights who was wounded by a protester more than a decade ago, was shot and killed Sunday at his church in Wichita, a city official said.
2) A City Hall official who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak about the case told The Associated Press that the 67-year-old doctor was killed Sunday morning at Reformation Lutheran Church.
3) Police spokesman Gordon Bassham would not confirm the victim's identity pending notification of relatives. He said the shooting occurred at 10:03 a.m. and the gunman fled the scene by car.
4) Bassham said no suspects were in custody. He said it is not clear whether one or more suspects were involved.
5) Capt. Brent Allred said police were looking for a gunman who fled in a 1993 light blue Ford Taurus registered in Merriam, Kansas.
6) Anti-abortion group Operation Rescue issued a statement denouncing the shooting.
7) Tiller has been among the few U.S. physicians performing late-term abortions. His clinic has repeatedly been the site of protests for about two decades and he was shot and wounded in both arms by a protester in 1993.
8) He remained prominent in the news in recent years, in part because of an investigation begun by former Kansas Attorney General Phill Kline, an abortion opponent.
9) Prosecutors had alleged that Tiller had gotten second opinions from a doctor who was essentially an employee of his, not independent as state law requires, but a jury in March acquitted him of all 19 misdemeanor counts against him.
10) Abortion opponents also questioned then-Gov. Kathleen Sebelius' ties to Tiller before the Senate confirmed her this year as U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary. Tiller donated thousands of dollars to Sebelius' campaigns over the years.


US abortion doctor killed at Wichita church
(APW_ENG_20090531.0594)
1) The attorney for George Tiller says the late-term abortion provider was shot and killed at his church in Wichita, Kansas.
2) Attorney Dan Monnat says Tiller was shot as he served as an usher during Sunday morning services at Reformation Lutheran Church. Monnat said Tiller's wife, Jeanne, was in the choir at the time of the shooting.
3) The clinic run by the 67-year-old doctor has repeatedly been the site of protests for about two decades.
4) A protester shot Tiller in both arms in 1993, and his clinic was bombed in 1985.
5) Capt. Brent Allred said police were looking for a gunman who fled in a 1993 light blue Ford Taurus registered in Merriam, Kansas.
6) No other details about the shooting were immediately released.


Abortion doctor gunned down at Wichita church
(APW_ENG_20090531.0630)
1) Dr. George Tiller, a prominent advocate for abortion rights who was wounded by a protester more than a decade ago, was shot and killed Sunday at a church in Wichita where he was serving as an usher and his wife was in the choir, his attorney said.
2) Tiller was shot during morning services at Reformation Lutheran Church, attorney Dan Monnat said. Police said a manhunt was under way for the shooter, who fled in a car registered to a Kansas City suburb nearly 200 miles (320 kilometers) away.
3) National anti-abortion groups had long focused on Tiller, whose Women's Health Care Services clinic is one of just three in the U.S. where abortions are performed after the 21st week of pregnancy.
4) In 1991, the Summer of Mercy protests organized by Operation Rescue drew thousands of anti-abortion activists to this city for demonstrations marked by civil disobedience and mass arrests.
5) Some abortion opponents had resorted to attacks against Tiller and his Women's Health Care Services clinic long before Sunday's shooting. A protester shot Tiller in both arms in 1993, and his clinic was bombed in 1985.
6) Operation Rescue issued a statement denouncing the shooting.
7) "We are shocked at this morning's disturbing news that Mr. Tiller was gunned down," said Troy Newman, Operation Rescue's president. "Operation Rescue has worked for years through peaceful, legal means, and through the proper channels to see him brought to justice. We denounce vigilantism and the cowardly act that took place this morning."
8) Capt. Brent Allred said Wichita police were looking for a gunman who fled in a 1993 light blue Ford Taurus registered in the Kansas City suburb of Merriam, Kansas. No other details about the shooting were immediately released.
9) The phone line at the home of Tiller and wife, Jeanne, had a busy signal Sunday.
10) Tiller began providing abortion services in 1973. He acknowledged abortion was as socially divisive as slavery or prohibition of alcohol but said the issue was about giving women a choice when dealing with technology that can diagnose severe fetal abnormalities before a baby is born.
11) "Pre-natal testing without pre-natal choices is medical fraud," Tiller once said.
12) After the 1991 protests, Tiller kept mostly to his heavily guarded clinic, although in 1997 he opened it to three tours by state lawmakers and the media.
13) Tiller remained prominent in the news, in part because of an investigation started by former Kansas Attorney General Phill Kline, an abortion opponent.
14) Prosecutors had alleged that Tiller had failed to obtain a second opinion for some late-term abortions from an independent physician, as required by Kansas law. The prosecution alleged that had gotten second opinions from a doctor who was essentially an employee of his, not independent. A jury in March acquitted Tiller of all 19 misdemeanor counts.
15) "I am stunned by this lawless and violent act, which must be condemned and should be met with the full force of law," Kline said in a written statement. "We join in lifting prayer that God's grace and presence rest with Dr. Tiller's family and friends."
16) Abortion opponents also questioned then-Gov. Kathleen Sebelius' ties to Tiller before the Senate confirmed her this year as U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary. Tiller donated thousands of dollars to Sebelius' campaigns over the years.


Source: Suspect in custody in abortion doc slaying
(APW_ENG_20090531.0645)
1) A Wichita city official says a suspect is in custody in the shooting death of late-term abortion provider George Tiller.
2) The city official spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak publicly about the case. The official did not provide additional details.
3) An attorney for Tiller, Dan Monnat, says the doctor was shot Sunday as he served as an usher during morning services at Reformation Lutheran Church. Monnat said Tiller's wife, Jeanne, was in the choir at the time of the shooting.


Source: Suspect in custody in abortion doc slaying
(APW_ENG_20090531.0677)
1) Prominent late-term abortion provider George Tiller was shot and killed Sunday in a church where he was serving as an usher, his attorney said. The gunman fled but a city official said a suspect is in custody.
2) The city official spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak publicly about the case. The official did not provide additional details.
3) Long a focus of U.S. anti-abortion groups, including a summer-long protest in 1991, Tiller was shot during morning services at Reformation Lutheran Church while his wife was in the choir, his attorney Dan Monnat said. Police said the gunman had fled in a car registered in Merriam, a Kansas City suburb nearly 200 miles (320 kilometers) away.
4) Tiller's Women's Health Care Services clinic is one of just three in America where abortions are performed after the 21st week of pregnancy.
5) Tiller's killing is "an unspeakable tragedy," his widow, four children and 10 grandchildren said in statement issued by Monnat. "This is particularly heart-wrenching because George was shot down in his house of worship, a place of peace."
6) The family said its loss "is also a loss for the city of Wichita and women across America. George dedicated his life to providing women with high-quality health care despite frequent threats and violence."
7) A protester shot Tiller in both arms in 1993, and his clinic was bombed in 1985. More recently, Monnat said Tiller had asked federal prosecutors to step up investigations of vandalism and other threats against the clinic out of fear that the incidents were increasing and that Tiller's safety was in jeopardy.
8) In early May, Tiller had asked the FBI to investigate vandalism at his clinic, including cut wires to surveillance cameras and damage to the roof that sent rainwater pouring into the building.
9) Anti-abortion groups denounced the shooting and stressed that they support only nonviolent protest. The movement's leaders fear the killing could create a backlash just as they are scrutinizing U.S. Supreme Court nominee Sonia Sotomayor, whose views on abortion rights are not publicly known.
10) "We are shocked at this morning's disturbing news that Mr. Tiller was gunned down," Troy Newman, Operation Rescue's president, said in a statement. "Operation Rescue has worked for years through peaceful, legal means, and through the proper channels to see him brought to justice. We denounce vigilantism and the cowardly act that took place this morning."
11) In 1991, the Summer of Mercy protests organized by Operation Rescue drew thousands of anti-abortion activists to this city for demonstrations marked by civil disobedience and mass arrests.
12) Tiller began providing abortion services in 1973. He acknowledged abortion was as socially divisive as slavery or prohibition but said the issue was about giving women a choice when dealing with technology that can diagnose severe fetal abnormalities before a baby is born.
13) After the 1991 protests, Tiller kept mostly to his heavily guarded clinic, although in 1997 he opened it to three tours by state lawmakers and the media.
14) Tiller remained prominent in the news, in part because of an investigation started begun by former Kansas Attorney General Phill Kline, an abortion opponent.
15) Prosecutors had alleged that Tiller had gotten second opinions from a doctor who was essentially an employee of his, not independent as state law requires. A jury in March acquitted Tiller of all 19 misdemeanor counts.
16) "I am stunned by this lawless and violent act, which must be condemned and should be met with the full force of law," Kline said in a written statement. "We join in lifting prayer that God's grace and presence rest with Dr. Tiller's family and friends."
17) Abortion opponents also questioned then-Gov. Kathleen Sebelius' ties to Tiller before the Senate confirmed her this year as U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary. Tiller donated thousands of dollars to Sebelius over the years.


Kansas abortion provider was polarizing force
(APW_ENG_20090531.0706)
1) When George Tiller was young he dreamed not of being one of the most visible and strident advocates for abortion rights, but of becoming a dermatologist.
2) The 67-year-old physician, who was shot and killed Sunday in his church, had said his path was altered by a 1970 plane crash that killed his father, mother, sister and brother-in-law.
3) The former Navy flight surgeon was left with his father's family practice in Wichita, and he soon learned a secret. One of his father's patients asked him whether he, like his father, would perform abortions.
4) At first, Tiller said, he did not believe his father had risked his medical license by performing then-illegal abortions. But after the Supreme Court's landmark Roe v. Wade decision legalizing abortions in 1973, Tiller began providing them.
5) By the time he was killed, his clinic, Women's Health Care Services, was among just three in the nation to perform abortions after 21 weeks of pregnancy, when the fetus is considered viable.
6) He was a focus of abortion opponents for years, most peaceful, some violent.
7) "George dedicated his life to providing women with high-quality health care despite frequent threats and violence," his Tiller's widow, four children and 10 grandchildren said in a statement. They called him "a good husband, father and grandfather and a dedicated servant on behalf of the rights of women everywhere."
8) Tiller's clinic was bombed in 1985, and he was shot in both arms in 1993 by abortion protester Rachelle "Shelley" Shannon of Grants Pass, Oregon.
9) In 1991, the Summer of Mercy protests organized by Operation Rescue drew thousands of anti-abortion activists to Wichita for demonstrations marked by civil disobedience and mass arrests.
10) Federal marshals protected Tiller during the Summer of Mercy protests, and he was protected again between 1994 and 1998 after another abortion provider was assassinated and federal authorities reported finding his name on an assassination list.
11) The women's clinic is fortified with bulletproof glass, and Tiller hired a private security team to protect the facility. Once outside the clinic, Tiller was usually seen accompanied by a bodyguard.
12) Anti-abortion groups condemned Tiller's slaying.
13) "We value life, completely deplore violence, and are shocked and very upset by what happened in Wichita today," said Mary Kay Culp, executive director of the anti-abortion group Kansans for Life.
14) Tiller in 1997 said his "gifts of understanding" helped him bring a service to women that aided them in making their dreams of a happy, healthy family a reality.
15) Tiller, who in his later years largely shunned interviews and public appearances amid his family's increasing fear of violence against him, said abortion was as socially divisive as slavery or prohibition.
16) But he said the issue was about giving women a choice when dealing with technology that can diagnose severe fetal abnormalities before a baby is born.
17) "Prenatal testing without prenatal choices is medical fraud," Tiller once said.
18) Tiller contended that he pioneered the use of sonogram imaging during procedures, a process that has since been adopted by abortion providers nationwide.
19) In 2002, Tiller founded ProKanDo, a state political action committee, to help elect abortion rights supporters and support abortion-friendly legislation.
20) His resume includes the National Abortion Federation's highest honor, The Christopher Tietze Humanitarian Award, as well as the Religious Coalition for Abortion Rights' Faith and Freedom Award.


Source: Suspect held in US abortion doc slaying
(APW_ENG_20090531.0718)
1) Dr. George Tiller, who remained one of America's few providers of late-term abortions through decades of protests and attacks, was shot and killed Sunday in a church where he was serving as an usher and his wife was in the choir.
2) The gunman fled, but Johnson County Sheriff's Deputy Tom Erickson said a suspect was in custody. Erickson said the person authorities had been seeking is being held in New Century, Kansas, about 170 miles (273 kilometers) northeast of Wichita, until Wichita police can question him.
3) Police had few details on the shooting but scheduled a news conference late Sunday afternoon.
4) Long a focus of U.S. anti-abortion groups, including a summer-long protest in 1991, Tiller was shot during morning services at Reformation Lutheran Church. His attorney Dan Monnat said Tiller was an usher at the services and his wife, Jeanne, was in the choir at the time.
5) Tiller's killing is "an unspeakable tragedy," his widow, four children and 10 grandchildren said in statement issued by Monnat. "This is particularly heart-wrenching because George was shot down in his house of worship, a place of peace."
6) The family said its loss "is also a loss for the city of Wichita and women across America. George dedicated his life to providing women with high-quality health care despite frequent threats and violence."
7) Tiller's Women's Health Care Services clinic is one of just three in the nation where abortions are performed after the 21st week of pregnancy. The clinic was heavily fortified and he often traveled with a bodyguard, but Deputy Chief Tom Stolz said there was no indication of security at the church Sunday.
8) A protester shot Tiller in both arms in 1993, and his clinic was bombed in 1985. More recently, Monnat said Tiller had asked federal prosecutors to step up investigations of vandalism and other threats against the clinic out of fear that the incidents were increasing and that Tiller's safety was in jeopardy. Stolz, however, said police knew of no threats connected to the shooting.
9) In early May, Tiller had asked the FBI to investigate vandalism at his clinic, including cut wires to surveillance cameras and damage to the roof that sent rainwater pouring into the building.
10) Anti-abortion groups denounced the shooting and stressed that they support only nonviolent protest. The movement's leaders fear the killing could create a backlash just as they are scrutinizing U.S. Supreme Court nominee Sonia Sotomayor, whose views on abortion rights are not publicly known.
11) "We are shocked at this morning's disturbing news that Mr. Tiller was gunned down," Troy Newman, Operation Rescue's president, said in a statement. "Operation Rescue has worked for years through peaceful, legal means, and through the proper channels to see him brought to justice. We denounce vigilantism and the cowardly act that took place this morning."
12) In 1991, the Summer of Mercy protests organized by Operation Rescue drew thousands of anti-abortion activists to this city for demonstrations marked by civil disobedience and mass arrests.
13) Tiller began providing abortion services in 1973. He acknowledged abortion was as socially divisive as slavery or prohibition but said the issue was about giving women a choice when dealing with technology that can diagnose severe fetal abnormalities before a baby is born.
14) Nancy Keenan, president of abortion-rights group NARAL Pro-Choice America, issued a statement praising Tiller's commitment.
15) "Dr. Tiller's murder will send a chill down the spines of the brave and courageous providers and other professionals who are part of reproductive-health centers that serve women across this country. We want them to know that they have our support as they move forward in providing these essential services in the aftermath of the shocking news from Wichita," Keenan said.
16) After the 1991 protests, Tiller kept mostly to his heavily guarded clinic, although in 1997 he opened it to three tours by state lawmakers and the media.
17) The clinic is fortified with bulletproof glass, and Tiller hired a private security team to protect the facility. Once outside the clinic, Tiller was routinely accompanied by a bodyguard.
18) At a recent trial, he told jurors that he and his family have suffered years of harassment and threats and that he knew he was a target of anti-abortion protesters.
19) Federal marshals protected Tiller during the 1991 Summer of Mercy protests, and he was protected again between 1994 and 1998 after another abortion provider was assassinated and federal authorities reported finding Tiller's name on an assassination list.
20) Tiller remained prominent in the news, in part because of an investigation started begun by former Kansas Attorney General Phill Kline, an abortion opponent.
21) Prosecutors had alleged that Tiller had gotten second opinions from a doctor who was essentially an employee of his, not independent as state law requires. A jury in March acquitted Tiller of all 19 misdemeanor counts.
22) "I am stunned by this lawless and violent act, which must be condemned and should be met with the full force of law," Kline said in a written statement. "We join in lifting prayer that God's grace and presence rest with Dr. Tiller's family and friends."
23) Abortion opponents also questioned then-Gov. Kathleen Sebelius' ties to Tiller before the Senate confirmed her this year as U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary. Tiller donated thousands of dollars to Sebelius over the years.


Kansas abortion doc killed in church; suspect held
(APW_ENG_20090531.0747)
1) Dr. George Tiller, who remained one of America's few providers of late-term abortions through decades of protests and attacks, was shot and killed Sunday in a church where he was serving as an usher and his wife was in the choir.
2) The gunman fled, but a 51-year-old suspect was arrested some 170 miles (273 kilometers) away in suburban Kansas City three hours after the shooting, Wichita Deputy Police Chief Tom Stolz said.
3) Long a focus of U.S. anti-abortion groups, including a summer-long protest in 1991, Tiller was serving as an usher during Sunday morning services when he was shot in the foyer of Reformation Lutheran Church, Stolz said. Tiller's attorney, Dan Monnat, said Tiller's wife, Jeanne, was in the choir at the time.
4) The suspect's name was not released; police had been looking for a gunman who fled in a car registered in the Kansas City suburb of Merriam.
5) Stolz said the man was being brought back to Wichita, where he would likely be charged Monday with one count of murder and two of aggravated assault. Stolz said the gunman threatened two people who tried to stop him.
6) The slaying of the 67-year-old doctor is "an unspeakable tragedy," his widow, four children and 10 grandchildren said in statement issued by Monnat. "This is particularly heart-wrenching because George was shot down in his house of worship, a place of peace."
7) The family said its loss "is also a loss for the city of Wichita and women across America. George dedicated his life to providing women with high-quality health care despite frequent threats and violence."
8) Tiller's Women's Health Care Services clinic is one of just three in America where abortions are performed after the 21st week of pregnancy. The clinic was heavily fortified and Tiller often traveled with a bodyguard, but Stolz said there was no indication of security at the church Sunday.
9) A protester shot Tiller in both arms in 1993, and his clinic was bombed in 1985. More recently, Monnat said Tiller had asked federal prosecutors to step up investigations of vandalism and other threats against the clinic out of fear that the incidents were increasing and that Tiller's safety was in jeopardy. Stolz, however, said police knew of no threats connected to the shooting.
10) In early May, Tiller had asked the FBI to investigate vandalism at his clinic, including cut wires to surveillance cameras and damage to the roof that sent rainwater pouring into the building.
11) Anti-abortion groups denounced the shooting and stressed that they support only nonviolent protest. The movement's leaders fear the killing could create a backlash just as they are scrutinizing U.S. Supreme Court nominee Sonia Sotomayor, whose views on abortion rights are not publicly known.
12) "We are shocked at this morning's disturbing news that Mr. Tiller was gunned down," Troy Newman, Operation Rescue's president, said in a statement. "Operation Rescue has worked for years through peaceful, legal means, and through the proper channels to see him brought to justice. We denounce vigilantism and the cowardly act that took place this morning."
13) In 1991, the Summer of Mercy protests organized by Operation Rescue drew thousands of anti-abortion activists to this city for demonstrations marked by civil disobedience and mass arrests.
14) Tiller began providing abortion services in 1973. He acknowledged abortion was as socially divisive as slavery or prohibition but said the issue was about giving women a choice when dealing with technology that can diagnose severe fetal abnormalities before a baby is born.
15) Nancy Keenan, president of abortion-rights group NARAL Pro-Choice America, issued a statement praising Tiller's commitment.
16) "Dr. Tiller's murder will send a chill down the spines of the brave and courageous providers and other professionals who are part of reproductive-health centers that serve women across this country. We want them to know that they have our support as they move forward in providing these essential services in the aftermath of the shocking news from Wichita," Keenan said.
17) After the 1991 protests, Tiller kept mostly to his heavily guarded clinic, although in 1997 he opened it to three tours by state lawmakers and the media.
18) The clinic is fortified with bulletproof glass, and Tiller hired a private security team to protect the facility. Once outside the clinic, Tiller was routinely accompanied by a bodyguard.
19) At a recent trial, he told jurors that he and his family have suffered years of harassment and threats and that he knew he was a target of anti-abortion protesters.
20) Federal marshals protected Tiller during the 1991 Summer of Mercy protests, and he was protected again between 1994 and 1998 after another abortion provider was assassinated and federal authorities reported finding Tiller's name on an assassination list.
21) Tiller remained prominent in the news, in part because of an investigation begun by former Kansas Attorney General Phill Kline, an abortion opponent.
22) Prosecutors had alleged that Tiller had gotten second opinions from a doctor who was essentially an employee of his, not independent as state law requires. A jury in March acquitted Tiller of all 19 misdemeanor counts.
23) "I am stunned by this lawless and violent act, which must be condemned and should be met with the full force of law," Kline said in a written statement. "We join in lifting prayer that God's grace and presence rest with Dr. Tiller's family and friends."
24) Abortion opponents also questioned then-Gov. Kathleen Sebelius' ties to Tiller before the Senate confirmed her this year as U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary. Tiller donated thousands of dollars to Sebelius over the years.


Kansas abortion doc killed in church; suspect held
(APW_ENG_20090531.0755)
1) Dr. George Tiller, who remained one of America's few providers of late-term abortions despite decades of protests and attacks, was shot and killed Sunday in a church where he was serving as an usher.
2) The gunman fled, but a 51-year-old suspect was arrested some 170 miles (273 kilometers) away in suburban Kansas City three hours after the shooting, Wichita Deputy Police Chief Tom Stolz said.
3) Long a focus of U.S. anti-abortion groups, including a summer-long protest in 1991, Tiller was shot in the foyer of Reformation Lutheran Church, Stolz said. Tiller's attorney, Dan Monnat, said Tiller's wife, Jeanne, was in the choir at the time.
4) The suspect's name was not released; police had been looking for a gunman who fled in a car registered in the Kansas City suburb of Merriam.
5) Stolz said all indications were that the man acted alone, although authorities were investigating whether he had any connection to anti-abortion groups.
6) Stolz said the man was being brought back to Wichita, where he would likely be charged Monday with one count of murder and two of aggravated assault. Stolz said the gunman threatened two people who tried to stop him.
7) The slaying of the 67-year-old doctor is "an unspeakable tragedy," his widow, four children and 10 grandchildren said in statement. "This is particularly heart-wrenching because George was shot down in his house of worship, a place of peace."
8) The family said its loss "is also a loss for the city of Wichita and women across America. George dedicated his life to providing women with high-quality health care despite frequent threats and violence."
9) Adam Watkins, 20, said he was sitting in the middle of the church's congregation when he heard a small pop at the start of the service.
10) "We just thought a child had come in with a balloon and it had popped, had gone up and hit the ceiling and popped," Watkins said.
11) Another usher came in and told the congregation to remain seated, then escorted Tiller's wife out. "When she got to the back doors, we heard her scream, and so we knew something bad had happened," Watkins said.
12) He said the service continued even after an associate pastor announced that Tiller had been injured. "We were just really shocked," he said. "We were kind of dumbfounded. We couldn't really believe it had happened."
13) Tiller's Women's Health Care Services clinic is one of just three in Amerrica where abortions are performed after the 21st week of pregnancy. The clinic was heavily fortified and Tiller often traveled with a bodyguard, but Stolz said there was no indication of security at the church Sunday.
14) Planned Parenthood of Kansas and Mid-Missouri said it was working with law enforcement to secure its facilities Sunday even after the suspect was in custody.
15) A protester shot Tiller in both arms in 1993, and his clinic was bombed in 1985. More recently, Monnat said Tiller had asked federal prosecutors to step up investigations of vandalism and other threats against the clinic out of fear that the incidents were increasing and that Tiller's safety was in jeopardy. Stolz, however, said police knew of no threats connected to the shooting.
16) In early May, Tiller had asked the FBI to investigate vandalism at his clinic, including cut wires to surveillance cameras and damage to the roof that sent rainwater pouring into the building.
17) Anti-abortion groups denounced the shooting and stressed that they support only nonviolent protest. The movement's leaders fear the killing could create a backlash just as they are scrutinizing U.S. Supreme Court nominee Sonia Sotomayor, whose views on abortion rights are not publicly known.
18) "We are shocked at this morning's disturbing news that Mr. Tiller was gunned down," Troy Newman, Operation Rescue's president, said in a statement. "Operation Rescue has worked for years through peaceful, legal means, and through the proper channels to see him brought to justice. We denounce vigilantism and the cowardly act that took place this morning."
19) In 1991, the Summer of Mercy protests organized by Operation Rescue drew thousands of anti-abortion activists to this city for demonstrations marked by civil disobedience and mass arrests.
20) Tiller began providing abortion services in 1973. He acknowledged abortion was as socially divisive as slavery or prohibition but said the issue was about giving women a choice when dealing with technology that can diagnose severe fetal abnormalities before a baby is born.
21) Nancy Keenan, president of abortion-rights group NARAL Pro-Choice America, issued a statement praising Tiller's commitment.
22) "Dr. Tiller's murder will send a chill down the spines of the brave and courageous providers and other professionals who are part of reproductive-health centers that serve women across this country. We want them to know that they have our support as they move forward in providing these essential services in the aftermath of the shocking news from Wichita," Keenan said.
23) After the 1991 protests, Tiller kept mostly to his heavily guarded clinic, although in 1997 he opened it to three tours by state lawmakers and the media.
24) The clinic is fortified with bulletproof glass, and Tiller hired a private security team to protect the facility. Once outside the clinic, Tiller was routinely accompanied by a bodyguard.
25) At a recent trial, he told jurors that he and his family have suffered years of harassment and threats and that he knew he was a target of anti-abortion protesters.
26) Federal marshals protected Tiller during the 1991 Summer of Mercy protests, and he was protected again between 1994 and 1998 after another abortion provider was assassinated and federal authorities reported finding Tiller's name on an assassination list.
27) Tiller remained prominent in the news, in part because of an investigation begun by former Kansas Attorney General Phill Kline, an abortion opponent.
28) Prosecutors had alleged that Tiller had gotten second opinions from a doctor who was essentially an employee of his, not independent as state law requires. A jury in March acquitted Tiller of all 19 misdemeanor counts.
29) "I am stunned by this lawless and violent act, which must be condemned and should be met with the full force of law," Kline said in a written statement. "We join in lifting prayer that God's grace and presence rest with Dr. Tiller's family and friends."
30) Abortion opponents also questioned then-Gov. Kathleen Sebelius' ties to Tiller before the Senate confirmed her this year as U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary. Tiller donated thousands of dollars to Sebelius over the years.


Kansas abortion doc killed in church; suspect held
(APW_ENG_20090531.0769)
1) Dr. George Tiller, who remained one of America's few providers of late-term abortions despite decades of protests and attacks, was shot and killed Sunday in a church where he was serving as an usher.
2) The gunman fled, but a 51-year-old suspect was arrested some 170 miles (273 kilometers) away in suburban Kansas City three hours after the shooting, Wichita Deputy Police Chief Tom Stolz said.
3) President Barack Obama said he was shocked and outraged over the killing.
4) Long a focus of U.S. anti-abortion groups, including a summer-long protest in 1991, Tiller was shot in the foyer of Reformation Lutheran Church, Stolz said. Tiller's attorney, Dan Monnat, said Tiller's wife, Jeanne, was in the choir at the time.
5) The suspect's name was not released; police had been looking for a gunman who fled in a car registered in the Kansas City suburb of Merriam.
6) Stolz said all indications were that the man acted alone, although authorities were investigating whether he had any connection to anti-abortion groups.
7) Stolz said the man was being brought back to Wichita, where he would likely be charged Monday with one count of murder and two of aggravated assault. Stolz said the gunman threatened two people who tried to stop him.
8) The slaying of the 67-year-old doctor is "an unspeakable tragedy," his widow, four children and 10 grandchildren said in statement. "This is particularly heart-wrenching because George was shot down in his house of worship, a place of peace."
9) The family said its loss "is also a loss for the city of Wichita and women across America. George dedicated his life to providing women with high-quality health care despite frequent threats and violence."
10) Adam Watkins, 20, said he was sitting in the middle of the church's congregation when he heard a small pop at the start of the service.
11) "We just thought a child had come in with a balloon and it had popped, had gone up and hit the ceiling and popped," Watkins said.
12) Another usher came in and told the congregation to remain seated, then escorted Tiller's wife out. "When she got to the back doors, we heard her scream, and so we knew something bad had happened," Watkins said.
13) He said the service continued even after an associate pastor announced that Tiller had been injured. "We were just really shocked," he said. "We were kind of dumbfounded. We couldn't really believe it had happened."
14) Tiller's Women's Health Care Services clinic is one of just three in Amerrica where abortions are performed after the 21st week of pregnancy. The clinic was heavily fortified and Tiller often traveled with a bodyguard, but Stolz said there was no indication of security at the church Sunday.
15) Planned Parenthood of Kansas and Mid-Missouri said it was working with law enforcement to secure its facilities Sunday even after the suspect was in custody.
16) A protester shot Tiller in both arms in 1993, and his clinic was bombed in 1985. More recently, Monnat said Tiller had asked federal prosecutors to step up investigations of vandalism and other threats against the clinic out of fear that the incidents were increasing and that Tiller's safety was in jeopardy. Stolz, however, said police knew of no threats connected to the shooting.
17) In early May, Tiller had asked the FBI to investigate vandalism at his clinic, including cut wires to surveillance cameras and damage to the roof that sent rainwater pouring into the building.
18) Anti-abortion groups denounced the shooting and stressed that they support only nonviolent protest. The movement's leaders fear the killing could create a backlash just as they are scrutinizing U.S. Supreme Court nominee Sonia Sotomayor, whose views on abortion rights are not publicly known.
19) "We are shocked at this morning's disturbing news that Mr. Tiller was gunned down," Troy Newman, Operation Rescue's president, said in a statement. "Operation Rescue has worked for years through peaceful, legal means, and through the proper channels to see him brought to justice. We denounce vigilantism and the cowardly act that took place this morning."
20) In 1991, the Summer of Mercy protests organized by Operation Rescue drew thousands of anti-abortion activists to this city for demonstrations marked by civil disobedience and mass arrests.
21) Tiller began providing abortion services in 1973. He acknowledged abortion was as socially divisive as slavery or prohibition but said the issue was about giving women a choice when dealing with technology that can diagnose severe fetal abnormalities before a baby is born.
22) Nancy Keenan, president of abortion-rights group NARAL Pro-Choice America, issued a statement praising Tiller's commitment.
23) "Dr. Tiller's murder will send a chill down the spines of the brave and courageous providers and other professionals who are part of reproductive-health centers that serve women across this country. We want them to know that they have our support as they move forward in providing these essential services in the aftermath of the shocking news from Wichita," Keenan said.
24) After the 1991 protests, Tiller kept mostly to his heavily guarded clinic, although in 1997 he opened it to three tours by state lawmakers and the media.
25) The clinic is fortified with bulletproof glass, and Tiller hired a private security team to protect the facility. Once outside the clinic, Tiller was routinely accompanied by a bodyguard.
26) At a recent trial, he told jurors that he and his family have suffered years of harassment and threats and that he knew he was a target of anti-abortion protesters.
27) Federal marshals protected Tiller during the 1991 Summer of Mercy protests, and he was protected again between 1994 and 1998 after another abortion provider was assassinated and federal authorities reported finding Tiller's name on an assassination list.
28) Tiller remained prominent in the news, in part because of an investigation begun by former Kansas Attorney General Phill Kline, an abortion opponent.
29) Prosecutors had alleged that Tiller had gotten second opinions from a doctor who was essentially an employee of his, not independent as state law requires. A jury in March acquitted Tiller of all 19 misdemeanor counts.
30) "I am stunned by this lawless and violent act, which must be condemned and should be met with the full force of law," Kline said in a written statement. "We join in lifting prayer that God's grace and presence rest with Dr. Tiller's family and friends."
31) Abortion opponents also questioned then-Gov. Kathleen Sebelius' ties to Tiller before the Senate confirmed her this year as U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary. Tiller donated thousands of dollars to Sebelius over the years.


Obama says he ' s shocked, saddened by Tiller death
(APW_ENG_20090531.0805)
1) President Barack Obama says he is shocked and outraged over the killing of an abortion provider at a Kansas church.
2) Dr. George Tiller was shot and killed Sunday morning while he was serving as an usher at a church in Wichita, Kansas. The White House released a statement from the president Sunday evening.
3) Obama says violence is not the answer to resolve differing opinions on abortion and said the shooting is a murder. Tiller was one of the nation's few providers of late-term abortions. He was the object of decades of protests and attacks.



2009-06-01
US abortion doc killed in church; suspect held
(APW_ENG_20090601.0007)
1) Dr. George Tiller, one of the nation's few providers of late-term abortions despite decades of protests and attacks, was shot and killed Sunday in a church where he was serving as an usher.
2) The gunman fled, but a 51-year-old suspect was detained some 170 miles (275 kilometers) away in suburban Kansas City three hours after the shooting, Wichita Deputy Police Chief Tom Stolz said.
3) Although Stolz refused to release the man's name, Johnson County sheriff's spokesman Tom Erickson identified the detained man as Scott Roeder. He has not been charged in the slaying and was expected to be taken to Wichita for questioning.
4) There was no immediate word of the killer's motive. But the doctor's violent death was the latest in a string of shootings and bombings over two decades directed against abortion clinics, doctors and staff.
5) Long a focus of national anti-abortion groups, including a summer-long protest in 1991, Tiller was shot in the foyer of Reformation Lutheran Church, Stolz said. Tiller's attorney, Dan Monnat, said Tiller's wife, Jeanne, was in the choir at the time.
6) The slaying of the 67-year-old doctor is "an unspeakable tragedy," his widow, four children and 10 grandchildren said in statement. "This is particularly heart-wrenching because George was shot down in his house of worship, a place of peace."
7) The family said its loss "is also a loss for the city of Wichita and women across America. George dedicated his life to providing women with high-quality health care despite frequent threats and violence."
8) Stolz said all indications were that the gunman acted alone, although authorities were investigating whether he had any connection to anti-abortion groups.
9) Tiller's Women's Health Care Services clinic is one of just three in the nation where abortions are performed after the 21st week of pregnancy. The clinic was heavily fortified and Tiller often traveled with a bodyguard, but Stolz said there was no indication of security at the church Sunday.
10) Anti-abortion groups denounced the shooting and stressed that they support only nonviolent protest. The movement's leaders fear the killing could create a backlash just as they are scrutinizing U.S. Supreme Court nominee Sonia Sotomayor, whose views on abortion rights are not publicly known.
11) "We are shocked at this morning's disturbing news that Mr. Tiller was gunned down," Troy Newman, Operation Rescue's president, said in a statement. "Operation Rescue has worked for years through peaceful, legal means, and through the proper channels to see him brought to justice. We denounce vigilantism and the cowardly act that took place this morning."
12) President Barack Obama said he was "shocked and outraged" by the murder. "However profound our differences as Americans over difficult issues such as abortion, they cannot be resolved by heinous acts of violence," he said.
13) At Tiller's church, Adam Watkins, 20, said he was sitting in the middle of the congregation when he heard a small pop at the start of the service.
14) "We just thought a child had come in with a balloon and it had popped, had gone up and hit the ceiling and popped," Watkins said.
15) Another usher came in and told the congregation to remain seated, then escorted Tiller's wife out. "When she got to the back doors, we heard her scream, and so we knew something bad had happened," Watkins said.
16) He said the service continued even after an associate pastor announced that Tiller had been injured. "We were just really shocked," he said. "We were kind of dumbfounded. We couldn't really believe it had happened."
17) Tiller had in the past endured threats and violence. A protester shot Tiller in both arms in 1993, and his clinic was bombed in 1985. More recently, Monnat said Tiller had asked federal prosecutors to step up investigations of vandalism and other threats against the clinic out of fear that the incidents were increasing and that Tiller's safety was in jeopardy. Stolz, however, said police knew of no threats connected to the shooting.
18) In early May, Tiller had asked the FBI to investigate vandalism at his clinic, including cut wires to surveillance cameras and damage to the roof that sent rainwater pouring into the building.
19) In 1991, the Summer of Mercy protests organized by Operation Rescue drew thousands of anti-abortion activists to this city for demonstrations marked by civil disobedience and mass arrests.
20) Tiller began providing abortion services in 1973. He acknowledged abortion was as socially divisive as slavery or prohibition but said the issue was about giving women a choice when dealing with technology that can diagnose severe fetal abnormalities before a baby is born.
21) Nancy Keenan, president of abortion-rights group NARAL Pro-Choice America, issued a statement praising Tiller's commitment.
22) "Dr. Tiller's murder will send a chill down the spines of the brave and courageous providers and other professionals who are part of reproductive-health centers that serve women across this country. We want them to know that they have our support as they move forward in providing these essential services in the aftermath of the shocking news from Wichita," Keenan said.
23) After the 1991 protests, Tiller kept mostly to his heavily guarded clinic, although in 1997 he opened it to three tours by state lawmakers and the media. He wore a button that read "Trust Women."
24) The clinic is fortified with bulletproof glass, and Tiller hired a private security team to protect the facility. Once outside the clinic, Tiller was routinely accompanied by a bodyguard.
25) At a recent trial, he told jurors that he and his family have suffered years of harassment and threats and that he knew he was a target of anti-abortion protesters.
26) Federal marshals protected Tiller during the 1991 Summer of Mercy protests, and he was protected again between 1994 and 1998 after another abortion provider was assassinated and federal authorities reported finding Tiller's name on an assassination list.
27) Tiller remained prominent in the news, in part because of an investigation begun by former Kansas Attorney General Phill Kline, an abortion opponent.
28) Prosecutors had alleged that Tiller had gotten second opinions from a doctor who was essentially an employee of his, not independent as state law requires. A jury in March acquitted Tiller of all 19 misdemeanor counts.
29) "I am stunned by this lawless and violent act, which must be condemned and should be met with the full force of law," Kline said in a statement. "We join in lifting prayer that God's grace and presence rest with Dr. Tiller's family and friends."


US abortion doc killed in church; suspect held
(APW_ENG_20090601.0019)
1) Dr. George Tiller, one of the nation's few providers of late-term abortions despite decades of protests and attacks, was shot and killed Sunday in a church where he was serving as an usher.
2) The gunman fled, but a 51-year-old suspect was detained some 170 miles (275 kilometers) away in suburban Kansas City three hours after the shooting, Wichita Deputy Police Chief Tom Stolz said.
3) Although Stolz refused to release the man's name, Johnson County sheriff's spokesman Tom Erickson identified the detained man as Scott Roeder. He has not been charged in the slaying and was expected to be taken to Wichita for questioning.
4) Police did not release a motive for the shooting. But the doctor's violent death was the latest in a string of shootings and bombings over two decades directed against abortion clinics, doctors and staff.
5) Long a focus of national anti-abortion groups, including a summer-long protest in 1991, Tiller was shot in the foyer of Reformation Lutheran Church. Tiller's attorney, Dan Monnat, said Tiller's wife, Jeanne, was in the choir at the time.
6) The slaying of the 67-year-old doctor is "an unspeakable tragedy," his widow, four children and 10 grandchildren said in statement. "This is particularly heart-wrenching because George was shot down in his house of worship, a place of peace."
7) The family said its loss "is also a loss for the city of Wichita and women across America. George dedicated his life to providing women with high-quality health care despite frequent threats and violence."
8) Stolz said all indications were that the gunman acted alone, although authorities were investigating whether he had any connection to anti-abortion groups.
9) Tiller's Women's Health Care Services clinic is one of just three in the nation where abortions are performed after the 21st week of pregnancy. The clinic was heavily fortified and Tiller often traveled with a bodyguard, but Stolz said there was no indication of security at the church Sunday.
10) Anti-abortion groups denounced the shooting and stressed that they support only nonviolent protest. The movement's leaders fear the killing could create a backlash just as they are scrutinizing U.S. Supreme Court nominee Sonia Sotomayor, whose views on abortion rights are not publicly known.
11) "We are shocked at this morning's disturbing news that Mr. Tiller was gunned down," Troy Newman, Operation Rescue's president, said in a statement. "Operation Rescue has worked for years through peaceful, legal means, and through the proper channels to see him brought to justice. We denounce vigilantism and the cowardly act that took place this morning."
12) President Barack Obama said he was "shocked and outraged" by the murder. "However profound our differences as Americans over difficult issues such as abortion, they cannot be resolved by heinous acts of violence," he said.
13) At Tiller's church, Adam Watkins, 20, said he was sitting in the middle of the congregation when he heard a small pop at the start of the service.
14) "We just thought a child had come in with a balloon and it had popped, had gone up and hit the ceiling and popped," Watkins said.
15) Another usher came in and told the congregation to remain seated, then escorted Tiller's wife out. "When she got to the back doors, we heard her scream, and so we knew something bad had happened," Watkins said.
16) He said the service continued even after an associate pastor announced that Tiller had been injured. "We were just really shocked," he said. "We were kind of dumbfounded. We couldn't really believe it had happened."
17) Tiller had in the past endured threats and violence. A protester shot Tiller in both arms in 1993, and his clinic was bombed in 1985. More recently, Monnat said Tiller had asked federal prosecutors to step up investigations of vandalism and other threats against the clinic out of fear that the incidents were increasing and that Tiller's safety was in jeopardy. Stolz, however, said police knew of no threats connected to the shooting.
18) In early May, Tiller had asked the FBI to investigate vandalism at his clinic, including cut wires to surveillance cameras and damage to the roof that sent rainwater pouring into the building.
19) In 1991, the Summer of Mercy protests organized by Operation Rescue drew thousands of anti-abortion activists to this city for demonstrations marked by civil disobedience and mass arrests.
20) Tiller began providing abortion services in 1973. He acknowledged abortion was as socially divisive as slavery or prohibition but said the issue was about giving women a choice when dealing with technology that can diagnose severe fetal abnormalities before a baby is born.
21) Nancy Keenan, president of abortion-rights group NARAL Pro-Choice America, issued a statement praising Tiller's commitment.
22) "Dr. Tiller's murder will send a chill down the spines of the brave and courageous providers and other professionals who are part of reproductive-health centers that serve women across this country. We want them to know that they have our support as they move forward in providing these essential services in the aftermath of the shocking news from Wichita," Keenan said.
23) The last killing of an abortion doctor was in October 1998 when Dr. Barnett Slepian was fatally shot in his home in a suburb of Buffalo, New York. A militant abortion opponent was convicted of the murder.
24) Tiller's clinic is fortified with bulletproof glass, and Tiller hired a private security team to protect the facility. Once outside the clinic, Tiller was routinely accompanied by a bodyguard.
25) At a recent trial, he told jurors that he and his family have suffered years of harassment and threats and that he knew he was a target of anti-abortion protesters.
26) Federal marshals protected Tiller during the 1991 Summer of Mercy protests, and he was protected again between 1994 and 1998 after another abortion provider was assassinated and federal authorities reported finding Tiller's name on an assassination list.
27) Tiller remained prominent in the news, in part because of an investigation begun by former Kansas Attorney General Phill Kline, an abortion opponent.
28) Prosecutors had alleged that Tiller had gotten second opinions from a doctor who was essentially an employee of his, not independent as state law requires. A jury in March acquitted Tiller of all 19 misdemeanor counts.
29) "I am stunned by this lawless and violent act, which must be condemned and should be met with the full force of law," Kline said in a statement. "We join in lifting prayer that God's grace and presence rest with Dr. Tiller's family and friends."


US abortion doc killed in church; suspect held
(APW_ENG_20090601.0072)
1) Dr. George Tiller, one of the nation's few providers of late-term abortions despite decades of protests and attacks, was shot and killed Sunday in a church where he was serving as an usher.
2) The gunman fled, but a 51-year-old suspect was detained some 170 miles (275 kilometers) away in suburban Kansas City three hours after the shooting, Wichita Deputy Police Chief Tom Stolz said.
3) Although Stolz refused to release the man's name, Johnson County sheriff's spokesman Tom Erickson identified the detained man as Scott Roeder. He has not been charged in the slaying and was expected to be taken to Wichita for questioning.
4) Court records and Internet postings show that someone using the name Scott Roeder has a criminal past and has expressed anti-abortion opinions on sympathetic Web sites.
5) Long a focus of national anti-abortion groups, including a summer-long protest in 1991, Tiller was shot in the foyer of Reformation Lutheran Church. Tiller's attorney, Dan Monnat, said Tiller's wife, Jeanne, was in the choir at the time.
6) The slaying of the 67-year-old doctor is "an unspeakable tragedy," his widow, four children and 10 grandchildren said in statement. "This is particularly heart-wrenching because George was shot down in his house of worship, a place of peace."
7) The family said its loss "is also a loss for the city of Wichita and women across America. George dedicated his life to providing women with high-quality health care despite frequent threats and violence."
8) Stolz said all indications were that the gunman acted alone, although authorities were investigating whether he had any connection to anti-abortion groups.
9) Tiller's Women's Health Care Services clinic is one of just three in the nation where abortions are performed after the 21st week of pregnancy. The clinic was heavily fortified and Tiller often traveled with a bodyguard, but Stolz said there was no indication of security at the church Sunday.
10) Anti-abortion groups denounced the shooting and stressed that they support only nonviolent protest. The movement's leaders fear the killing could create a backlash just as they are scrutinizing U.S. Supreme Court nominee Sonia Sotomayor, whose views on abortion rights are not publicly known.
11) "We are shocked at this morning's disturbing news that Mr. Tiller was gunned down," Troy Newman, Operation Rescue's president, said in a statement. "Operation Rescue has worked for years through peaceful, legal means, and through the proper channels to see him brought to justice. We denounce vigilantism and the cowardly act that took place this morning."
12) But Randall Terry, a veteran anti-abortion activist who founded Operation Rescue and whose protests have often targeted Tiller, called the slain doctor "a mass murderer," adding: "He was an evil man -- his hands were covered with blood."
13) At Tiller's church, Adam Watkins, 20, said he was sitting in the middle of the congregation when he heard a small pop at the start of the service.
14) "We just thought a child had come in with a balloon and it had popped, had gone up and hit the ceiling and popped," Watkins said.
15) Another usher came in and told the congregation to remain seated, then escorted Tiller's wife out. "When she got to the back doors, we heard her scream, and so we knew something bad had happened," Watkins said.
16) President Barack Obama said he was "shocked and outraged" by the murder. "However profound our differences as Americans over difficult issues such as abortion, they cannot be resolved by heinous acts of violence," he said.
17) Reformation Lutheran Church held a special service Sunday evening. Dr. Michael Bates, who has known Tiller for more than 25 years, described it as a simple service featuring Bible readings. Reporters were kept out.
18) At a vigil in downtown Wichita that attracted a few hundred people, about 10 protesters from Topeka's Westboro Baptist Church held signs emblazoned with such messages as "Abortion is bloody murder" and "Baby killer in hell." The church is known for picketing military funerals.
19) The protesters and about 20 Tiller supporters shouted at each other. A large number of police officers stood by to make sure the scene stayed under control.
20) Tiller had in the past endured threats and violence. A protester shot Tiller in both arms in 1993, and his clinic was bombed in 1985. More recently, Monnat said Tiller had asked federal prosecutors to step up investigations of vandalism and other threats against the clinic out of fear that the incidents were increasing and that Tiller's safety was in jeopardy. Stolz, however, said police knew of no threats connected to the shooting.
21) In early May, Tiller had asked the FBI to investigate vandalism at his clinic, including cut wires to surveillance cameras and damage to the roof that sent rainwater pouring into the building.
22) In 1991, the Summer of Mercy protests organized by Operation Rescue drew thousands of anti-abortion activists to this city for demonstrations marked by civil disobedience and mass arrests.
23) Tiller began providing abortion services in 1973. He acknowledged abortion was as socially divisive as slavery or prohibition but said the issue was about giving women a choice when dealing with technology that can diagnose severe fetal abnormalities before a baby is born.
24) Nancy Keenan, president of abortion-rights group NARAL Pro-Choice America, issued a statement praising Tiller's commitment.
25) "Dr. Tiller's murder will send a chill down the spines of the brave and courageous providers and other professionals who are part of reproductive-health centers that serve women across this country. We want them to know that they have our support as they move forward in providing these essential services in the aftermath of the shocking news from Wichita," Keenan said.
26) The doctor's violent death was the latest in a string of shootings and bombings over two decades directed against abortion clinics, doctors and staff.
27) The last killing of an abortion doctor was in October 1998 when Dr. Barnett Slepian was fatally shot in his home in a suburb of Buffalo, New York. A militant abortion opponent was convicted of the murder.
28) Federal marshals protected Tiller during the 1991 Summer of Mercy protests, and he was protected again between 1994 and 1998 after another abortion provider was assassinated and federal authorities reported finding Tiller's name on an assassination list.
29) Someone named Scott Roeder, then 38, was charged in Topeka, Kansas, in 1996 with criminal use of explosives for having bomb components in his car trunk and sentenced to 24 months of probation. However, his conviction was overturned on appeal the next year after a higher court said evidence against Roeder was seized by law enforcement officers during an illegal search of his car.
30) At the time, police said the FBI had identified Roeder as a member of the anti-government Freemen group, an organization that kept the FBI at bay in Jordan, Montana, for almost three months in 1995-96.
31) Someone posting to the Web site of Operation Rescue in May 2007 used the name "Scott Roeder" in response to a scheduled vigil to "pray for an end to George R. Tiller's late-term abortion business."
32) "Bless everyone for attending and praying in May to bring justice to Tiller and the closing of his death camp," the posting read. "Sometime soon, would it be feasible to organize as many people as possible to attend Tillers church (inside, not just outside) to have much more of a presence and possibly ask questions of the Pastor, Deacons, Elders and members while there? Doesn't seem like it would hurt anything but bring more attention to Tiller."


US abortion doc killed in church; suspect held
(APW_ENG_20090601.0076)
1) Dr. George Tiller, one of the nation's few providers of late-term abortions despite decades of protests and attacks, was shot and killed Sunday in a church where he was serving as an usher.
2) The gunman fled, but a 51-year-old suspect was detained some 170 miles (275 kilometers) away in suburban Kansas City three hours after the shooting, Wichita Deputy Police Chief Tom Stolz said.
3) Although Stolz refused to release the man's name, Johnson County sheriff's spokesman Tom Erickson identified the detained man as Scott Roeder. He has not been charged in the slaying and was expected to be taken to Wichita for questioning.
4) Court records and Internet postings show that someone using the name Scott Roeder has a criminal past and has expressed anti-abortion opinions on sympathetic Web sites.
5) Long a focus of national anti-abortion groups, including a summer-long protest in 1991, Tiller was shot in the foyer of Reformation Lutheran Church. Tiller's attorney, Dan Monnat, said Tiller's wife, Jeanne, was in the choir at the time.
6) The slaying of the 67-year-old doctor is "an unspeakable tragedy," his widow, four children and 10 grandchildren said in statement. "This is particularly heart-wrenching because George was shot down in his house of worship, a place of peace."
7) The family said its loss "is also a loss for the city of Wichita and women across America. George dedicated his life to providing women with high-quality health care despite frequent threats and violence."
8) Stolz said all indications were that the gunman acted alone, although authorities were investigating whether he had any connection to anti-abortion groups.
9) Tiller's Women's Health Care Services clinic is one of just three in the nation where abortions are performed after the 21st week of pregnancy. The clinic was heavily fortified and Tiller often traveled with a bodyguard, but Stolz said there was no indication of security at the church Sunday.
10) Anti-abortion groups denounced the shooting and stressed that they support only nonviolent protest. The movement's leaders fear the killing could create a backlash just as they are scrutinizing U.S. Supreme Court nominee Sonia Sotomayor, whose views on abortion rights are not publicly known.
11) "We are shocked at this morning's disturbing news that Mr. Tiller was gunned down," Troy Newman, Operation Rescue's president, said in a statement. "Operation Rescue has worked for years through peaceful, legal means, and through the proper channels to see him brought to justice. We denounce vigilantism and the cowardly act that took place this morning."
12) But Randall Terry, a veteran anti-abortion activist who founded Operation Rescue and whose protests have often targeted Tiller, called the slain doctor "a mass murderer," adding: "He was an evil man -- his hands were covered with blood."
13) At Tiller's church, Adam Watkins, 20, said he was sitting in the middle of the congregation when he heard a small pop at the start of the service.
14) "We just thought a child had come in with a balloon and it had popped, had gone up and hit the ceiling and popped," Watkins said.
15) Another usher came in and told the congregation to remain seated, then escorted Tiller's wife out. "When she got to the back doors, we heard her scream, and so we knew something bad had happened," Watkins said.
16) President Barack Obama said he was "shocked and outraged" by the murder. "However profound our differences as Americans over difficult issues such as abortion, they cannot be resolved by heinous acts of violence," he said.
17) Reformation Lutheran Church held a special service Sunday evening. Dr. Michael Bates, who has known Tiller for more than 25 years, described it as a simple service featuring Bible readings. Reporters were kept out.
18) At a vigil in downtown Wichita that attracted a few hundred people, about 10 protesters from Topeka's Westboro Baptist Church held signs emblazoned with such messages as "Abortion is bloody murder" and "Baby killer in hell." The church is known for picketing military funerals.
19) The protesters and about 20 Tiller supporters shouted at each other. A large number of police officers stood by to make sure the scene stayed under control.
20) Tiller had in the past endured threats and violence. A protester shot Tiller in both arms in 1993, and his clinic was bombed in 1985. More recently, Monnat said Tiller had asked federal prosecutors to step up investigations of vandalism and other threats against the clinic out of fear that the incidents were increasing and that Tiller's safety was in jeopardy. Stolz, however, said police knew of no threats connected to the shooting.
21) In early May, Tiller had asked the FBI to investigate vandalism at his clinic, including cut wires to surveillance cameras and damage to the roof that sent rainwater pouring into the building.
22) In 1991, the Summer of Mercy protests organized by Operation Rescue drew thousands of anti-abortion activists to this city for demonstrations marked by civil disobedience and mass arrests.
23) Tiller began providing abortion services in 1973. He acknowledged abortion was as socially divisive as slavery or prohibition but said the issue was about giving women a choice when dealing with technology that can diagnose severe fetal abnormalities before a baby is born.
24) Nancy Keenan, president of abortion-rights group NARAL Pro-Choice America, issued a statement praising Tiller's commitment.
25) "Dr. Tiller's murder will send a chill down the spines of the brave and courageous providers and other professionals who are part of reproductive-health centers that serve women across this country. We want them to know that they have our support as they move forward in providing these essential services in the aftermath of the shocking news from Wichita," Keenan said.
26) The doctor's violent death was the latest in a string of shootings and bombings over two decades directed against abortion clinics, doctors and staff.
27) The last killing of an abortion doctor was in October 1998 when Dr. Barnett Slepian was fatally shot in his home in a suburb of Buffalo, New York. A militant abortion opponent was convicted of the murder.
28) Federal marshals protected Tiller during the 1991 Summer of Mercy protests, and he was protected again between 1994 and 1998 after another abortion provider was assassinated and federal authorities reported finding Tiller's name on an assassination list.
29) Someone named Scott Roeder, then 38, was charged in Topeka, Kansas, in 1996 with criminal use of explosives for having bomb components in his car trunk and sentenced to 24 months of probation. However, his conviction was overturned on appeal the next year after a higher court said evidence against Roeder was seized by law enforcement officers during an illegal search of his car.
30) At the time, police said the FBI had identified Roeder as a member of the anti-government Freemen group, an organization that kept the FBI at bay in Jordan, Montana, for almost three months in 1995-96.
31) Someone posting to the Web site of Operation Rescue in May 2007 used the name "Scott Roeder" in response to a scheduled vigil to "pray for an end to George R. Tiller's late-term abortion business."
32) "Bleass everyone for attending and praying in May to bring justice to Tiller and the closing of his death camp," the posting read. "Sometime soon, would it be feasible to organize as many people as possible to attend Tillers church (inside, not just outside) to have much more of a presence and possibly ask questions of the Pastor, Deacons, Elders and members while there? Doesn't seem like it would hurt anything but bring more attention to Tiller."


US abortion doc killed in church; suspect held
(APW_ENG_20090601.0145)
1) Dr. George Tiller, one of the nation's few providers of late-term abortions despite decades of protests and attacks, was shot and killed Sunday in a church where he was serving as an usher.
2) The gunman fled, but a 51-year-old suspect was detained some 170 miles (275 kilometers) away in suburban Kansas City three hours after the shooting, Wichita Deputy Police Chief Tom Stolz said.
3) Although Stolz refused to release the man's name, Johnson County sheriff's spokesman Tom Erickson identified the detained man as Scott Roeder. A 51-year-old man named Scott Roeder was booked into the Sedgwick County Jail in Wichita on Sunday night on one count of first-degree murder and two counts of aggravated assault. He was being held without bond.
4) Court records and Internet postings show that someone using the name Scott Roeder has a criminal past and has expressed anti-abortion opinions on sympathetic Web sites.
5) Long a focus of national anti-abortion groups, including a summer-long protest in 1991, Tiller was shot in the foyer of Reformation Lutheran Church. Tiller's attorney, Dan Monnat, said Tiller's wife, Jeanne, was in the choir at the time.
6) The slaying of the 67-year-old doctor is "an unspeakable tragedy," his widow, four children and 10 grandchildren said in statement. "This is particularly heart-wrenching because George was shot down in his house of worship, a place of peace."
7) The family said its loss "is also a loss for the city of Wichita and women across America. George dedicated his life to providing women with high-quality health care despite frequent threats and violence."
8) Stolz said all indications were that the gunman acted alone, although authorities were investigating whether he had any connection to anti-abortion groups.
9) Tiller's Women's Health Care Services clinic is one of just three in the nation where abortions are performed after the 21st week of pregnancy. The clinic was heavily fortified and Tiller often traveled with a bodyguard, but Stolz said there was no indication of security at the church Sunday.
10) Anti-abortion groups denounced the shooting and stressed that they support only nonviolent protest. The movement's leaders fear the killing could create a backlash just as they are scrutinizing U.S. Supreme Court nominee Sonia Sotomayor, whose views on abortion rights are not publicly known.
11) "We are shocked at this morning's disturbing news that Mr. Tiller was gunned down," Troy Newman, Operation Rescue's president, said in a statement. "Operation Rescue has worked for years through peaceful, legal means, and through the proper channels to see him brought to justice. We denounce vigilantism and the cowardly act that took place this morning."
12) But Randall Terry, a veteran anti-abortion activist who founded Operation Rescue and whose protests have often targeted Tiller, called the slain doctor "a mass murderer," adding: "He was an evil man -- his hands were covered with blood."
13) At Tiller's church, Adam Watkins, 20, said he was sitting in the middle of the congregation when he heard a small pop at the start of the service.
14) "We just thought a child had come in with a balloon and it had popped, had gone up and hit the ceiling and popped," Watkins said.
15) Another usher came in and told the congregation to remain seated, then escorted Tiller's wife out. "When she got to the back doors, we heard her scream, and so we knew something bad had happened," Watkins said.
16) President Barack Obama said he was "shocked and outraged" by the murder. "However profound our differences as Americans over difficult issues such as abortion, they cannot be resolved by heinous acts of violence," he said.
17) Reformation Lutheran Church held a special service Sunday evening. Dr. Michael Bates, who has known Tiller for more than 25 years, described it as a simple service featuring Bible readings. Reporters were kept out.
18) At a vigil in downtown Wichita that attracted a few hundred people, about 10 protesters from Topeka's Westboro Baptist Church held signs emblazoned with such messages as "Abortion is bloody murder" and "Baby killer in hell." The church is known for picketing military funerals.
19) The protesters and about 20 Tiller supporters shouted at each other while police watched over them nearby.
20) Tiller had endured threats and violence in the past. A protester shot Tiller in both arms in 1993, and his clinic was bombed in 1985. More recently, Monnat said Tiller had asked federal prosecutors to step up investigations of vandalism and other threats against the clinic out of fear that the incidents were increasing and that Tiller's safety was in jeopardy. Stolz, however, said police knew of no threats connected to the shooting.
21) In early May, Tiller had asked the FBI to investigate vandalism at his clinic, including cut wires to surveillance cameras and damage to the roof that sent rainwater pouring into the building.
22) In 1991, the Summer of Mercy protests organized by Operation Rescue drew thousands of anti-abortion activists to this city for demonstrations marked by civil disobedience and mass arrests.
23) Tiller began providing abortion services in 1973. He acknowledged abortion was as socially divisive as slavery or prohibition but said the issue was about giving women a choice when dealing with technology that can diagnose severe fetal abnormalities before a baby is born.
24) Nancy Keenan, president of abortion-rights group NARAL Pro-Choice America, issued a statement praising Tiller's commitment.
25) "Dr. Tiller's murder will send a chill down the spines of the brave and courageous providers and other professionals who are part of reproductive-health centers that serve women across this country. We want them to know that they have our support as they move forward in providing these essential services in the aftermath of the shocking news from Wichita," Keenan said.
26) The doctor's violent death was the latest in a string of shootings and bombings over two decades directed against abortion clinics, doctors and staff.
27) The last killing of an abortion doctor was in October 1998 when Dr. Barnett Slepian was fatally shot in his home in a suburb of Buffalo, New York. A militant abortion opponent was convicted of the murder.
28) Federal marshals protected Tiller during the 1991 Summer of Mercy protests, and he was protected again between 1994 and 1998 after another abortion provider was assassinated and federal authorities reported finding Tiller's name on an assassination list.
29) Someone named Scott Roeder, then 38, was charged in Topeka, Kansas, in 1996 with criminal use of explosives for having bomb components in his car trunk and sentenced to 24 months of probation. However, his conviction was overturned on appeal the next year after a higher court said evidence against Roeder was seized by law enforcement officers during an illegal search of his car.
30) At the time, police said the FBI had identified Roeder as a member of the anti-government Freemen group, an organization that kept the FBI at bay in Jordan, Montana, for almost three months in 1995-96.
31) Someone posting to the Web site of Operation Rescue in May 2007 used the name "Scott Roeder" in response to a scheduled vigil to "pray for an end to George R. Tiller's late-term abortion business."
32) "Bleass everyone for attending and praying in May to bring justice to Tiller and the closing of his death camp," the posting read. "Sometime soon, would it be feasible to organize as many people as possible to attend Tillers church (inside, not just outside) to have much more of a presence and possibly ask questions of the Pastor, Deacons, Elders and members while there? Doesn't seem like it would hurt anything but bring more attention to Tiller."


Suspect jailed in Kansas abortion doctor ' s killing
(APW_ENG_20090601.0377)
1) A man suspected of shooting and killing a well-known doctor who performed late-term abortions was in jail Monday while investigators sought to learn more about his background, including the extent of his connections to anti-abortion groups.
2) Dr. George Tiller, 67, was serving as an usher during morning services Sunday when he was shot in the foyer of Reformation Lutheran Church, police said. The gunman fired one shot at Tiller and threatened two other people who tried to stop him.
3) The women's clinic run by Tiller is one of three in the U.S. where abortions are performed after the 21st week of pregnancy, when the fetus is considered viable, and has repeatedly been the site of protests for about two decades. A protester shot Tiller in both arms in 1993, and his clinic was bombed in 1985.
4) The suspect, identified by one law enforcement agency as Scott Roeder, was taken into custody some 170 miles (275 kilometers) away in a Kansas City suburb about three hours after the shooting.
5) Roeder, 51, was returned to Wichita and was being held without bond on one count of first-degree murder and two counts of aggravated assault. Formal charges were expected to be filed on Monday.
6) A man with the same name as the suspect has a criminal record and a background of anti-abortion postings on sympathetic Web sites. In one post written in 2007 on the Web site for Operation Rescue, a group that closely followed Tiller's work and legal troubles in recent years, a man identifying himself as Scott Roeder asked if anyone had thought of attending Tiller's church to ask the doctor and other worshippers about his work.
7) But police said Sunday that all early indications showed the shooter acted alone. Operation Rescue condemned the killing as vigilantism and "a cowardly act." The president of the group told The New York Times that Roeder was "not a friend, not a contributor, not a volunteer."
8) In 1996, a 38-year-old man named Scott Roeder was charged in Topeka with criminal use of explosives for having bomb components in his car trunk and sentenced to 24 months of probation. However, his conviction was overturned on appeal the next year after a higher court said evidence against Roeder was seized by law enforcement officers during an illegal search of his car.
9) At the time, police said the FBI had identified Roeder as a member of the anti-government Freemen group, an organization that kept the FBI at bay in Jordan, Montana, for almost three months in 1995-96. Authorities on Sunday night would not immediately confirm if their suspect was the same man.
10) In May 2007, someone posting to the Web site of the anti-abortion group Operation Rescue used the name "Scott Roeder" in response to a scheduled vigil to "pray for an end to George R. Tiller's late-term abortion business."
11) "Bleass everyone for attending and praying in May to bring justice to Tiller and the closing of his death camp," the posting read. "Sometime soon, would it be feasible to organize as many people as possible to attend Tillers church (inside, not just outside) to have much more of a presence and possibly ask questions of the Pastor, Deacons, Elders and members while there? Doesn't seem like it would hurt anything but bring more attention to Tiller."
12) The slaying quickly brought condemnation from both anti-abortion and pro-choice groups, as well as President Barack Obama.
13) "However profound our differences as Americans over difficult issues such as abortion, they cannot be resolved by heinous acts of violence," Obama said in a statement.
14) Wichita Deputy Police Chief Tom Stolz said that Tiller apparently did not have a bodyguard with him in church, although the doctor was routinely accompanied by one. An attorney for Tiller, Dan Monnat, said the doctor's wife, Jeanne, was in the choir at the time of the shooting.
15) Monnat said in early May that Tiller had asked federal prosecutors to step up investigations of vandalism and other threats against the clinic out of fear that the incidents were increasing and that Tiller's safety was in jeopardy. However, Stolz said authorities knew of no threats connected to the shooting.
16) Adam Watkins, a 20-year-old who said he has attended the church his entire life, said he was sitting in the middle of the congregation when he heard a small pop at the start of the service.
17) "We just thought a child had come in with a balloon and it had popped, had gone up and hit the ceiling and popped," Watkins said.
18) Another usher came in and told the congregation to remain seated, then escorted Tiller's wife out.
19) "When she got to the back doors, we heard her scream, and so we knew something bad had happened," Watkins said.
20) Church members said anti-abortion protesters have shown up outside the church on Sundays regularly.
21) "They've been out here for quite a few years. We've just become accustomed to it. Just like an everyday thing, you just looked over and see them and say, 'Yup they're back again.'"
22) He added: "We had no idea that someone would come into our church and do such a bad thing like that -- inside of a church."
23) The last killing of an abortion doctor was in October 1998 when Dr. Barnett Slepian was fatally shot in his home in a suburb of Buffalo, New York A militant abortion opponent was convicted of the murder.
24) Federal marshals protected Tiller during the 1991 Summer of Mercy protests, and he was protected again between 1994 and 1998 after another abortion provider was assassinated and federal authorities reported finding Tiller's name at the top of an assassination list.
25) One of the few remaining late-term abortion clinics is in Boulder, Colorado, where Dr. Warren Hern denounced Tiller's killing as the "inevitable and predictable consequence of decades of anti-abortion" rhetoric and violence.
26) "Dr. Tiller's assassination is not the lone and inexplicable action of one deranged killer," Hern said Sunday. "This was a political assassination in a historic pattern of anti-abortion political violence. It was terrorism."


Suspect jailed in Kansas abortion doctor ' s killing
(APW_ENG_20090601.0457)
1) A man suspected of shooting and killing Dr. George Tiller, one of the few doctors in the U.S. who performed late-term abortions, was in jail Monday while investigators sought to learn more about his background, including the extent of his connections to anti-abortion groups.
2) Tiller, 67, was serving as an usher during morning services Sunday when he was shot in the foyer of Reformation Lutheran Church, police said. The gunman fired one shot at Tiller and threatened two other people who tried to stop him.
3) The suspect, identified by one law enforcement agency as Scott Roeder, was taken into custody some 170 miles (274 kilometers) away in a Kansas City suburb about three hours after the shooting.
4) Tiller had been a lightning rod for abortion opponents for decades. The women's clinic he ran is one of three in the nation where abortions are performed after the 21st week of pregnancy, when the fetus is considered viable, and has been the site of repeated protests for about two decades. A protester shot Tiller in both arms in 1993, and his clinic was bombed in 1985.
5) Roeder, 51, was returned to Wichita and was being held without bond on one count of first-degree murder and two counts of aggravated assault. Formal charges were expected to be filed on Monday.
6) A man with the same name as the suspect has a criminal record and a background of anti-abortion postings on sympathetic Web sites. In one post written in 2007 on the Web site for Operation Rescue, a group that closely followed Tiller's work and legal troubles in recent years, a man identifying himself as Scott Roeder asked if anyone had thought of attending Tiller's church to ask the doctor and other worshippers about his work.
7) But police said Sunday that all early indications showed the shooter acted alone. Operation Rescue condemned the killing as vigilantism and "a cowardly act." The president of the group told The New York Times that Roeder was "not a friend, not a contributor, not a volunteer."
8) In 1996, a 38-year-old man named Scott Roeder was charged in Topeka with criminal use of explosives for having bomb components in his car trunk and sentenced to 24 months of probation. However, his conviction was overturned on appeal the next year after a higher court said evidence against Roeder was seized by law enforcement officers during an illegal search of his car.
9) At the time, police said the FBI had identified Roeder as a member of the anti-government Freemen group, an organization that kept the FBI at bay in Jordan, Montana, for almost three months in 1995-96. Authorities on Sunday night would not immediately confirm if their suspect was the same man.
10) Morris Wilson, a commander of the Kansas Unorganized Citizens Militia in the mid-1990s, told The Kansas City Star he knew Roeder fairly well.
11) "I'd say he's a good ol' boy, except he was just so fanatic about abortion," Wilson said. "He was always talking about how awful abortion was. But there's a lot of people who think abortion is awful."
12) In May 2007, someone posting to the Web site of the anti-abortion group Operation Rescue used the name "Scott Roeder" in response to a scheduled vigil to "pray for an end to George R. Tiller's late-term abortion business."
13) "Bleass everyone for attending and praying in May to bring justice to Tiller and the closing of his death camp," the posting read. "Sometime soon, would it be feasible to organize as many people as possible to attend Tillers church (inside, not just outside) to have much more of a presence and possibly ask questions of the Pastor, Deacons, Elders and members while there? Doesn't seem like it would hurt anything but bring more attention to Tiller."
14) The slaying quickly brought condemnation from both anti-abortion and pro-choice groups, as well as President Barack Obama.
15) "However profound our differences as Americans over difficult issues such as abortion, they cannot be resolved by heinous acts of violence," Obama said in a statement.


Suspect jailed in Kansas abortion doctor ' s killing
(APW_ENG_20090601.0481)
1) A man suspected of fatally shooting abortion doctor George Tiller in church was in jail Monday while investigators sought to learn more about his background, including his possible connections to anti-abortion groups.
2) Tiller, 67, was serving as an usher during morning services Sunday when he was shot in the foyer of Reformation Lutheran Church, police said. The gunman fired one shot at Tiller and threatened two other people who tried to stop him.
3) The suspect, identified by one law enforcement agency as Scott Roeder, was taken into custody some 170 miles (274 kilometers) away in a Kansas City suburb about three hours after the shooting.
4) Tiller had been a lightning rod for abortion opponents for decades. The women's clinic he ran is one of three in the nation where abortions are performed after the 21st week of pregnancy, when the fetus is considered viable, and has been the site of repeated protests for about two decades. A protester shot Tiller in both arms in 1993, and his clinic was bombed in 1985.
5) Roeder, 51, was returned to Wichita and was being held without bond on one count of first-degree murder and two counts of aggravated assault. Formal charges were expected to be filed on Monday.
6) In Washington, the U.S. Marshals Service said that as a result of Tiller's shooting, Attorney General Eric Holder had ordered it to "increase security for a number of individuals and facilities" in the country. Jeff Carter, U.S. Marshals spokesman, said he could not disclose details.
7) A man with the same name as the suspect has a criminal record and a background of anti-abortion postings on sympathetic Web sites. In one post written in 2007 on the Web site for Operation Rescue, a group that closely followed Tiller's work and legal troubles in recent years, a man identifying himself as Scott Roeder asked if anyone had thought of attending Tiller's church to ask the doctor and other worshippers about his work.
8) But police said Sunday that all early indications showed the shooter acted alone. Operation Rescue condemned the killing as vigilantism and "a cowardly act." The president of the group told The New York Times that Roeder was "not a friend, not a contributor, not a volunteer."
9) In 1996, a 38-year-old man named Scott Roeder was charged in Topeka with criminal use of explosives for having bomb components in his car trunk and sentenced to 24 months of probation. However, his conviction was overturned on appeal the next year after a higher court said evidence against Roeder was seized by law enforcement officers during an illegal search of his car.
10) At the time, police said the FBI had identified Roeder as a member of the anti-government Freemen group, an organization that kept the FBI at bay in Jordan, Montana, for almost three months in 1995-96. Authorities on Sunday night would not immediately confirm if their suspect was the same man.
11) Morris Wilson, a commander of the Kansas Unorganized Citizens Militia in the mid-1990s, told The Kansas City Star he knew Roeder fairly well.
12) "I'd say he's a good ol' boy, except he was just so fanatic about abortion," Wilson said. "He was always talking about how awful abortion was. But there's a lot of people who think abortion is awful."
13) In May 2007, someone posting to the Web site of the anti-abortion group Operation Rescue used the name "Scott Roeder" in response to a scheduled vigil to "pray for an end to George R. Tiller's late-term abortion business."
14) "Bleass everyone for attending and praying in May to bring justice to Tiller and the closing of his death camp," the posting read. "Sometime soon, would it be feasible to organize as many people as possible to attend Tillers church (inside, not just outside) to have much more of a presence and possibly ask questions of the Pastor, Deacons, Elders and members while there? Doesn't seem like it would hurt anything but bring more attention to Tiller."
15) The slaying quickly brought condemnation from both anti-abortion and pro-choice groups, as well as President Barack Obama.
16) "However profound our differences as Americans over difficult issues such as abortion, they cannot be resolved by heinous acts of violence," Obama said in a statement.


Suspect jailed in Kansas abortion doctor ' s killing
(APW_ENG_20090601.0764)
1) A man suspected of fatally shooting abortion doctor George Tiller in church was in jail Monday while investigators sought to learn more about his background, including his possible connections to anti-abortion groups.
2) Tiller, 67, was serving as an usher during morning services Sunday when he was shot in the foyer of Reformation Lutheran Church, police said. The gunman fired one shot at Tiller and threatened two other people who tried to stop him.
3) The suspect, identified by one law enforcement agency as Scott Roeder, was taken into custody some 170 miles (274 kilometers) away in a Kansas City suburb about three hours after the shooting.
4) Tiller had been a lightning rod for abortion opponents for decades. The women's clinic he ran is one of three in the nation where abortions are performed after the 21st week of pregnancy, when the fetus is considered viable, and has been the site of repeated protests for about two decades.
5) A protester shot Tiller in both arms in 1993, and his clinic was bombed in 1985.
6) Roeder, 51, was returned to Wichita and was being held without bail on one count of first-degree murder and two counts of aggravated assault. Formal charges were expected to be filed Monday.
7) Outside the clinic Monday morning, flowers were placed along a fence, and the anti-abortion group Kansas Coalition for Life left a sign saying members had prayed for Tiller's change of heart, "not his murder."
8) In Washington, the U.S. Marshals Service said that as a result of Tiller's shooting, Attorney General Eric Holder had ordered it to "increase security for a number of individuals and facilities." It gave no details.
9) Tiller himself last had protection from the U.S. Marshals in 2001, and he and other doctors received such protection at different times in the 1990s.
10) A man with the same name as the suspect has a criminal record and a background of anti-abortion postings on sympathetic Web sites. In one post written in 2007 on the Web site for the militant anti-abortion group Operation Rescue, a man identifying himself as Scott Roeder asked if anyone had thought of attending Tiller's church to ask the doctor and other worshippers about his work. "Doesn't seem like it would hurt anything but bring more attention to Tiller," the post said.
11) But police said Sunday that all early indications showed the shooter acted alone.
12) Operation Rescue condemned the killing as vigilantism and "a cowardly act," and the group's president, Troy Newman, said Roeder "has never been a member, contributor or volunteer." He may have posted to the organization's open Internet blog, Newman said, but so have thousands of nonmembers.
13) But Operation Rescue founder Randall Terry, whose protests have often targeted Tiller, called the slain doctor "a mass murderer," adding: "He was an evil man -- his hands were covered with blood."
14) In 1996, a 38-year-old man named Scott Roeder was charged in Topeka with criminal use of explosives for having bomb components in his car trunk and sentenced to 24 months of probation. However, his conviction was overturned on appeal the next year after a higher court said evidence against Roeder was seized by law enforcement officers during an illegal search of his car.
15) At the time, police said the FBI had identified Roeder as a member of the anti-government Freemen group, an organization that kept the FBI at bay in Jordan, Montana, for almost three months in 1995-96. Authorities on Sunday night would not immediately confirm if their suspect was the same man.
16) Morris Wilson, a commander of the Kansas Unorganized Citizens Militia in the mid-1990s, told The Kansas City Star he knew Roeder fairly well.
17) "I'd say he's a good ol' boy, except he was just so fanatic about abortion," Wilson said. "He was always talking about how awful abortion was. But there's a lot of people who think abortion is awful."
18) The slaying quickly brought condemnation from both anti-abortion and pro-choice groups, as well as President Barack Obama.
19) "However profound our differences as Americans over difficult issues such as abortion, they cannot be resolved by heinous acts of violence," Obama said in a statement.
20) Wichita Deputy Police Chief Tom Stolz said that Tiller apparently did not have a bodyguard with him in church, although the doctor was routinely accompanied by one. An attorney for Tiller, Dan Monnat, said the doctor's wife, Jeanne, was in the choir at the time of the shooting.
21) Monnat said in early May that Tiller had asked federal prosecutors to step up investigations of vandalism and other threats against the clinic out of fear that the incidents were increasing and that Tiller's safety was in jeopardy. However, Stolz said authorities knew of no threats connected to the shooting.
22) The last killing of an abortion doctor was in October 1998 when Dr. Barnett Slepian was fatally shot in his home in a suburb of Buffalo, New York. A militant abortion opponent was convicted of the murder.
23) Monnat told ABC's "Good Morning America" that Tiller had been supported by his wife and children in his decision to continue providing abortion services.
24) "If Dr Tiller is not going to service a woman's right to chose, who will do it?" Monnat said.
25) "Many of those have been terrorized and run off by protesters," he said about other abortion providers.


Suspect jailed in Kansas abortion doctor ' s killing
(APW_ENG_20090601.0795)
1) A man suspected of fatally shooting abortion doctor George Tiller in church was in jail Monday while investigators sought to learn more about his background, including his possible connections to anti-abortion groups.
2) Tiller, 67, was serving as an usher during morning services Sunday when he was shot in the foyer of Reformation Lutheran Church, police said. The gunman fired one shot at Tiller and threatened two other people who tried to stop him.
3) The suspect, identified by one law enforcement agency as Scott Roeder, was taken into custody some 170 miles away in a Kansas City suburb about three hours after the shooting.
4) At a news briefing Monday morning, Wichita authorities said charges had not yet been filed and said they were not releasing any new information. The FBI also has been investigating, and it was not clear if charges would be filed in state or federal court.
5) Tiller had been a lightning rod for abortion opponents for decades. The women's clinic he ran is one of three in the nation where abortions are performed after the 21st week of pregnancy, when the fetus is considered viable, and has been the site of repeated protests for about two decades.
6) A protester shot Tiller in both arms in 1993, and his clinic was bombed in 1985.
7) Roeder, 51, was returned to Wichita and was being held without bail on one count of first-degree murder and two counts of aggravated assault. Formal charges were expected to be filed Monday.
8) Outside the clinic Monday morning, flowers were placed along a fence, and the anti-abortion group Kansas Coalition for Life left a sign saying members had prayed for Tiller's change of heart, "not his murder."
9) In Washington, the U.S. Marshals Service said that as a result of Tiller's shooting, Attorney General Eric Holder had ordered it to "increase security for a number of individuals and facilities." It gave no details.
10) Tiller himself last had protection from the U.S. Marshals in 2001, and he and other doctors received such protection at different times in the 1990s.
11) A man with the same name as the suspect has a criminal record and a background of anti-abortion postings on sympathetic Web sites. In one post written in 2007 on the Web site for the militant anti-abortion group Operation Rescue, a man identifying himself as Scott Roeder asked if anyone had thought of attending Tiller's church to ask the doctor and other worshippers about his work. "Doesn't seem like it would hurt anything but bring more attention to Tiller," the post said.
12) But police said Sunday that all early indications showed the shooter acted alone.
13) Operation Rescue condemned the killing as vigilantism and "a cowardly act," and the group's president, Troy Newman, said Roeder "has never been a member, contributor or volunteer." He may have posted to the organization's open Internet blog, Newman said, but so have thousands of nonmembers.
14) But Operation Rescue founder Randall Terry, whose protests have often targeted Tiller, called the slain doctor "a mass murderer," adding: "He was an evil man -- his hands were covered with blood."
15) In 1996, a 38-year-old man named Scott Roeder was charged in Topeka with criminal use of explosives for having bomb components in his car trunk and sentenced to 24 months of probation. However, his conviction was overturned on appeal the next year after a higher court said evidence against Roeder was seized by law enforcement officers during an illegal search of his car.
16) At the time, police said the FBI had identified Roeder as a member of the anti-government Freemen group, an organization that kept the FBI at bay in Jordan, Montana, for almost three months in 1995-96. Authorities on Sunday night would not immediately confirm if their suspect was the same man.
17) Morris Wilson, a commander of the Kansas Unorganized Citizens Militia in the mid-1990s, told The Kansas City Star he knew Roeder fairly well.
18) "I'd say he's a good ol' boy, except he was just so fanatic about abortion," Wilson said. "He was always talking about how awful abortion was. But there's a lot of people who think abortion is awful."
19) The slaying quickly brought condemnation from both anti-abortion and pro-choice groups, as well as President Barack Obama.
20) "However profound our differences as Americans over difficult issues such as abortion, they cannot be resolved by heinous acts of violence," Obama said in a statement.
21) Wichita Deputy Police Chief Tom Stolz said that Tiller apparently did not have a bodyguard with him in church, although the doctor was routinely accompanied by one. An attorney for Tiller, Dan Monnat, said the doctor's wife, Jeanne, was in the choir at the time of the shooting.
22) Monnat said in early May that Tiller had asked federal prosecutors to step up investigations of vandalism and other threats against the clinic out of fear that the incidents were increasing and that Tiller's safety was in jeopardy. However, Stolz said authorities knew of no threats connected to the shooting.
23) The last killing of an abortion doctor was in October 1998 when Dr. Barnett Slepian was fatally shot in his home in a suburb of Buffalo, New York. A militant abortion opponent was convicted of the murder.
24) Monnat told ABC's "Good Morning America" that Tiller had been supported by his wife and children in his decision to continue providing abortion services.
25) "If Dr Tiller is not going to service a woman's right to chose, who will do it?" Monnat said.
26) "Many of those have been terrorized and run off by protesters," he said about other abortion providers.


Suspect jailed in Kansas abortion doctor ' s killing
(APW_ENG_20090601.0914)
1) A man suspected of fatally shooting abortion doctor George Tiller in church was in jail Monday while investigators sought to learn more about his background, including his possible connections to anti-abortion groups.
2) Tiller, 67, was serving as an usher during morning services Sunday when he was shot in the foyer of Reformation Lutheran Church, police said. The gunman fired one shot at Tiller and threatened two other people who tried to stop him.
3) The suspect, identified by one law enforcement agency as Scott Roeder, was taken into custody some 170 miles (274 kilometers) away in a Kansas City suburb about three hours after the shooting.
4) Sedgwick County District Attorney Nola Foulston indicated that charges will not be filed Monday. Foulston noted that the state has 48 hours to charge anyone who is in custody and said she planned to take the full two days to decide. She said any charges would be filed in state court.
5) "We have taken jurisdiction," she said.
6) Also, a law enforcement official says investigators have searched two homes as part of the inquiry into Tiller's killing. The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to discuss the investigation, says the homes are in Merriam, Kansas, and the other is in Kansas City, Missouri.
7) The official did not know what turned up during the searches.
8) Roeder's former wife, Lindsey Roeder, said he had lived at a house in Merriam but moved out months ago and was currently living in the Westport area of Kansas City.
9) Tiller had been a lightning rod for abortion opponents for decades. The women's clinic he ran is one of three in the nation where abortions are performed after the 21st week of pregnancy, when the fetus is considered viable, and has been the site of repeated protests for about two decades.
10) A protester shot Tiller in both arms in 1993, and his clinic was bombed in 1985.
11) Roeder, 51, was returned to Wichita and was being held without bail on one count of first-degree murder and two counts of aggravated assault.
12) Outside the clinic Monday morning, flowers were placed along a fence, and the anti-abortion group Kansas Coalition for Life left a sign saying members had prayed for Tiller's change of heart, "not his murder."
13) In Washington, the U.S. Marshals Service said that as a result of Tiller's shooting, Attorney General Eric Holder had ordered it to "increase security for a number of individuals and facilities." It gave no details.
14) Tiller himself last had protection from the U.S. marshals in 2001, and he and other doctors received such protection at different times in the 1990s.
15) A man with the same name as the suspect has a criminal record and a background of anti-abortion postings on sympathetic Web sites. In one post written in 2007 on the Web site for the militant anti-abortion group Operation Rescue, a man identifying himself as Scott Roeder asked if anyone had thought of attending Tiller's church to ask the doctor and other worshippers about his work. "Doesn't seem like it would hurt anything but bring more attention to Tiller," the post said.
16) But police said Sunday that all early indications showed the shooter acted alone.
17) Operation Rescue condemned the killing as vigilantism and "a cowardly act," and the group's president, Troy Newman, said Roeder "has never been a member, contributor or volunteer." He may have posted to the organization's open Internet blog, Newman said, but so have thousands of nonmembers.
18) But Operation Rescue founder Randall Terry, whose protests have often targeted Tiller, called the slain doctor "a mass murderer," adding: "He was an evil man -- his hands were covered with blood."
19) In 1996, a 38-year-old man named Scott Roeder was charged in Topeka with criminal use of explosives for having bomb components in his car trunk and sentenced to 24 months of probation. However, his conviction was overturned on appeal the next year after a higher court said evidence against Roeder was seized by law enforcement officers during an illegal search of his car.
20) At the time, police said the FBI had identified Roeder as a member of the anti-government Freemen group, an organization that kept the FBI at bay in Jordan, Mont., for almost three months in 1995-96. Authorities on Sunday night would not immediately confirm if their suspect was the same man.
21) Morris Wilson, a commander of the Kansas Unorganized Citizens Militia in the mid-1990s, told The Kansas City Star he knew Roeder fairly well.
22) "I'd say he's a good ol' boy, except he was just so fanatic about abortion," Wilson said. "He was always talking about how awful abortion was. But there's a lot of people who think abortion is awful."
23) The slaying quickly brought condemnation from both anti-abortion and abortion-rights groups, as well as President Barack Obama.
24) "However profound our differences as Americans over difficult issues such as abortion, they cannot be resolved by heinous acts of violence," Obama said in a statement.
25) Wichita Deputy Police Chief Tom Stolz said Tiller apparently did not have a bodyguard with him in church, although the doctor was routinely accompanied by one. An attorney for Tiller, Dan Monnat, said the doctor's wife, Jeanne, was in the choir at the time of the shooting.
26) Monnat said in early May that Tiller had asked federal prosecutors to step up investigations of vandalism and other threats against the clinic out of fear that the incidents were increasing and that Tiller's safety was in jeopardy. However, Stolz said authorities knew of no threats connected to the shooting.
27) The last killing of an abortion doctor was in October 1998 when Dr. Barnett Slepian was fatally shot in his home in a suburb of Buffalo, New York. A militant abortion opponent was convicted of the murder.


Suspect jailed in Kansas abortion doctor ' s killing
(APW_ENG_20090601.1160)
1) A man suspected of shooting to death a well known provider of late-term abortions was in jail Monday while investigators looked into possible connections to anti-abortion groups.
2) Dr. George Tiller, 67, was serving as an usher during morning services Sunday when he was shot in the foyer of Reformation Lutheran Church in Wichita, Kansas, police said. The gunman fired one shot at Tiller and threatened two other people who tried to stop him.
3) The suspect, identified by one law enforcement agency as Scott Roeder, was taken into custody some 170 miles (270 kilometers) away in a Kansas City suburb about three hours after the shooting.
4) His brother, David Roeder, told The Topeka Capital-Journal the family is "shocked, horrified and filled with sadness at the death of Dr. Tiller" and the possible involvement of their relative.
5) He called his sibling "kind and loving," but said he suffered from mental illness at times in his life.
6) "None of us ever saw Scott as a person capable of or willing to take another person's life," David Roeder said.
7) Tiller had been a lightning rod for abortion opponents for decades. The women's clinic he ran is one of three in the United States where abortions are performed after the 21st week of pregnancy, when the fetus is considered viable, and has been the site of repeated protests for about two decades.
8) A protester shot Tiller in both arms in 1993, and his clinic was bombed in 1985.
9) Sedgwick County District Attorney Nola Foulston indicated that charges against Scott Roeder will not be filed Monday. Foulston noted that the state has 48 hours to charge anyone who is in custody and said she planned to take the full two days to decide. She said any charges would be filed in state court.
10) Also, a law enforcement official said investigators have searched two homes as part of the inquiry into Tiller's killing. The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to discuss the investigation, said the homes are in Merriam, Kansas, and directly across the border in Kansas City, Missouri.
11) Roeder's former wife, Lindsey Roeder, said he had lived at a house in Merriam but moved out months ago.
12) Roeder, 51, was returned to Wichita and was being held without bail on one count of first-degree murder and two counts of aggravated assault.
13) Outside the clinic, flowers were placed along a fence, and the anti-abortion group Kansas Coalition for Life left a sign saying members had prayed for Tiller's change of heart, "not his murder."
14) In Washington, the U.S. Marshals Service said that as a result of Tiller's shooting, Attorney General Eric Holder had ordered it to "increase security for a number of individuals and facilities." It gave no details.
15) Tiller himself last had protection from the U.S. marshals in 2001. He and other doctors received such protection at different times in the 1990s.
16) A man with the same name as the suspect has a criminal record and a background of anti-abortion postings on sympathetic Web sites. In one post written in 2007 on the Web site for the militant anti-abortion group Operation Rescue, a man identifying himself as Scott Roeder asked if anyone had thought of attending Tiller's church to ask the doctor and other worshippers about his work. "Doesn't seem like it would hurt anything but bring more attention to Tiller," the post said.
17) But police said all early indications showed the shooter acted alone.
18) Operation Rescue condemned the killing as vigilantism and "a cowardly act," and the group's president, Troy Newman, said Roeder "has never been a member, contributor or volunteer." He may have posted to the organization's open Internet blog, Newman said, but so have thousands of nonmembers.
19) Operation Rescue founder Randall Terry, whose protests have often targeted Tiller, called the slain doctor "a mass murderer," adding: "He was an evil man -- his hands were covered with blood."
20) In 1996, a 38-year-old man named Scott Roeder was charged in Topeka with criminal use of explosives for having bomb components in his car trunk and sentenced to 2 years of probation. However, his conviction was overturned on appeal the next year after a higher court said evidence against Roeder was seized by law enforcement officers during an illegal search of his car.
21) At the time, police said the FBI had identified Roeder as a member of the anti-government Freemen group, an organization that kept the FBI at bay in Jordan, Montana, for almost three months in 1995-96. Authorities would not immediately confirm if their suspect was the same man.
22) Morris Wilson, a commander of the Kansas Unorganized Citizens Militia in the mid-1990s, told The Kansas City Star he knew Roeder fairly well.
23) "I'd say he's a good ol' boy, except he was just so fanatic about abortion," Wilson said. "He was always talking about how awful abortion was. But there's a lot of people who think abortion is awful."
24) The slaying quickly brought condemnation from both anti-abortion and abortion-rights groups, as well as President Barack Obama.
25) "However profound our differences as Americans over difficult issues such as abortion, they cannot be resolved by heinous acts of violence," Obama said in a statement.
26) Wichita Deputy Police Chief Tom Stolz said Tiller apparently did not have a bodyguard with him in church, although the doctor was routinely accompanied by one. An attorney for Tiller, Dan Monnat, said the doctor's wife, Jeanne, was in the choir at the time of the shooting.
27) Monnat said in early May that Tiller had asked federal prosecutors to step up investigations of vandalism and other threats against the clinic out of fear that the incidents were increasing and that Tiller's safety was in jeopardy.
28) The last U.S. killing of an abortion doctor was in October 1998 when Dr. Barnett Slepian was fatally shot in his home in a suburb of Buffalo, New York. A militant abortion opponent was convicted of the murder.
29) One of Tiller's lawyers and friends, Dan Monnat, told ABC's "Good Morning America" that Tiller had been supported by his wife and children in his decision to continue providing abortion services.
30) "If Dr Tiller is not going to service a woman's right to chose, who will do it?" Monnat said.
31) "Many of those have been terrorized and run off by protesters," he said about other abortion providers.


Suspect jailed in Kansas abortion doctor ' s killing
(APW_ENG_20090601.1197)
1) A man suspected of shooting to death a well known provider of late-term abortions was in jail Monday while investigators looked into possible connections to anti-abortion groups.
2) Dr. George Tiller, 67, was serving as an usher during morning services Sunday when he was shot in the foyer of Reformation Lutheran Church in Wichita, Kansas, police said. The gunman fired one shot at Tiller and threatened two other people who tried to stop him.
3) The suspect, identified by one law enforcement agency as Scott Roeder, was taken into custody some 170 miles (270 kilometers) away in a Kansas City suburb about three hours after the shooting.
4) His brother, David Roeder, told The Topeka Capital-Journal the family is "shocked, horrified and filled with sadness at the death of Dr. Tiller" and the possible involvement of their relative.
5) He called his sibling "kind and loving," but said he suffered from mental illness at times in his life.
6) "None of us ever saw Scott as a person capable of or willing to take another person's life," David Roeder said.
7) Tiller had been a lightning rod for abortion opponents for decades. The women's clinic he ran is one of three in the United States where abortions are performed after the 21st week of pregnancy, when the fetus is considered viable, and has been the site of repeated protests for about two decades.
8) A protester shot Tiller in both arms in 1993, and his clinic was bombed in 1985.
9) Sedgwick County District Attorney Nola Foulston indicated that charges against Scott Roeder will not be filed Monday. Foulston noted that the state has 48 hours to charge anyone who is in custody and said she planned to take the full two days to decide. She said any charges would be filed in state court.
10) Also, a law enforcement official said investigators have searched two homes as part of the inquiry into Tiller's killing. The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to discuss the investigation, said the homes are in Merriam, Kansas, and directly across the border in Kansas City, Missouri.
11) Roeder's former wife, Lindsey Roeder, said he had lived at a house in Merriam but moved out months ago.
12) Roeder, 51, was returned to Wichita and was being held without bail on one count of first-degree murder and two counts of aggravated assault.
13) Outside the clinic, flowers were placed along a fence, and the anti-abortion group Kansas Coalition for Life left a sign saying members had prayed for Tiller's change of heart, "not his murder."
14) In Washington, the U.S. Marshals Service said that as a result of Tiller's shooting, Attorney General Eric Holder had ordered it to "increase security for a number of individuals and facilities." It gave no details.
15) Tiller himself last had protection from the U.S. marshals in 2001. He and other doctors received such protection at different times in the 1990s.
16) A man with the same name as the suspect has a criminal record and a background of anti-abortion postings on sympathetic Web sites. In one post written in 2007 on the Web site for the militant anti-abortion group Operation Rescue, a man identifying himself as Scott Roeder asked if anyone had thought of attending Tiller's church to ask the doctor and other worshippers about his work. "Doesn't seem like it would hurt anything but bring more attention to Tiller," the post said.
17) But police said all early indications showed the shooter acted alone.
18) Operation Rescue condemned the killing as vigilantism and "a cowardly act," and the group's president, Troy Newman, said Roeder "has never been a member, contributor or volunteer." He may have posted to the organization's open Internet blog, Newman said, but so have thousands of nonmembers.
19) Operation Rescue founder Randall Terry, whose protests have often targeted Tiller, called the slain doctor "a mass murderer," adding: "He was an evil man -- his hands were covered with blood."
20) In 1996, a 38-year-old man named Scott Roeder was charged in Topeka with criminal use of explosives for having bomb components in his car trunk and sentenced to 2 years of probation. However, his conviction was overturned on appeal the next year after a higher court said evidence against Roeder was seized by law enforcement officers during an illegal search of his car.
21) At the time, police said the FBI had identified Roeder as a member of the anti-government Freemen group, an organization that kept the FBI at bay in Jordan, Montana, for almost three months in 1995-96. Authorities would not immediately confirm if their suspect was the same man.
22) Morris Wilson, a commander of the Kansas Unorganized Citizens Militia in the mid-1990s, told The Kansas City Star he knew Roeder fairly well.
23) "I'd say he's a good ol' boy, except he was just so fanatic about abortion," Wilson said. "He was always talking about how awful abortion was. But there's a lot of people who think abortion is awful."
24) The slaying quickly brought condemnation from both anti-abortion and abortion-rights groups, as well as President Barack Obama.
25) "However profound our differences as Americans over difficult issues such as abortion, they cannot be resolved by heinous acts of violence," Obama said in a statement.
26) Wichita Deputy Police Chief Tom Stolz said Tiller apparently did not have a bodyguard with him in church, although the doctor was routinely accompanied by one. An attorney for Tiller, Dan Monnat, said the doctor's wife, Jeanne, was in the choir at the time of the shooting.
27) Monnat said in early May that Tiller had asked federal prosecutors to step up investigations of vandalism and other threats against the clinic out of fear that the incidents were increasing and that Tiller's safety was in jeopardy.
28) The last U.S. killing of an abortion doctor was in October 1998 when Dr. Barnett Slepian was fatally shot in his home in a suburb of Buffalo, New York. A militant abortion opponent was convicted of the murder.
29) One of Tiller's lawyers and friends, Dan Monnat, told CBS's "The Early Show" that Tiller had been supported by his wife and children in his decision to continue providing abortion services.
30) "If Dr Tiller is not going to service a woman's right to chose, who will do it?" Monnat said.
31) "Many of those have been terrorized and run off by protesters," he said about other abortion providers.


Suspect jailed in Kansas abortion doctor ' s killing
(APW_ENG_20090601.1282)
1) A man suspected of shooting to death a well known provider of late-term abortions harbored a burning, "eye-for-an-eye" anger toward abortion doctors.
2) He once subscribed to a magazine suggesting "justifiable homicide" against them, and apparently likened Dr. George Tiller to the Nazi death-camp doctor Josef Mengele.
3) Tiller, 67, was serving as an usher during morning services Sunday when he was shot in the foyer of Reformation Lutheran Church in Wichita, Kansas, police said. The gunman fired one shot at Tiller and threatened two other people who tried to stop him.
4) The suspect, identified by one law enforcement agency as Scott Roeder, 51, was taken into custody some 170 miles (270 kilometers) away in a Kansas City suburb about three hours after the shooting. He was in jail Monday on suspicion of murder.
5) His brother, David Roeder, told The Topeka Capital-Journal the family is "shocked, horrified and filled with sadness at the death of Dr. Tiller" and the possible involvement of their relative.
6) He called his sibling "kind and loving," but said he suffered from mental illness at times in his life.
7) "None of us ever saw Scott as a person capable of or willing to take another person's life," David Roeder said.
8) Tiller had been a lightning rod for abortion opponents for decades. The women's clinic he ran is one of three in the United States where abortions are performed after the 21st week of pregnancy, when the fetus is considered viable, and has been the site of repeated protests for about two decades.
9) A protester shot Tiller in both arms in 1993, and his clinic was bombed in 1985.
10) Sedgwick County District Attorney Nola Foulston indicated that charges against Scott Roeder will not be filed Monday. Foulston noted that the state has 48 hours to charge anyone who is in custody and said she planned to take the full two days to decide. She said any charges would be filed in state court.
11) Also, a law enforcement official said investigators have searched two homes as part of the inquiry into Tiller's killing. The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to discuss the investigation, said the homes are in Merriam, Kansas, and directly across the border in Kansas City, Missouri.
12) Roeder's former wife, Lindsey Roeder, said he had lived at a house in Merriam but moved out months ago.
13) Roeder, 51, was returned to Wichita and was being held without bail on one count of first-degree murder and two counts of aggravated assault.
14) Outside the clinic, flowers were placed along a fence, and the anti-abortion group Kansas Coalition for Life left a sign saying members had prayed for Tiller's change of heart, "not his murder."
15) In Washington, the U.S. Marshals Service said that as a result of Tiller's shooting, Attorney General Eric Holder had ordered it to "increase security for a number of individuals and facilities." It gave no details.
16) Tiller himself last had protection from the U.S. marshals in 2001. He and other doctors received such protection at different times in the 1990s.
17) A man with the same name as the suspect has a criminal record and a background of anti-abortion postings on sympathetic Web sites, including one that referred to the doctor as the "concentration camp Mengele of our day" -- a reference to the Nazi doctor who performed ghastly medical experiments on Jews and others at Auschwitz.
18) The posting said Tiller "needs to be stopped before he and those who protect him bring judgment upon our nation."
19) In one post written in 2007 on the Web site for the militant anti-abortion group Operation Rescue, a man identifying himself as Scott Roeder asked if anyone had thought of attending Tiller's church to ask the doctor and other worshippers about his work. "Doesn't seem like it would hurt anything but bring more attention to Tiller," the post said.
20) But police said all early indications showed the shooter acted alone.
21) Operation Rescue condemned the killing as vigilantism and "a cowardly act," and the group's president, Troy Newman, said Roeder "has never been a member, contributor or volunteer." He may have posted to the organization's open Internet blog, Newman said, but so have thousands of nonmembers.
22) Operation Rescue founder Randall Terry, whose protests have often targeted Tiller, called the slain doctor "a mass murderer," adding: "He was an evil man -- his hands were covered with blood."
23) In 1996, a 38-year-old man named Scott Roeder was charged in Topeka with criminal use of explosives for having bomb components in his car trunk and sentenced to 2 years of probation. However, his conviction was overturned on appeal the next year after a higher court said evidence against Roeder was seized by law enforcement officers during an illegal search of his car.
24) At the time, police said the FBI had identified Roeder as a member of the anti-government Freemen group, an organization that kept the FBI at bay in Jordan, Montana, for almost three months in 1995-96. Authorities would not immediately confirm if their suspect was the same man.
25) Morris Wilson, a commander of the Kansas Unorganized Citizens Militia in the mid-1990s, told The Kansas City Star he knew Roeder fairly well.
26) "I'd say he's a good ol' boy, except he was just so fanatic about abortion," Wilson said. "He was always talking about how awful abortion was. But there's a lot of people who think abortion is awful."
27) The slaying quickly brought condemnation from both anti-abortion and abortion-rights groups, as well as President Barack Obama.
28) "However profound our differences as Americans over difficult issues such as abortion, they cannot be resolved by heinous acts of violence," Obama said in a statement.
29) Wichita Deputy Police Chief Tom Stolz said Tiller apparently did not have a bodyguard with him in church, although the doctor was routinely accompanied by one. An attorney for Tiller, Dan Monnat, said the doctor's wife, Jeanne, was in the choir at the time of the shooting.
30) Monnat said in early May that Tiller had asked federal prosecutors to step up investigations of vandalism and other threats against the clinic out of fear that the incidents were increasing and that Tiller's safety was in jeopardy.
31) The last U.S. killing of an abortion doctor was in October 1998 when Dr. Barnett Slepian was fatally shot in his home in a suburb of Buffalo, New York. A militant abortion opponent was convicted of the murder.
32) One of Tiller's lawyers and friends, Dan Monnat, told CBS's "The Early Show" that Tiller had been supported by his wife and children in his decision to continue providing abortion services.
33) "If Dr Tiller is not going to service a woman's right to chose, who will do it?" Monnat said.
34) "Many of those have been terrorized and run off by protesters," he said about other abortion providers.



2009-06-02
Suspect jailed in Kansas abortion doctor ' s killing
(APW_ENG_20090602.0066)
1) A man suspected of shooting to death a well known provider of late-term abortions harbored a burning, "eye-for-an-eye" anger toward abortion doctors.
2) He once subscribed to a magazine suggesting "justifiable homicide" against them, and apparently likened Dr. George Tiller to the Nazi death-camp doctor Josef Mengele.
3) Tiller, 67, was serving as an usher during morning services Sunday when he was shot in the foyer of Reformation Lutheran Church in Wichita, Kansas, police said. The gunman fired one shot at Tiller and threatened two other people who tried to stop him.
4) The suspect, identified by one law enforcement agency as Scott Roeder, 51, was taken into custody some 170 miles (270 kilometers) away in a Kansas City suburb about three hours after the shooting. He was in jail Monday on suspicion of murder.
5) His brother, David Roeder, told The Topeka Capital-Journal the family is "shocked, horrified and filled with sadness at the death of Dr. Tiller" and the possible involvement of their relative.
6) He called his sibling "kind and loving," but said he suffered from mental illness at times in his life.
7) "None of us ever saw Scott as a person capable of or willing to take another person's life," David Roeder said.
8) Tiller had been a lightning rod for abortion opponents for decades. The women's clinic he ran is one of three in the United States where abortions are performed after the 21st week of pregnancy, when the fetus is considered viable, and has been the site of repeated protests for about two decades.
9) A protester shot Tiller in both arms in 1993, and his clinic was bombed in 1985.
10) Sedgwick County District Attorney Nola Foulston indicated that charges against Scott Roeder will not be filed Monday. Foulston noted that the state has 48 hours to charge anyone who is in custody and said she planned to take the full two days to decide. She said any charges would be filed in state court.
11) Also, a law enforcement official said investigators have searched two homes as part of the inquiry into Tiller's killing. The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to discuss the investigation, said the homes are in Merriam, Kansas, and directly across the border in Kansas City, Missouri.
12) Roeder's former wife, Lindsey Roeder, said he had lived at a house in Merriam but moved out months ago.
13) Scott Roeder, 51, was returned to Wichita and was being booked without bail on one count of first-degree murder and two counts of aggravated assault.
14) Outside the clinic, flowers were placed along a fence, and the anti-abortion group Kansas Coalition for Life left a sign saying members had prayed for Tiller's change of heart, "not his murder."
15) In Washington, the U.S. Marshals Service said that as a result of Tiller's shooting, Attorney General Eric Holder had ordered it to "increase security for a number of individuals and facilities." It gave no details.
16) Tiller himself last had protection from the U.S. marshals in 2001. He and other doctors received such protection at different times in the 1990s.
17) A man with the same name as the suspect has a criminal record and a background of anti-abortion postings on sympathetic Web sites, including one that referred to the doctor as the "concentration camp Mengele of our day" -- a reference to the Nazi doctor who performed ghastly medical experiments on Jews and others at Auschwitz.
18) The posting said Tiller "needs to be stopped before he and those who protect him bring judgment upon our nation."
19) In one post written in 2007 on the Web site for the militant anti-abortion group Operation Rescue, a man identifying himself as Scott Roeder asked if anyone had thought of attending Tiller's church to ask the doctor and other worshippers about his work. "Doesn't seem like it would hurt anything but bring more attention to Tiller," the post said.
20) But police said all early indications showed the shooter acted alone.
21) Operation Rescue condemned the killing as vigilantism and "a cowardly act," and the group's president, Troy Newman, said Roeder "has never been a member, contributor or volunteer." He may have posted to the organization's open Internet blog, Newman said, but so have thousands of nonmembers.
22) Operation Rescue founder Randall Terry, whose protests have often targeted Tiller, called the slain doctor "a mass murderer," adding: "He was an evil man -- his hands were covered with blood."
23) In 1996, a 38-year-old man named Scott Roeder was charged in Topeka with criminal use of explosives for having bomb components in his car trunk and sentenced to 2 years of probation. However, his conviction was overturned on appeal the next year after a higher court said evidence against Roeder was seized by law enforcement officers during an illegal search of his car.
24) At the time, police said the FBI had identified Roeder as a member of the anti-government Freemen group, an organization that kept the FBI at bay in Jordan, Montana, for almost three months in 1995-96. Authorities would not immediately confirm if their suspect was the same man.
25) Morris Wilson, a commander of the Kansas Unorganized Citizens Militia in the mid-1990s, told The Kansas City Star he knew Roeder fairly well.
26) "I'd say he's a good ol' boy, except he was just so fanatic about abortion," Wilson said. "He was always talking about how awful abortion was. But there's a lot of people who think abortion is awful."
27) The slaying quickly brought condemnation from both anti-abortion and abortion-rights groups, as well as President Barack Obama.
28) "However profound our differences as Americans over difficult issues such as abortion, they cannot be resolved by heinous acts of violence," Obama said in a statement.
29) Wichita Deputy Police Chief Tom Stolz said Tiller apparently did not have a bodyguard with him in church, although the doctor was routinely accompanied by one. An attorney for Tiller, Dan Monnat, said the doctor's wife, Jeanne, was in the choir at the time of the shooting.
30) Monnat said in early May that Tiller had asked federal prosecutors to step up investigations of vandalism and other threats against the clinic out of fear that the incidents were increasing and that Tiller's safety was in jeopardy.
31) The last U.S. killing of an abortion doctor was in October 1998 when Dr. Barnett Slepian was fatally shot in his home in a suburb of Buffalo, New York. A militant abortion opponent was convicted of the murder.
32) One of Tiller's lawyers and friends, Dan Monnat, told CBS's "The Early Show" that Tiller had been supported by his wife and children in his decision to continue providing abortion services.
33) "If Dr Tiller is not going to service a woman's right to chose, who will do it?" Monnat said.
34) "Many of those have been terrorized and run off by protesters," he said about other abortion providers.


US doctor refused to quit: ' I know they need me '
(APW_ENG_20090602.0317)
1) To some he was an unflinching hero, to others a remorseless villain. As a late-term abortion doctor, George Tiller knew he had chosen a dangerous career, one that made him a lightning rod. His clinic was a fortress, his days marred by threats, but he refused to give up what he saw as his life's mission.
2) "He never wavered," says Susie Gilligan, who knew Tiller as part of her work in the Feminist Majority Foundation. "He never backed away. He had incredible strength. When you spoke to him, he was a soft-spoken man, a very gentle man. He said, 'This is what I have to do. Women need me. I know they need me.'"
3) Tiller, 67, whose Wichita, Kansas, clinic had been the target of anti-abortion protests for more than two decades, was fatally shot Sunday while serving as an usher at his church. The suspect, identified by police as Scott Roeder, was taken into custody three hours later. He was booked without bail on one count of first-degree murder and two counts of aggravated assault.
4) As one of a few doctors across the nation to perform third-trimester abortions, Tiller had survived an earlier shooting, his clinic was bombed, his home picketed. He hired a Brink's armored truck to take him to work for several weeks, he had federal marshals protecting him for 30 months. He built a new surgical center without windows and he was known to wear a bulletproof vest, sometimes even to church.
5) Through it all, he stood defiant.
6) When a pipe bomb heavily damaged his clinic in the mid 1980s, he hung a sign outside the rubble saying: "Hell, No. We Won't Go!" He offered a $10,000 award -- which was never collected.
7) When thousands of protesters gathered at the Women's Health Care Services clinic in 1991 for the 45-day "Summer of Mercy" demonstration staged by Operation Rescue, he was again unbowed.
8) "I am a willing participant in this conflict," he said at the time. "I choose to be here because I feel that it is the moral, it is the ethical thing to do."
9) He told The Wichita Eagle newspaper in 1991 that prayer and meditation helped him through hard times. "If I'm OK on the inside," he said, "what people say on the outside does not make much difference."
10) When a woman passing out anti-abortion literature shot him in both arms outside the clinic two years later, he briefly pursued her by car, recalls Peggy Bowman, his former spokeswoman. "He didn't even know he was shot and all of a sudden he saw this blood (and figured), 'I probably shouldn't spend my time chasing this woman,'" she says.
11) Tiller suffered minor wounds -- and was back at the clinic the next day. (That's when he hired the armored truck.)
12) This spring, Tiller was acquitted of misdemeanor charges of violating Kansas restrictions on late-term abortions. Shortly after, the state's medical board announced it was investigating allegations against him that were nearly identical to those a jury had rejected.
13) Tiller's outspokenness rankled his critics, who decried as a publicity stunt his offer several years ago to provide free abortions on the anniversary of the Roe vs. Wade Supreme Court decision that legalized abortion. He said at the time at least 32 low-income women signed up for the free first-trimester abortions.
14) Abortion opponents also claimed Tiller's large financial involvement in Kansas politics thwarted prosecutions against him. They routinely blamed Tiller's "corrupt influences in the government" whenever legislation strengthening state abortion laws failed to pass the Legislature or was vetoed by the governor.
15) While anti-abortion activists have condemned Tiller's death, Randall Terry, founder of Operation Rescue -- who also said the gunman was wrong -- told the National Press Club on Monday the doctor was "a mass murderer and, horrifically, he reaped what he sowed."
16) Tiller, a former Navy flight surgeon, hadn't planned to be an abortion doctor. He hoped to become a dermatologist.
17) But when his father, also a doctor, died in a plane crash (his mother, sister and brother-in-law also were killed), he took over the family practice. He soon learned the elder Tiller had performed abortions.
18) "In reading through some of his records, he realized his father had done abortions when they were illegal," says Bowman, his former spokeswoman. "At first, he was really shocked. Then in going through those charts, he totally began to understand the importance of this service."
19) Friends and colleagues say Tiller, a father of four and grandfather of 10, was a strong-willed, unassuming man who was quick with a hug or a joke. He decorated his office with family photos. He cherished rituals; he raised American flags in his clinic parking lot after the 1991 protests were over and later gave them to volunteers.
20) "He was never riled, he was always calm and cool," says Eleanor Smeal, president of the Feminist Majority Foundation. "He was a very serious man, but a very good-natured one."
21) In a 2008 speech to a young women's leadership conference sponsored by the foundation, he said he was on a hit list in 1994, leading to federal protection. His wife was stalked, he said, and the names of his vendors were made public on the Internet.
22) "But the good news," he said, "is we still live in the United States of America" and Roe vs. Wade allows women the opportunity to terminate pregnancies.
23) Dr. Susan Robinson, a California obstetrician-gynecologist who calls Tiller her mentor, recalls one day when she asked him: "How can you stand it being in a pressure cooker?' He said, 'If it it's none of my business, I don't get involved. If it doesn't matter, I don't get involved. If there's nothing I can do about it, I don't get involved.' "
24) But it was clear his work had taken a toll. Willow Eby, who worked as a volunteer escort at the clinic, remembers a conference she attended last year for abortion providers where he talked about his work.
25) "He explained that this would take your youth, it would take your energy, it would wear you down," she recalls. "But he said he would not let down the women who needed him badly."
26) Tiller once said his "gifts of understanding" helped him bring a service to women that aided them in fulfilling their dreams of a happy, healthy family. It was important, he said, that women have a choice when dealing with technology that can diagnose severe fetal abnormalities before a baby is born.
27) "Prenatal testing without prenatal choices is medical fraud," he declared.
28) Colleagues said Tiller's office walls were lined with letters from patients expressing their thanks.
29) One woman who turned to him was Miriam Kleiman, of northern Virginia. Nine years ago, a routine sonogram revealed her 29-week-old fetus had major brain abnormalities that prevented the baby's heart and lungs from functioning properly.
30) Doctors told her the baby would die in utero or soon after of birth. Kleiman's doctors told her a third trimester abortion was not possible.
31) Kleiman says she could not bear a two-month death watch. "There was a baby dying inside of me, and it wasn't if, but when," she says.
32) After desperate pleas, she says, a doctor scribbled Tiller's name on a scrap of paper. She and her husband flew to Wichita and drove through a gauntlet of protesters to the fortress-like clinic.
33) She remembers Tiller and his staff as kind and compassionate. She had the abortion and brought home her baby to be buried.
34) Kleiman, who now has two sons, says she cried when she heard of Tiller's death while watching her son's soccer game.
35) "I fear," she says, "that other people might not have this option in the future -- to have a medical option that was safe, that was legal and allowed us to say goodbye with dignity."


US doctor refused to quit: ' I know they need me '
(APW_ENG_20090602.0424)
1) To some he was an unflinching hero, to others a remorseless villain. As a late-term abortion doctor, George Tiller knew he had chosen a dangerous career, one that made him a lightning rod. His clinic was a fortress, his days marred by threats, but he refused to give up what he saw as his life's mission.
2) "He never wavered," says Susie Gilligan, who knew Tiller as part of her work in the Feminist Majority Foundation. "He never backed away. He had incredible strength. When you spoke to him, he was a soft-spoken man, a very gentle man. He said, 'This is what I have to do. Women need me. I know they need me.'"
3) Tiller, 67, whose Wichita, Kansas, clinic had been the target of anti-abortion protests for more than two decades, was fatally shot Sunday while serving as an usher at his church. The suspect, identified by police as Scott Roeder, was taken into custody three hours later on suspicion of murder.
4) As one of a few doctors across the nation to perform third-trimester abortions, Tiller had survived an earlier shooting, his clinic was bombed, his home picketed. He hired a Brink's armored truck to take him to work for several weeks, he had federal marshals protecting him for 30 months. He built a new surgical center without windows and he was known to wear a bulletproof vest, sometimes even to church.
5) Through it all, he stood defiant.
6) When a pipe bomb heavily damaged his clinic in the mid 1980s, he hung a sign outside the rubble saying: "Hell, No. We Won't Go!" He offered a $10,000 award -- which was never collected.
7) When thousands of protesters gathered at the Women's Health Care Services clinic in 1991 for the 45-day "Summer of Mercy" demonstration staged by Operation Rescue, he was again unbowed.
8) "I am a willing participant in this conflict," he said at the time. "I choose to be here because I feel that it is the moral, it is the ethical thing to do."
9) He told The Wichita Eagle newspaper in 1991 that prayer and meditation helped him through hard times. "If I'm OK on the inside," he said, "what people say on the outside does not make much difference."
10) When a woman passing out anti-abortion literature shot him in both arms outside the clinic two years later, he briefly pursued her by car, recalls Peggy Bowman, his former spokeswoman. "He didn't even know he was shot and all of a sudden he saw this blood (and figured), 'I probably shouldn't spend my time chasing this woman,'" she says.
11) Tiller suffered minor wounds -- and was back at the clinic the next day. (That's when he hired the armored truck.)
12) This spring, Tiller was acquitted of misdemeanor charges of violating Kansas restrictions on late-term abortions. Shortly after, the state's medical board announced it was investigating allegations against him that were nearly identical to those a jury had rejected.
13) Tiller's outspokenness rankled his critics, who decried as a publicity stunt his offer several years ago to provide free abortions on the anniversary of the Roe vs. Wade Supreme Court decision that legalized abortion. He said at the time at least 32 low-income women signed up for the free first-trimester abortions.
14) Abortion opponents also claimed Tiller's large financial involvement in Kansas politics thwarted prosecutions against him. They routinely blamed Tiller's "corrupt influences in the government" whenever legislation strengthening state abortion laws failed to pass the Legislature or was vetoed by the governor.
15) While anti-abortion activists have condemned Tiller's death, Randall Terry, founder of Operation Rescue -- who also said the gunman was wrong -- told the National Press Club on Monday the doctor was "a mass murderer and, horrifically, he reaped what he sowed."
16) Tiller, a former Navy flight surgeon, hadn't planned to be an abortion doctor. He hoped to become a dermatologist.
17) But when his father, also a doctor, died in a plane crash (his mother, sister and brother-in-law also were killed), he took over the family practice. He soon learned the elder Tiller had performed abortions.
18) "In reading through some of his records, he realized his father had done abortions when they were illegal," says Bowman, his former spokeswoman. "At first, he was really shocked. Then in going through those charts, he totally began to understand the importance of this service."
19) Friends and colleagues say Tiller, a father of four and grandfather of 10, was a strong-willed, unassuming man who was quick with a hug or a joke. He decorated his office with family photos. He cherished rituals; he raised American flags in his clinic parking lot after the 1991 protests were over and later gave them to volunteers.
20) "He was never riled, he was always calm and cool," says Eleanor Smeal, president of the Feminist Majority Foundation. "He was a very serious man, but a very good-natured one."
21) In a 2008 speech to a young women's leadership conference sponsored by the foundation, he said he was on a hit list in 1994, leading to federal protection. His wife was stalked, he said, and the names of his vendors were made public on the Internet.
22) "But the good news," he said, "is we still live in the United States of America" and Roe vs. Wade allows women the opportunity to terminate pregnancies.
23) Dr. Susan Robinson, a California obstetrician-gynecologist who calls Tiller her mentor, recalls one day when she asked him: "How can you stand it being in a pressure cooker?' He said, 'If it it's none of my business, I don't get involved. If it doesn't matter, I don't get involved. If there's nothing I can do about it, I don't get involved.' "
24) But it was clear his work had taken a toll. Willow Eby, who worked as a volunteer escort at the clinic, remembers a conference she attended last year for abortion providers where he talked about his work.
25) "He explained that this would take your youth, it would take your energy, it would wear you down," she recalls. "But he said he would not let down the women who needed him badly."
26) Tiller once said his "gifts of understanding" helped him bring a service to women that aided them in fulfilling their dreams of a happy, healthy family. It was important, he said, that women have a choice when dealing with technology that can diagnose severe fetal abnormalities before a baby is born.
27) "Prenatal testing without prenatal choices is medical fraud," he declared.
28) Colleagues said Tiller's office walls were lined with letters from patients expressing their thanks.
29) One woman who turned to him was Miriam Kleiman, of northern Virginia. Nine years ago, a routine sonogram revealed her 29-week-old fetus had major brain abnormalities that prevented the baby's heart and lungs from functioning properly.
30) Doctors told her the baby would die in utero or soon after birth. Kleiman's doctors told her a third trimester abortion was not possible.
31) Kleiman says she could not bear a two-month death watch. "There was a baby dying inside of me, and it wasn't if, but when," she says.
32) After desperate pleas, she says, a doctor scribbled Tiller's name on a scrap of paper. She and her husband flew to Wichita and drove through a gauntlet of protesters to the fortress-like clinic.
33) She remembers Tiller and his staff as kind and compassionate. She had the abortion and brought home her baby to be buried.
34) Kleiman, who now has two sons, says she cried when she heard of Tiller's death while watching her son's soccer game.
35) "I fear," she says, "that other people might not have this option in the future -- to have a medical option that was safe, that was legal and allowed us to say goodbye with dignity."


Man charged with murder in doctor killing
(APW_ENG_20090602.1164)
1) Scott Roeder has been charged with first-degree murder in the shooting death of late-term abortion provider Dr. George Tiller in church.
2) The 51-year-old Roeder was charged Tuesday and appeared in a Wichita, Kansas, court via video from jail.
3) Roeder is accused of killing Tiller on Sunday as the doctor served as an usher at his Lutheran church in Wichita. Roeder also is charged with aggravated assault for allegedly threatening two people who tried to stop him.



2009-06-03
Doctor wants to carry on Tiller ' s mission
(APW_ENG_20090603.0001)
1) Physician LeRoy Carhart wants to continue providing late-term abortions after the brazen slaying of his friend and colleague, but the Nebraska doctor doesn't have anywhere to perform them -- and he's one of only a handful of providers that will.
2) Dr. George Tiller's Wichita, Kansas, clinic was shuttered Sunday after the 67-year-old physician was gunned down at his church. His family said Tuesday that they were unsure when it would reopen, posing a problem for Carhart, who wants to carry on his friend's mission.
3) Carhart, 67, is one of a handful of remaining doctors in the United States who perform third-trimester abortions, and it is uncertain if a new generation of providers will take over the cause. Schools and universities don't offer many programs to train physicians on how to perform the procedure, and Carhart said younger doctors who might be interested in stepping forward are afraid they or their families will be harmed.
4) Tiller's slaying underlined that fear. On Tuesday, Kansas authorities charged 51-year-old Scott Roeder, a staunch abortion opponent, with first-degree murder in Tiller's death.
5) "Dr. Tiller and I and all our friends know that tomorrow is never a given," Carhart told The Associated Press. "I think what we have to do is not let this loss of his life affect our goals in life, No. 1, and we need to do things so he's never forgotten."
6) Carhart, a vocal abortion rights advocate who has for years been at the epicenter of the debate on what abortion foes call partial-birth abortions, first met Tiller more than 20 years ago and began working at the Wichita clinic a decade ago. He said he regularly traveled to Kansas for a few days every third week. He only performs third-term abortions in Kansas at Tiller's clinic.
7) The former Air Force surgeon also operates his own clinic, Abortion & Contraception Clinic of Nebraska, in a nondescript two-story building in a working-class neighborhood of Bellevue, an Omaha suburb. But he said he doesn't perform abortions past the 22nd week of pregnancy there because of his state's legal restrictions on abortions.
8) "Nebraska state law is based on viability. Nobody has defined that," he told the AP. "It's much cheaper to go build a new clinic in Kansas than to try to define what viability means in Nebraska."
9) The type of late-term abortions performed by Tiller, Carhart and the handful of others are rare. More than 820,000 abortions were performed in the United States in 2005, according to the most recent available data from the Centers for Disease Control.
10) Less than 2 percent of abortions occur at 21 weeks of pregnancy or later, according to Guttmacher Institute, a reproductive-health think tank. It is unknown how many are done specifically in the third trimester, but Carhart said 75 to 100 of the "several thousand" abortions he performs annually are in the third trimester.
11) Abortion rights advocates also worry the group of physicians who can provide the service is dwindling.
12) "There are very, very few abortions that happen at that time," said Nancy Northrup, president of the Center for Reproductive Rights, who said she worries about a "severe shortage" of physicians who can perform the procedure. "People who need those services need caring and compassionate and qualified doctors like Dr. Tiller who are able to provide those services."
13) With Tiller's death, there are fewer than 10 doctors who perform third-trimester abortions in the U.S., Carhart estimated, and though he has worked with younger physicians before, he hasn't trained any abortion providers in third-trimester techniques for at least five years.
14) Carhart, with his wife Mary by his side at a news conference Tuesday, said he'd be willing to train younger doctors but few want to put themselves or their families at risk.
15) "Young people starting families aren't going to want to go into abortion practice," Mary Carhart said. "If you were young with little kids, would you want abortion opponents outside your house?"
16) A day after Tiller was shot, Carhart vowed to reopen his friend's Kansas clinic and continue Tiller's mission. But on Tuesday, Tiller's family said there were no plans to reopen the bunker-like clinic's doors. Carhart said he remains hopeful that Tiller's family will change their minds, but if not, he hopes another abortion provider will open a clinic in Kansas where he can work part-time.
17) For Carhart, the dispute over abortion has long been personal. In 1991, his family's rural home and belongings burned in a fire apparently started by an abortion foe.
18) But the Nebraska doctor said he's determined to continue doing what he does -- despite any risks.
19) "As long as you have a terrorist who is willing to walk into a church and kill one person, as long as that element is in society, this is the risk we take," he said. "You can't live your life based on fear. You have to live by your principles."


Doctor wants to carry on Tiller ' s mission
(APW_ENG_20090603.0068)
1) Physician LeRoy Carhart wants to continue providing late-term abortions after the brazen slaying of his friend and colleague, but the Nebraska doctor doesn't have anywhere to perform them -- and he's one of only a handful of providers that will.
2) Dr. George Tiller's Wichita, Kansas, clinic was shuttered Sunday after the 67-year-old physician was gunned down at his church. His family said Tuesday that they were unsure when it would reopen, posing a problem for Carhart, who wants to carry on his friend's mission.
3) Carhart, 67, is one of a handful of remaining doctors in the United States who perform third-trimester abortions, and it is uncertain if a new generation of providers will take over the cause. Schools and universities don't offer many programs to train physicians on how to perform the procedure, and Carhart said younger doctors who might be interested in stepping forward are afraid they or their families will be harmed.
4) Tiller's slaying underlined that fear. On Tuesday, Kansas authorities charged 51-year-old Scott Roeder, a staunch abortion opponent, with first-degree murder in Tiller's death.
5) "Dr. Tiller and I and all our friends know that tomorrow is never a given," Carhart told The Associated Press. "I think what we have to do is not let this loss of his life affect our goals in life, No. 1, and we need to do things so he's never forgotten."
6) Carhart twice has appeared before the U.S. Supreme Court to challenge bans on so-called partial-birth abortions. In 2000, the high court ruled for Carhart in striking down a Nebraska law because it lacked an exception to preserve a woman's health and encompassed a more common abortion method.
7) Carhart, a vocal abortion rights advocate who has for years been at the epicenter of the debate on what abortion foes call partial-birth abortions, first met Tiller more than 20 years ago and began working at the Wichita clinic a decade ago. He said he regularly traveled to Kansas for a few days every third week. He only performs third-term abortions in Kansas at Tiller's clinic.
8) The former Air Force surgeon also operates his own clinic, Abortion & Contraception Clinic of Nebraska, in a nondescript two-story building in a working-class neighborhood of Bellevue, an Omaha suburb. But he said he does not perform abortions past the 22nd week of pregnancy there because of his state's legal restrictions on abortions.
9) "Nebraska state law is based on viability. Nobody has defined that," he told the AP. "It's much cheaper to go build a new clinic in Kansas than to try to define what viability means in Nebraska."
10) The type of late-term abortions performed by Tiller, Carhart and the handful of others are rare. More than 820,000 abortions were performed in the United States in 2005, according to the most recent available data from the Centers for Disease Control.
11) Less than 2 percent of abortions occur at 21 weeks of pregnancy or later, according to Guttmacher Institute, a reproductive-health think tank. It is unknown how many are done specifically in the third trimester, but Carhart said 75 to 100 of the "several thousand" abortions he performs annually are in the third trimester.
12) Abortion rights advocates also worry the group of physicians who can provide the service is dwindling.
13) "There are very, very few abortions that happen at that time," said Nancy Northrup, president of the Center for Reproductive Rights, who said she worries about a "severe shortage" of physicians who can perform the procedure. "People who need those services need caring and compassionate and qualified doctors like Dr. Tiller who are able to provide those services."
14) With Tiller's death, there are fewer than 10 doctors who perform third-trimester abortions in the U.S., Carhart estimated, and though he has worked with younger physicians before, he hasn't trained any abortion providers in third-trimester techniques for at least five years.
15) Carhart, with his wife Mary by his side at a news conference Tuesday, said he'd be willing to train younger doctors but few want to put themselves or their families at risk.
16) "Young people starting families aren't going to want to go into abortion practice," Mary Carhart said. "If you were young with little kids, would you want abortion opponents outside your house?"
17) A day after Tiller was shot, Carhart vowed to reopen his friend's Kansas clinic and continue Tiller's mission. But on Tuesday, Tiller's family said there were no plans to reopen the bunker-like clinic's doors. Carhart said he remains hopeful that Tiller's family will change their minds, but if not, he hopes another abortion provider will open a clinic in Kansas where he can work part-time.
18) For Carhart, the dispute over abortion has long been personal. In 1991, his family's rural home and belongings burned in a fire apparently started by an abortion foe.
19) But the Nebraska doctor said he's determined to continue doing what he does -- despite any risks.
20) "As long as you have a terrorist who is willing to walk into a church and kill one person, as long as that element is in society, this is the risk we take," he said. "You can't live your life based on fear. You have to live by your principles."



2009-06-04
Tiller death re-ignites clinic security concerns
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1) Four layers of bulletproof glass serve as windows at the clinic where Dr. Warren Hern performs abortions, a testament to the small fortune he's spent to protect himself and his staff against threats in the two decades since someone fired five shots into the building.
2) But the killing of longtime friend and colleague Dr. George Tiller in Kansas, and new threats received by Hern since Sunday's shooting, remind the Boulder, Colorado, doctor and abortion providers nationwide that only so much can be done to discourage violent opponents.
3) "They do write to me and say, 'Don't bother to wear a vest. We're going to go for a head shot,'" Hern said Wednesday, declining to say whether he owns a bulletproof vest or discuss further security details for fear of aiding would-be attackers.
4) Many clinic officials share Hern's reluctance but have acknowledged contacting law enforcement and re-evaluating security measures since Tiller was shot to death. Tiller was shot not at his clinic, but while serving as an usher during a Sunday church service in Wichita. Scott Roeder, 51, whose last known address was Kansas City, Missouri, has been charged with first-degree murder.
5) "As we see what happened with Dr. Tiller, you can have all the security in the world and still not be safe," said Tammi Kromenaker, director of the Red River Women's Clinic in Fargo, North Dakota.
6) Still, U.S Attorney General Eric Holder has ordered federal marshals to increase security for "a number of individuals and facilities." Boulder police spokeswoman Sarah Huntley said marshals are protecting Hern's clinic and police have added patrols.
7) "I can think of all kinds of things I could do last week that I can't do now," said Hern, without elaborating.
8) Violence against abortion providers in the 1980s and 1990s prompted many to hire guards, install metal detectors, fortify clinics and even drive reinforced vehicles. Some trained to deal with shootings and firebombings. Tiller's clinic was bombed in 1986; he was shot and wounded in both arms outside the facility in 1993.
9) Kate Michelman, former president of NARAL Pro-Choice America, said violence subsided after the 1990s with increased security and the 2000 election of President George W. Bush, an abortion opponent.
10) But she fears Tiller's death could be a harbinger now that Barack Obama is president. Obama has expressed support for the 1973 Roe v. Wade decision, opposed restrictions sought by anti-abortion groups and quickly reversed a policy that kept federal funds from going to international groups performing abortions.
11) "Historically, when those who oppose a woman's right to decide are frustrated politically, they get more violent," Michelman said. "I have been thinking about this ever since the election."
12) Tiller was among a handful U.S. physicians with a clinic specializing in third-trimester abortions, as is Hern, leading to greater scrutiny and protests by anti-abortion groups. Group leaders have distanced themselves from violent tactics and denounced Tiller's shooting.
13) With its Roe v. Wade ruling, the U.S. Supreme Court struck down state laws banning abortion. Still, various states have passed legislation to limit procedures, especially in the final months of pregnancy.
14) "We're equally shocked and horrified, and we are taking this week to grieve," said Troy Newman, president of Operation Rescue.
15) At Buffalo Womenservices in Buffalo, New York, Tiller's death is a difficult reminder of the 1998 slaying of Dr. Barnett Slepian, who worked at the clinic and was fatally shot in his suburban home. The building has security cameras and requires everyone entering to show identification, but spokeswoman Susan Ward said the staff is reviewing security measures again.
16) "It just brings back all the memories that we had when Dr. Slepian was murdered here," Ward said.
17) Officials elsewhere acknowledged vigilance.
18) "I wasn't scared and I'm not scared, but there is a need for heightened awareness," said Pat Sandin, executive director of the Midwest Health Center for Women in Minneapolis.
19) Michelman said she believes clinics are safe but doctors will remain ill at ease.
20) "In the end, as this horrific incident demonstrates, if someone is out to get you and they are determined -- and have a chorus encouraging them and drawing a bulls-eye on Dr. Tiller's back -- there's not much you can do to stop them," she said.



2009-06-06
Hundreds attend funeral for slain abortion doctor
(APW_ENG_20090606.0464)
1) Hundreds of people have gathered for the funeral honoring slain abortion provider Dr. George Tiller in Wichita, Kansas.
2) About 700 mourners filled the sanctuary of the College Hill United Methodist Church on Saturday and about 200 others watched a closed-circuit television broadcast in another room.
3) The funeral also drew small groups of abortion protesters and counter-protesters.
4) Tiller's Wichita clinic drew regular protests because it was among the few in the U.S. performing third-trimester abortions.
5) Also arriving at the church were about 50 motorcyclists from the American Legion Riders, honoring Tiller's service in the Navy.
6) A large portrait of Tiller hung at the front of the church and a wreath of flowers bore the words "TRUST WOMEN."


Slain abortion doctor eulogized as generous
(APW_ENG_20090606.0555)
1) Hundreds of people gathered Saturday to honor slain abortion provider Dr. George Tiller, and a longtime friend eulogized him as a passionate and generous man who repeatedly overcame difficult challenges.
2) Tiller's funeral at College Hill United Methodist Church also drew small groups of protesters.
3) Last Sunday, Tiller was killed by a gunshot in his own church, Reformation Lutheran, while serving as an usher for its service. His family had the funeral at the Methodist church to accommodate the large number of mourners.
4) Scott Roeder, a 51-year-old abortion opponent, was arrested a few hours after the shooting just outside Kansas City. He was charged two days later with the attack at the church, where he had occasionally attended services two months earlier.
5) During Saturday's service, Tiller was remembered for his generosity and sense of humor.
6) "Dear God, get heaven ready, because Mr. Enthusiasm is coming," said Larry Borcherding, of Overland Park, who first met Tiller a half-century ago when both were students at the University of Kansas. "Heaven will never be the same. It will be a better, better place with George in it."
7) About 700 people filled the church sanctuary and some 200 others watched a closed-circuit television broadcast in another room.
8) A large portrait of Tiller hung at the front of the sanctuary, and nearby was a wreath of flowers with the words "TRUST WOMEN." Some mourners wore buttons that said "Attitude is Everything."
9) Tiller's clinic in Wichita was among a few in the U.S. performing third-trimester abortions, and that made it a target of regular protests. Most were peaceful, but his clinic was bombed in 1986, and he was shot in both arms in 1993.
10) Borcherding recalled that immediately after that 1993 shooting, Tiller kept in close contact with him because Borcherding had lost his job.
11) About 30 abortion rights supporters lined a sidewalk outside the church Sunday, each holding a white carnation and one with a sign declaring Tiller, his family and his staff as "civil rights heroes." Many wore green or blue T-shirts commemorating Tiller's life, with the National Organization for Women's logo.
12) College Hill's current pastor, the Rev. John Martin, said that "the grief is intensified" because Tiller was killed in a house of worship.
13) "We all know that shootings happen in church, I am always disconcerted when they do," Martin said. "Suddenly, it really struck home."
14) Most anti-abortion groups avoided the funeral, having denounced Tiller's shooting. But 17 demonstrators showed up from Westboro Baptist Church, which is known for picketing soldiers' funerals to present its message that their deaths are God's punishment for Americans' tolerance of homosexuality.
15) They held signs such as "God sent the shooter" and "Abortion is bloody murder."
16) Police kept them about 500 feet (150 meters) away from the church, mostly out of sight of people arriving for the funeral, although their shouts and singing could be heard from blocks away.
17) The Westboro Baptist demonstration drew about a dozen counter-demonstrators, and the two groups shouted insults at each other before the service and tried to drown each other out with singing.
18) "This has nothing to do with abortion," said Mark Voyles, an Army veteran from Derby who said he was upset about Westboro Baptist's attacks on soldiers.
19) The service also drew 50 motorcyclists from the American Legion Riders, who honored Tiller's service in the Navy. Their leader, Cregg Hansen, also from Derby, said Tiller's family asked them to be there.
20) "We don't get involved in politics," Hansen said. "We're here 120 percent for the veterans."



2009-06-07
Slain abortion doctor eulogized as generous
(APW_ENG_20090607.0021)
1) Hundreds of people gathered Saturday to honor slain abortion provider Dr. George Tiller, eulogized by a longtime friend as a passionate and generous man who repeatedly overcame difficult challenges.
2) Tiller's funeral at College Hill United Methodist Church also drew small groups of protesters. Police and federal marshals provided heavy security.
3) Tiller, one of the nation's few providers of late-term abortions, was killed by a gunshot last Sunday in the foyer of his own church, Reformation Lutheran, while he was serving as an usher and his wife was singing in the choir. His family had the funeral at the Methodist church to accommodate the large number of mourners.
4) His son, Maury, said the manner of his father's death resulted in an unimaginable outpouring of love and support for the family.
5) But he added: "I struggle with the manner he was welcomed into heaven."
6) Others recalled personal quirks that made him human.
7) Tiller's daughter, Rebecca, recalled how her father loved "Star Trek," and gave her a framed poster of Trekkie sayings for her apartment, which he promised her would bring her success if she read them each day before going out. Among his favorites were: "Live long and prosper," and, "When you go out to the universe remember, boldly go where no man has gone before."
8) He also was remembered for his generosity and sense of humor.
9) "Dear God, get heaven ready, because Mr. Enthusiasm is coming," said Larry Borcherding, of Overland Park, who first met Tiller a half-century ago when both were students at the University of Kansas. "Heaven will never be the same. It will be a better, better place with George in it."
10) About 700 people filled the church sanctuary and some 200 others watched a closed-circuit television broadcast in another room.
11) A large portrait of Tiller hung at the front of the sanctuary, and nearby was a wreath of flowers with the words "TRUST WOMEN." Some mourners wore buttons that said "Attitude is Everything."
12) Tiller's clinic in Wichita was among a few in the U.S. performing third-trimester abortions, and that made it a target of regular protests. Most were peaceful, but his clinic was bombed in 1986, and he was shot in both arms in 1993.
13) Borcherding recalled that immediately after that 1993 shooting, Tiller kept in close contact with him because Borcherding had lost his job.
14) "Who had a more boisterous, heartfelt laugh than George Tiller?" Borcherding said. "There are so many stories. I have many, many, many. Let's be sure to share them later."
15) Scott Roeder, a 51-year-old abortion opponent, was arrested a few hours after the shooting just outside Kansas City. He was charged two days later with the attack at the church, where he had occasionally attended services two months earlier.
16) About 30 abortion rights supporters lined a sidewalk outside the church Saturday, each holding a white carnation and one with a sign declaring Tiller, his family and his staff as "civil rights heroes." Many wore green or blue T-shirts commemorating Tiller's life, with the National Organization for Women's logo.
17) Most anti-abortion groups avoided the funeral, having denounced Tiller's shooting. But 17 demonstrators showed up from Westboro Baptist Church, known for picketing soldiers' funerals to present its message that their deaths are God's punishment for Americans' tolerance of homosexuality.
18) They held signs such as "God sent the shooter" and "Abortion is bloody murder."
19) Police kept them about 500 feet (150 meters) away from the church, mostly out of sight of people arriving for the funeral, although their shouts and singing could be heard from blocks away.
20) The Westboro Baptist demonstration drew about a dozen counter-demonstrators, and the two groups shouted insults at each other before the service and tried to drown each other out with singing.
21) "This has nothing to do with abortion," said Mark Voyles, an Army veteran from Derby who said he was upset about Westboro Baptist's attacks on soldiers.
22) The service also drew 50 motorcyclists from the American Legion Riders, who honored Tiller's service in the Navy. Their leader, Cregg Hansen, also from Derby, said Tiller's family asked them to be there.
23) "We don't get involved in politics," Hansen said. "We're here 120 percent for the veterans."


Suspect in US doctor ' s death warns of violence
(APW_ENG_20090607.0556)
1) A man charged in the shooting death of a Kansas abortion provider claims more violence is possible.
2) Scott Roeder called The Associated Press on Sunday from the Sedgwick County jail where he's being held on charges of first-degree murder and aggravated assault in the death of Dr. George Tiller.
3) Tiller was killed last Sunday while serving as an usher at the Lutheran church he attended in Wichita.
4) Roeder told the AP he know of "similar events planned around the country" as long as abortion is legal.
5) He would not elaborate.
6) A funeral was held Saturday for Tiller, whose clinic in Wichita was among only a few in the U.S. performing third-trimester abortions.


Suspect in US doctor ' s death warns of violence
(APW_ENG_20090607.0615)
1) The man charged in the shooting death of abortion provider Dr. George Tiller warned Sunday that more violence is possible.
2) Scott Roeder, being held on charges of first-degree murder and aggravated assault in Tiller's killing one week ago, called The Associated Press from the Sedgwick County jail.
3) Tiller, whose Wichita clinic was among only a few in the U.S. performing third-trimester abortions, was shot while serving as an usher at the Lutheran church he attended.
4) "I know there are many other similar events planned around the country as long as abortion remains legal," Roeder said.
5) He would not elaborate.
6) Tiller's clinic in Wichita had been a target of regular demonstrations by abortion opponents. Most were peaceful, but his clinic was bombed in 1986 and he was shot in both arms in 1993.
7) A funeral was held Saturday for Tiller. Most anti-abortion groups avoided the service, having denounced Tiller's shooting.
8) Roeder, a 51-year-old abortion opponent, was arrested a few hours after the shooting just outside Kansas City.
9) He told the AP he refused to talk to investigators when he was arrested, and has made no statements to police since then.
10) "I just told them I needed to talk to my lawyer," Roeder said.
11) Asked if he shot Tiller, Roeder replied that he could not comment about that and said he needed to clear everything with his lawyer.
12) In two separate calls to AP on Sunday morning, Roeder was far more talkative about his treatment at the Sedgwick County jail, complaining about "deplorable conditions in solitary" where he was kept during his first three days there.
13) Roeder said it was freezing in his cell. "I started having a bad cough. I thought I was going to have pneumonia," he said.
14) He said he called AP because he wanted to emphasize the conditions in the jail so that in the future suspects would not have to endure the same conditions.
15) Roeder also said he wanted the public to know he has been denied phone privileges for the past two days, and needed his sleep apnea machine.


Suspect in US doctor ' s death warns of violence
(APW_ENG_20090607.0687)
1) The man charged with killing a prominent abortion provider claimed Sunday that more violence is possible as long as the medical procedure is allowed to continue, giving his warning in calls that also focused on complaints about his treatment in jail.
2) Scott Roeder, being held on charges of first-degree murder and aggravated assault in the killing of Dr. George Tiller one week ago, called The Associated Press from the Sedgwick County jail.
3) Tiller, whose Wichita clinic was among only a few in the U.S. performing third-trimester abortions, was shot while serving as an usher at the Lutheran church he attended.
4) "I know there are many other similar events planned around the country as long as abortion remains legal," Roeder said.
5) He would not elaborate.
6) Tiller's clinic in Wichita had been a target of regular demonstrations by abortion opponents. Most were peaceful, but his clinic was bombed in 1986 and he was shot in both arms in 1993. In 1991, a 45-day "Summer of Mercy" campaign organized by the anti-abortion group Operation Rescue drew thousands of protesters to Wichita, and there were more than 2,700 arrests.
7) Jim Cross, a spokesman for the U.S. attorney's office, did not have an immediate comment Sunday on Roeder's statement.
8) The Justice Department opened an investigation Friday to see if the gunman who killed Tiller had accomplices. The DOJ said its Civil Rights Division and the U.S. attorney's office in Kansas will seek to determine if the killing violated a 1994 law creating criminal penalties for violent or damaging conduct toward abortion providers and their patients.
9) An attorney for the Tiller family, Dan Monnat, said he was not sure they should be dignifying Roeder's actions and threats with a response "every time he makes a hare-brained phone call."
10) "I am hopeful that state and federal authorities, including homeland security, will give Mr. Roeder and his information a deserving response," Monnat said, declining to elaborate.
11) Hundreds of mourners attended Tiller's funeral on Saturday. Most anti-abortion groups avoided the service, having denounced Tiller's shooting.
12) Roeder, a 51-year-old abortion opponent, was arrested a few hours after the shooting just outside Kansas City.
13) He told the AP he refused to talk to investigators when he was arrested, and has made no statements to police since then.
14) "I just told them I needed to talk to my lawyer," Roeder said.
15) Asked if he shot Tiller, Roeder replied that he could not comment about that and said he needed to clear everything with his lawyer.
16) In two separate calls to AP on Sunday morning, Roeder was far more talkative about his treatment at the Sedgwick County jail, complaining about "deplorable conditions in solitary" where he was kept during his first three days there.
17) Roeder said it was freezing in his cell. "I started having a bad cough. I thought I was going to have pneumonia," he said.
18) He said he called AP because he wanted to emphasize the conditions in the jail so that in the future suspects would not have to endure the same conditions.
19) Roeder also said also wanted the public to know he has been denied phone privileges for the past two days, and needed his sleep apnea machine.



2009-06-09
Slain US abortion provider ' s clinic to close
(APW_ENG_20090609.0807)
1) The family of slain abortion provider George Tiller says clinic will be "permanently closed."
2) The Tiller family says in a statement released by his attorneys on Tuesday that it is ceasing operation of the clinic and any involvement by family members in any other similar clinic.
3) The family said it is proud of the "service and courage shown by our husband and father" and know that women's health care needs have been met because of his dedication and service.
4) Tiller was shot to death May 31 while serving as an usher at the Lutheran church in Wichita that he regularly attended.


Slain US abortion provider ' s clinic to close
(APW_ENG_20090609.1106)
1) The clinic of a well-know late-term abortion provider who was shot to death during a church service will be permanently closed, his family said Tuesday, in a development that one of his colleagues called an "outrage" forced by anti-abortion extremists.
2) Operations at Dr. George Tiller's clinic in Wichita, Kansas, had been suspended since his death on May 31. In a statement released by his attorneys, Tiller's family said it will close, effective immediately.
3) "We are proud of the service and courage shown by our husband and father and know that women's health care needs have been met because of his dedication and service," the family said.
4) Tiller was shot to death while serving as an usher at the Lutheran church in Wichita that he regularly attended. Abortion opponent Scott Roeder, 51, is being held on charges of first-degree murder and aggravated assault in Tiller's death.
5) Dr. Warren Hern, one of the few remaining doctors in the United States who performs late-term abortions, said he feels the loss for Dr. Tiller's family and the patients he served.
6) "How tragic, how tragic," Hern said when contacted by phone at his Boulder, Colorado, clinic. "This is what they want, they've been wanting this for 35 years."
7) Asked whether he felt efforts should be made to keep the clinic open, he said: "This was Dr. Tiller's clinic. How much can you resist this kind of violence? What doctor, what reasonable doctor would work there? Where does it stop?"
8) Hern blamed comments from anti-abortion groups for Tiller's death.
9) "The anti-abortion fanatics have to shut up and go home. They have to back off and they have to respect other people's point of view. This is an outrage, this is a national outrage."
10) A Nebraska doctor, LeRoy Carhart, who had worked at Tiller's clinic, had said earlier that he was interested in continuing his practice there.
11) The Supreme Court widely legalized abortion with its 1973 Roe v. Wade ruling, but the the practice has remained controversial, and some state have tried to restrict it.
12) Tiller's clinic had been a target of regular demonstrations by abortion opponents. Most were peaceful, but his clinic was bombed in 1986 and he was shot in both arms in 1993. In 1991, a 45-day "Summer of Mercy" campaign organized by Operation Rescue drew thousands of abortion opponents to Wichita, and there were more than 2,700 arrests.
13) Randall Terry, who founded the original Operation Rescue group, responded to news that Tiller's clinic would remain closed with, "Good riddance." He said history would remember Tiller's clinic as it remembers Auschwitz and other Nazi concentration camps.
14) "What set him apart is that he killed late-term babies," Terry said. "If his replacement was going to continue to kill late-term children, the protests would continue, the investigations would continue, the indictments would continue."
15) CNN said that in an interview Tuesday, Roeder refused to answer questions about his alleged involvement in Tiller's death but added that if he is found guilty, the motive would be protecting unborn children. Roeder refused to discuss Tiller's death or his alleged involvement in it during a jailhouse interview earlier Tuesday with The Associated Press.
16) Troy Newman, who resurrected the Operation Rescue name and based the group in Wichita, called the announcement that the clinic would close permanently "a bittersweet moment." He had condemned Tiller's killing as vigilantism.
17) "Operation Rescue was just two months away from getting Tiller's medical license revoked, and that would have accomplished the same goal," Newman said in an e-mail.
18) A complaint before the State Board of Healing Arts, which licenses and regulates doctors in Kansas, alleged that Tiller violated a state law that required him to obtain a second opinion from an independent physician. It also accused Tiller of engaging in unprofessional or dishonorable conduct.
19) A spokeswoman for the board has said since Tiller's death that the case likely would be closed.
20) Family members said they wanted to assure Tiller's previous patients that the privacy of their medical histories and patient records will remain "as fiercely protected now and in the future" as they were during Tiller's lifetime.
21) A former Kansas attorney general who was investigating Tiller's clinic obtained, through a judge, access to redacted medical files that did not include patients' names. Some of those records were used in the recent misdemeanor criminal case against Tiller over whether he obtained an independent second opinion for late-term abortions. Tiller was cleared of those criminal charges, but the case against his medical license was pending.


Slain US abortion provider ' s clinic to close
(APW_ENG_20090609.1310)
1) The clinic of a late-term abortion provider who was shot to death during a church service will be permanently closed, his family said Tuesday, in a development that one of his colleagues called an "outrage" forced by anti-abortion extremists.
2) Operations at Dr. George Tiller's clinic in Wichita, Kansas, had been suspended since his death on May 31. In a statement released by his attorneys, Tiller's family said it will close, effective immediately.
3) "We are proud of the service and courage shown by our husband and father and know that women's health care needs have been met because of his dedication and service," the family said.They did not elaborate on their reasoning.
4) Tiller, who had said he believed women with access to prenatal testing needed options in case those tests showed severe fetal abnormalities, was shot to death while serving as an usher at the Lutheran church in Wichita that he regularly attended. Abortion opponent Scott Roeder, 51, is being held on charges of first-degree murder and aggravated assault in Tiller's death.
5) Dr. Warren Hern, one of the few remaining doctors in the United States who performs late-term abortions, said he feels the loss for Dr. Tiller's family and the patients he served.
6) "How tragic, how tragic," Hern said when contacted by phone at his Boulder, Colorado, clinic. "This is what they want, they've been wanting this for 35 years."
7) Asked whether he felt efforts should be made to keep the clinic open, he said: "This was Dr. Tiller's clinic. How much can you resist this kind of violence? What doctor, what reasonable doctor would work there? Where does it stop?"
8) Hern blamed comments from anti-abortion groups for Tiller's death.
9) "The anti-abortion fanatics have to shut up and go home. They have to back off and they have to respect other people's point of view. This is an outrage, this is a national outrage."
10) A Nebraska doctor, LeRoy Carhart, who had worked at Tiller's clinic, had said earlier that he was interested in continuing his practice there.
11) The Supreme Court widely legalized abortion with its landmark 1973 Roe v. Wade ruling, but the the practice has remained controversial, and some state have tried to restrict it.
12) Tiller's clinic had been a target of regular demonstrations by abortion opponents. Most were peaceful, but his clinic was bombed in 1986 and he was shot in both arms in 1993. In 1991, a 45-day "Summer of Mercy" campaign organized by Operation Rescue drew thousands of abortion opponents to Wichita, and there were more than 2,700 arrests.
13) Randall Terry, who founded the original Operation Rescue group, responded to news that Tiller's clinic would remain closed with, "Good riddance." He said history would remember Tiller's clinic as it remembers Auschwitz and other Nazi concentration camps.
14) "What set him apart is that he killed late-term babies," Terry said. "If his replacement was going to continue to kill late-term children, the protests would continue, the investigations would continue, the indictments would continue."
15) CNN said that in an interview Tuesday, Roeder refused to answer questions about his alleged involvement in Tiller's death but added that if he is found guilty, the motive would be protecting unborn children. Roeder refused to discuss Tiller's death or his alleged involvement in it during a jailhouse interview earlier Tuesday with The Associated Press.
16) Troy Newman, who resurrected the Operation Rescue name and based the group in Wichita, called the announcement that the clinic would close permanently "a bittersweet moment." He had condemned Tiller's killing as vigilantism.
17) "Operation Rescue was just two months away from getting Tiller's medical license revoked, and that would have accomplished the same goal," Newman said in an e-mail.
18) A complaint before the State Board of Healing Arts, which licenses and regulates doctors in Kansas, alleged that Tiller violated a state law that required him to obtain a second opinion from an independent physician. It also accused Tiller of engaging in unprofessional or dishonorable conduct.
19) A spokeswoman for the board has said since Tiller's death that the case likely would be closed.
20) Family members said they wanted to assure Tiller's previous patients that the privacy of their medical histories and patient records will remain "as fiercely protected now and in the future" as they were during Tiller's lifetime.
21) A former Kansas attorney general who was investigating Tiller's clinic obtained, through a judge, access to redacted medical files that did not include patients' names. Some of those records were used in the recent misdemeanor criminal case against Tiller over whether he obtained an independent second opinion for late-term abortions. Tiller was cleared of those criminal charges, but the case against his medical license was pending.



2009-06-10
Clinic closing a tainted victory for abortion foes
(APW_ENG_20090610.0001)
1) The slaying of a doctor who performed late-term abortions has accomplished what anti-abortion activists had tried to do for decades: The doors to his clinic will shut forever.
2) The announcement Tuesday from George Tiller's family was a tainted victory for the nation's anti-abortion movement. For years, it made Tiller the focus of protests, legislation and legal attacks. His death reignited a public debate over some abortion opponents' tactics and left many wondering how it will transform the abortion battleground.
3) Now that Tiller and his clinic are gone, the epicenter of the anti-abortion movement is less clear. Kansas has long been a lightning rod in the highly controversial social issue -- and in 2002, the leader of the anti-abortion group Operation Rescue even moved his organization to the city to wage an aggressive campaign. With the clinic's doors closed, the movement loses one of its key protest symbols.
4) "Part of what is a tragedy about this is that violence has achieved its objective," said Nancy Northup, president of Center for Reproductive Rights. "There is a concerted, ongoing effort at harassment and restriction with an aim to make doctors leave the field."
5) Operations at Women's Health Care Services Inc. were suspended following Tiller's death last month. In a statement released by his attorneys, Tiller's family said relatives had chosen to honor him with charitable activities instead of reopening the clinic.
6) "We are proud of the service and courage shown by our husband and father and know that women's health care needs have been met because of his dedication and service," the family said in the statement. They did not elaborate on their reasoning to close.
7) Tiller, who had said women with access to prenatal testing needed options in case those tests uncovered severe fetal abnormalities, was shot to death May 31 while serving as an usher at his Lutheran church. Prosecutors have charged abortion opponent Scott Roeder, 51, with first-degree murder and aggravated assault in Tiller's death.
8) For now, Operation Rescue has no plans to leave Wichita and the group's leader, Troy Newman, called the family's decision to close the clinic "bittersweet." He said his group wants to close abortion clinics but, "I want to see them close through peaceful, legal nonviolent means."
9) Tiller's clinic had long served as a rally point for abortion opponents. Most protests were peaceful, but his clinic was bombed in 1986 and he was shot in both arms in 1993. In 1991, a 45-day "Summer of Mercy" campaign organized by Operation Rescue drew thousands of abortion opponents to Wichita and there were more than 2,700 arrests.
10) Tiller's clinic was one of a handful of clinics across the United States that perform third-term abortions. Kansas state law allows abortions on viable fetuses after the 21st week only if carrying the pregnancy to term would endanger the mother's life or cause a "substantial and irreversible impairment" of a major bodily function. Courts have interpreted a "major bodily function" to include mental health.
11) Colorado doctor Warren Hern, Tiller's longtime friend who also performs late-term abortions, called the closing an "outrage." He said he knows that for the rest of his life, he will be a target of the anti-abortion movement.
12) "How much can you resist this kind of violence?" he said. "What doctor, what reasonable doctor would work there? Where does it stop?"
13) At least one doctor, LeRoy Carhart, had expressed an interest in reopening Tiller's clinic. Following the family's decision to shut it down, the Nebraska doctor said he wouldn't abandon his effort to make sure third-term abortions are available but did not elaborate on his plans.
14) "I completely understand and sympathize with this decision," he said in a statement. "I am currently exploring every option to be able to continue to make second and early medically indicated third trimester abortions available."
15) Reaction to the clinic's closing ranged from sympathy from abortion rights supporters to relief from some anti-abortion groups. Planned Parenthood Federation of America saod the decision to close was difficult for the Tiller family, while Randall Terry, who founded Operation Rescue before a falling-out with the organization, said "good riddance" when he heard about the closing.
16) "If his replacement was going to continue to kill late-term children, the protests would continue, the investigations would continue, the indictments would continue," said Terry, who stopped using the Operation Rescue name following numerous lawsuits in 1990. He said history would remember Tiller's clinic as it remembers Auschwitz and other Nazi concentration camps.
17) Others were more subdued. Mary Kay Culp, executive director of Kansans for Life, said it was "really tragic" to have violence close the clinic when the state's medical board was pursuing a complaint that could have cost Tiller his license.
18) The complaint before the State Board of Healing Arts, which licenses and regulates doctors in Kansas, alleged Tiller violated a state law that required him to obtain a second opinion from an independent physician, and it accused him of engaging in unprofessional or dishonorable conduct. A board spokeswoman has said since the shooting the case probably will be closed.
19) Said Newman in an e-mail: "Operation Rescue was just two months away from getting Tiller's medical license revoked, and that would have accomplished the same goal."


Abortion foes interested in buying Kansas clinic
(APW_ENG_20090610.0605)
1) The leader of an anti-abortion group says the organization is interested in buying the now-closed clinic of slain abortion provider George Tiller.
2) Tiller's family announced Tuesday that his clinic in Wichita, Kansas, was shutting down permanently. The doctor was fatally shot on May 31.
3) Operation Rescue President Troy Newman said he would love to make an offer for the property and that his group had discussed the idea.
4) Newman's group bought another former abortion clinic in Wichita in 2006 for its headquarters. Newman said Operation Rescue could use more space.
5) Asked about Newman's comments, Tiller attorney Dan Monnat called them an "irreverent publicity stunt."


Abortion foes interested in buying US clinic
(APW_ENG_20090610.0698)
1) The group that tried for years to put slain abortion provider Dr. George Tiller out of business is interested in buying his now-closed clinic, its president said.
2) Operation Rescue president Troy Newman said that his group has discussed the idea of buying the tan, windowless clinic in Wichita. He made the comment after the Tiller family announced that the clinic would be closed permanently.
3) "I would love to make an offer on that abortion clinic, and that's some of the discussion that we're having," Newman said in a telephone interview Tuesday from his group's headquarters.
4) Tiller was shot May 31 while serving as an usher at his church. Scott Roeder, a 51-year-old Missouri, resident, has been charged with first-degree murder and aggravated assault.
5) Tiller attorney Dan Monnat declined to discuss Newman's suggestion.
6) "I'm just not going to respond to every irreverent publicity stunt or comment by these extremists," Monnat said.
7) Newman's group bought another former abortion clinic in Wichita in 2006 for its headquarters, but he said the group needs to expand. "We need a bigger office," he said.
8) Tiller's clinic was the site of a 45-day "Summer of Mercy" protest in 1991 that included attempts to blockade it and led to more than 2,700 arrests.
9) Operation Rescue was founded in the 1980s by Randall Terry, who led the "Summer of Mercy" effort. Terry stopped using the Operation Rescue name because of multiple lawsuits. He and Newman are engaged in a legal dispute over who has the right to use the name.
10) Newman moved to Wichita in 2002 and brought his anti-abortion group from California to wage an aggressive campaign to shut down Tiller's clinic.
11) "We would love to see that place established as a center for life, one that nurtures and cares for babies, rather than taking their lives," Newman said of Tiller's former clinic.


Abortion foes interested in buying US clinic
(APW_ENG_20090610.0813)
1) The group that tried for years to put slain abortion provider Dr. George Tiller out of business is interested in buying his now-closed clinic, its president said.
2) But Tiller attorney Dan Monnat wouldn't discuss the idea, saying, "I'm just not going to respond to every irreverent publicity stunt or comment by these extremists."
3) Operation Rescue president Troy Newman said that his group has discussed the idea of buying the tan, windowless clinic. He made the comment after the Tiller family announced that the clinic would be closed permanently.
4) "I would love to make an offer on that abortion clinic, and that's some of the discussion that we're having," Newman said in a telephone interview Tuesday from his group's headquarters.
5) Tiller was shot May 31 while serving as an usher at his church. Scott Roeder, 51, resident, has been charged with first-degree murder and aggravated assault.
6) The clinic building and the land upon which it sits were appraised this year at $734,100 for tax purposes, according to county records available online. Those records show that Tiller and the clinic owned an additional $51,600 in personal property. The owner of the building and property is listed as J & G Enterprises, formed in 1993. Tiller's widow, Jeanne, is named as the resident agent, or the person who would receive legal papers.
7) Newman's group bought another former abortion clinic in 2006 for its headquarters, but he said the group needs to expand. "We need a bigger office," he said.
8) Tiller's clinic was the site of a 45-day "Summer of Mercy" protest in 1991 that included attempts to blockade it and led to more than 2,700 arrests.
9) Operation Rescue was founded in the 1980s by Randall Terry, who led the "Summer of Mercy" effort. Terry stopped using the Operation Rescue name because of multiple lawsuits. He and Newman are engaged in a legal dispute over who has the right to use the name.
10) Newman moved to Wichita in 2002 and brought his anti-abortion group from California to wage an aggressive campaign to shut down Tiller's clinic.
11) "We would love to see that place established as a center for life, one that nurtures and cares for babies, rather than taking their lives," Newman said of Tiller's former clinic.


US doc plans to offer 3rd-term abortions in Kansas
(APW_ENG_20090610.1416)
1) A Nebraska doctor says he'll perform third-term abortions in Kansas after the slaying of abortion provider George Tiller, even though Tiller's clinic is closed.
2) Dr. LeRoy Carhart declined to discuss details with The Associated Press on Wednesday, a day after Tiller's family announced his Wichita clinic was permanently shutting its doors.
3) Carhart isn't saying whether his plans include opening a new facility or offering the abortions at an existing practice. He says such details are "something that doesn't need to be talked about" until everything is in place.
4) Tiller's clinic was one of the only facilities in the country that performed third-trimester abortions. Carhart had performed late-term abortions there for 10 years.
5) Kansas state law allows abortions after the 21st week in certain cases.



2009-06-20
Abortion clinic in focus again, with vigil planned
(APW_ENG_20090620.0115)
1) The now-shuttered Kansas clinic run by slain abortion provider George Tiller is the at the crossroads of the issue again, with a vigil and counter-demonstrations planned Saturday.
2) Operation Rescue planned a gathering and prayer vigil in Wichita led by Rev. Patrick Mahoney, who helped lead the 1991 "Summer of Mercy" protests in the city that sparked mass demonstrations and arrests.
3) Tiller was gunned down May 31 in the foyer of his church. Scott Roeder, 51, faces first-degree murder and aggravated assault charges. Tiller's clinic was one of the few in America where third-trimester abortions were available.
4) Marla Patrick, state coordinator for the National Organization for Women, said dozens of abortion rights supporters plan to confront Operation Rescue at the clinic.
5) Abortion opponents plan to lay hundreds of flowers in remembrance of the more than 60,000 abortions performed at the clinic since abortion was legalized. A memorial service there will be followed by a prayer walk across Wichita and vigils at a local church.
6) Tiller's family said it would permanently close the clinic after he was killed while serving as an usher at Sunday morning church services.
7) "We deliberately scaled it back. Nobody is going to bring any signs or anything. We are going to be somber," Mahoney said. "At a time when emotions are most raw, that would be a critical time to pray. We are praying for no more violence to enter the city of Wichita."
8) Operation Rescue has repeatedly denounced Tiller's shooting, saying Roeder was not a member.
9) Tiller's supporters, though, are rankled that Operation Rescue is holding a service at his clinic and claiming they will pray for his family.
10) "It is highly insulting, especially considering it is their type of rhetoric that contributed to Dr. Tiller's death," Patrick said.
11) Abortion rights advocates said they struggled with the decision to demonstrate at Tiller's clinic, but ultimately felt it was necessary.
12) "We know they are not doing this to heal anything," Patrick said. "They are using it as a way to further their agenda and to turn the attention on them."


Anti-abortion vigils moved from closed US clinic
(APW_ENG_20090620.0415)
1) Abortion opponents have moved their planned memorial service away from the now-shuttered Kansas clinic run by slain abortion provider Dr. George Tiller.
2) Operation Rescue planned an afternoon gathering and prayer vigil Saturday in Wichita at Tiller's former clinic, one of the few in the U.S. where third-trimester abortions were available.
3) Tiller was gunned down May 31 at his church. Murder and aggravated assault charges were filed against Scott Roeder.
4) The National Organization for Women said Friday that dozens of abortion rights supporters planned to confront Operation Rescue supporters at the clinic.
5) On Saturday, abortion opponents said that instead of holding their service at the clinic they would place 1,500 flowers at a local hospital and a location near their own national headquarters.


Anti-abortion vigils moved from closed US clinic
(APW_ENG_20090620.0815)
1) More than 40 abortion rights supporters kept watch Saturday at the Kansas clinic run by slain abortion provider George Tiller, thwarting plans for a memorial service there by the anti-abortion group Operation Rescue.
2) Abortion opponents had planned an afternoon gathering and prayer vigil at Tiller's former clinic, one of the few in the U.S. where third-trimester abortions were available.
3) Tiller was gunned down May 31 at his church. Murder and aggravated assault charges were filed against Scott Roeder, 51, of Kansas City, Missouri.
4) In a move intended to avoid a confrontation with activists from the National Organization for Women, about 30 abortion opponents instead held their event at Operation Rescue's own national headquarters, the site of a closed Wichita abortion clinic the group bought in 2006.
5) "Our original intent was to prevent them from doing their proverbial dance on a murdered man's grave," said Marla Patrick, state coordinator for NOW. "The fact they changed plans tells me we were successful."
6) Abortion opponents laid flowers Saturday in front of the Operation Rescue building, a local hospital and a third abortion clinic that closed in 1991. The 3,000 flowers represented the average number of abortions done each year at Tiller's clinic, the group said.
7) Operation Rescue President Troy Newman said a few people would later lay flowers at Tiller's clinic at some undetermined time when counter-protesters were no longer at the clinic.
8) One of those at the flower-laying ceremony was the Rev. Patrick Mahoney of the Christian Defense Coalition of Washington, D.C., who condemned Tiller's shooting. Mahoney told the group they were praying for Tiller's family.
9) "We are not celebrating the death of Tiller," Mahoney said. "We are very aware of the trauma and emotion this community has gone through in the past three weeks."
10) Mahoney helped lead the 1991 "Summer of Mercy" abortion protests in Wichita, a time of mass demonstrations and thousands of arrests. At that time, the city had three abortion clinics. Tiller's clinic had been the last one left, and his family has said the clinic would remain permanently closed in the wake of his death.
11) "We are praying the violence of abortion never takes hold in this community again," Mahoney said.
12) The Rev. Bobby Hudson was one of the 88 pastors arrested at the site of what is now Operation Rescue's headquarters. He said he was arrested three times during the "Summer of Mercy" protests.
13) "I'm glad the clinics are closed," Hudson said as he stood on the same driveway where he had been arrested in 1991 for protesting. "I will continue to pray Wichita stays abortion free."


Anti-abortion vigils moved from closed US clinic
(APW_ENG_20090620.0816)
1) More than 40 abortion rights supporters kept watch Saturday at the Kansas clinic run by slain abortion provider George Tiller, thwarting plans for a memorial service there by the anti-abortion group Operation Rescue.
2) Abortion opponents had planned an afternoon gathering and prayer vigil at Tiller's former clinic, one of the few in the U.S. where third-trimester abortions were available.
3) Tiller was gunned down May 31 at his church. Murder and aggravated assault charges were filed against Scott Roeder, 51, of Kansas City, Missouri.
4) In a move intended to avoid a confrontation with atiiss ro heNaioalOranzaio fr omn,abut30abrton opponnts instead held their event at Operation Rescue's own national headquarters, the site of a closed Wichita abortion clinic the group bought in 2006.
5) "Our original intent was to prevent them from doing their proverbial dance on a murdered man's grave," said Marla Patrick, state coordinator for NOW. "The fact they changed plans tells me we were successful."
6) Abortion opponents laid flowers Saturday in front of the Operation Rescue building, a local hospital and a third abortion clinic that closed in 1991. The 3,000 flowers represented the average number of abortions done each year at Tiller's clinic, the group said.
7) Operation Rescue President Troy Newman said a few people would later lay flowers at Tiller's clinic at some undetermined time when counter-protesters were no longer at the clinic.
8) One of those at the flower-laying ceremony was the Rev. Patrick Mahoney of the Christian Defense Coalition of Washington, D.C., who condemned Tiller's shooting. Mahoney told the group they were praying for Tiller's family.
9) "We are not celebrating the death of Tiller," Mahoney said. "We are very aware of the trauma and emotion this community has gone through in the past three weeks."
10) Mahoney helped lead the 1991 "Summer of Mercy" abortion protests in Wichita, a time of mass demonstrations and thousands of arrests. At that time, the city had three abortion clinics. Tiller's clinic had been the last one left, and his family has said the clinic would remain permanently closed in the wake of his death.
11) "We ar payingth volnc o aorio nve tke hldin tiscomuity aain," Mahoney said.
12) The Rev. Bobby Hudson was one of the 88 pastors arrested at the site of what is now Operation Rescue's headquarters. He said he was arrested three times during the "Summer of Mercy" protests.
13) "I'm glad the clinics are closed," Hudson said as he stood on the same driveway where he had been arrested in 1991 for protesting. "I will continue to pray Wichita stays abortion free."


Anti-abortion vigils moved from closed US clinic
(APW_ENG_20090620.0817)
1) More than 40 abortion rights supporters kept watch Saturday at the Kansas clinic run by slain abortion provider George Tiller, thwarting plans for a memorial service there by the anti-abortion group Operation Rescue.
2) Abortion opponents had planned an afternoon gathering and prayer vigil at Tiller's former clinic, one of the few in the U.S. where third-trimester abortions were available.
3) Tiller was gunned down May 31 at his church. Murder and aggravated assault charges were filed against Sot Redr,51 o anasCiy,Misori
4) Ina ov iteded to aoid a confrontation with activists from the National Organization for Women, about 30 abortion opponents instead held their event at Operation Rescue's own national headquarters, the site of a closed Wichita abortion clinic the group bought in 2006.
5) "Our original intent was to prevent them from doing their proverbial dance on a murdered man's grave," said Marla Patrick, state coordinator for NOW. "The fact they changed plans tells me we were successful."
6) Abortion opponents laid flowers Saturday in front of the Operation Rescue building, a local hospital and a third abortion clinic that closed in 1991. The 3,000 flowers represented the average number of abortions done each year at Tiller's clinic, the group said.
7) Operation Rescue President Troy Newman said a few people would later lay flowers at Tiller's clinic at some undetermined time when counter-protesters were no longer at the clinic.
8) One of those at the flower-laying ceremony was the Rev. Patrick Mahoney of the Christian Defense Coalition of Washington, D.C., who condemned Tiller's shooting. Mahoney told the group they were praying for Tiller's family.
9) "We are not celebrating the death of Tiller," Mahoney said. "We are very aware of the trauma and emotion this community has gone through in the past three weeks."
10) Mahoney helped lead the 1991 "Summer of Mercy" abortion protests in Wichita, a time of mass demonstrations and thousands of arrests. At that time, the city had three abortion clinics. Tiller's clinic had been the last one left, and his famlyha sid te liicwoldreai prmnetl cosd n hewae of his death.
11) "We are praying the violence of abortion never takes hold in this community again," Mahoney said.
12) The Rev. Bobby Hudson was one of the 88 pastors arrested at the site of what is now Operation Rescue's headquarters. He said he was arrested three times during the "Summer of Mercy" protests.
13) "I'm glad the clinics are closed," Hudson said as he stood on the same driveway where he had been arrested in 1991 for protesting. "I will continue to pray Wichita stays abortion free."



2009-07-28
Suspect in US abortion provider killing in court
(APW_ENG_20090728.0507)
1) The man charged with gunning down late-term abortion provider George Tiller at his Kansas church was expected to enter a plea Tuesday in the murder case.
2) Prosecutors allege Scott Roeder, 51, of Kansas City, Missouri, shot and killed Tiller while the doctor served as an usher at the Wichita church he regularly attended. Authorities also claim Roeder threatened two ushers who tried to stop him during the May 31 attack in the church's foyer.
3) Unless the defense waives Tuesday's preliminary hearing, prosecutors must convince a judge they have enough evidence to merit a trial on one count of first-degree murder and two counts of aggravated assault. Roeder would then enter a plea.
4) Tiller, 67, had been the target of regular protests for most of the 36 years he performed abortions at his Wichita clinic, where he practiced as one of America's few providers of late-term abortions. He was shot in both arms by an anti-abortion activist in 1993, and had been repeatedly threatened over the years.
5) If Roeder is convicted of first-degree murder, he faces life in prison with the possibility of parole after 25 years.
6) It is unknown how many people the prosecution might call for Tuesday's hearing, but the witness list has 220 names, mostly law enforcement officials. Also on the list are members of the anti-abortion group Operation Rescue; Roeder's ex-wife and son; Tiller's wife, Jeanne, who was singing in the choir when her husband was shot; and Rachelle "Shelley" Shannon, who shot Tiller in 1993.
7) In rambling jailhouse interviews, Roeder has talked about the notion of justifiable homicide against abortion providers, but he has refused to discuss any facts of his case.
8) Roeder has told The Associated Press Tiller's shooting was justified, but never has claimed a role in the slaying.


Suspect in abortion doc ' s death pleads not guilty
(APW_ENG_20090728.1207)
1) The man accused of killing Kansas late-term abortion provider George Tiller has pleaded not guilty.
2) Authorities say anti-abortion activist Scott Roeder also threatened two ushers who tried to stop him during the May 31 shooting in the doctor's church in Wichita. Roeder is charged with first-degree murder and aggravated assault in the slaying.
3) He pleaded not guilty to all charges on Tuesday after witnesses gave chilling testimony at a preliminary hearing. A judge ordered Roeder held on $20 million bond and set a trial date for Sept. 21.
4) Tiller was the target of protests at his Wichita clinic. He practiced as one of the nation's few providers of late-term abortions and was shot in both arms by an anti-abortion activist in 1993.



2009-07-29
Suspect in abortion doc ' s death pleads not guilty
(APW_ENG_20090729.0055)
1) An anti-abortion activist pleaded not guilty Tuesday to opening fire on late-term abortion provider George Tiller after a witness gave chilling testimony that he saw the alleged shooter point a gun at the Kansas doctor's head before pulling the trigger.
2) Scott Roeder, 51, also is accused of threatening two ushers who tried to stop him at Tiller's church during the May 31 shooting that reignited passions in one of the nation's fiercest social debates.
3) Roeder, dressed in a jacket and tie but shackled at his ankles, pleaded not guilty to first-degree murder and aggravated assault charges after witnesses described seeing him shoot Tiller and speed away from the Wichita church. Roeder's public defender entered the plea on Roeder's behalf and the Kansas City, Missouri, man did not speak during the hearing.
4) A judge ordered Roeder held on $20 million bond and set a trial date in Sedgwick County District Court for Sept. 21. If convicted, Roeder is likely to face life in prison. Prosecutors have said they will not pursue the death penalty, and Roeder would be eligible for parole after 25 years.
5) Tiller had been the target of relentless protests at his Wichita clinic, where he practiced as one of the few providers of late-term abortions in the U.S. He was shot in both arms by an anti-abortion activist in 1993.
6) For weeks, Roeder has refused to discuss his alleged role in Tiller's death, advocating in general terms for justifiable homicide -- which he has repeatedly said is an acceptable action to protect "unborn children."
7) In rambling phone and jailhouse interviews since his arrest, Roeder has told The Associated Press he would be pleased if others took action to stop abortion by any means necessary.
8) "Violence is not wrong in all situations, so if it takes that -- then if it is done righteously -- then, if it's done, it is OK," Roeder has said.
9) Roeder's attorneys did not offer any evidence or make closing statements in court on Tuesday.
10) After the hearing, defense attorney Steve Osburn declined to comment, saying only that his client "is speaking enough for himself." Roeder's other attorney, Mark Rudy, quipped: "And he will probably be in touch."
11) During Tuesday's hearing, an usher at the Wichita church, Gary Hoepner, testified that he and Tiller were chatting in the church foyer when a man walked through the door, put a gun to Tiller's head and shot him. Hoepner identified the man as Roeder.
12) Hoepner said he wasn't sure if the weapon used to kill Tiller was real until he saw him fall to the ground. He said he followed the shooter out of the church but stopped after Roeder warned him.
13) "`I've got a gun and I'll shoot you,'" Hoepner recalled the gunman saying. "I believed him and I stopped."
14) During cross-examination, Osburn asked Hoepner if he told police he heard the gunman say something along the line of "Lord, forgive me." Hoepner said he did.
15) Another usher, Keith Martin, testified he chased the gunman into the church parking lot, where he threatened to shoot him before driving away. Martin also identified the shooter as Roeder.
16) "He said `Move.' I didn't move. He pulled out his gun and said, 'I'll shoot you,'" Martin said. He then moved.
17) A doctor who did the autopsy testified that Tiller died from a single shot from a gun held pressed to the right side of his forehead. The bullet lodged at the back of his skull, and a police lieutenant testified that a single .22-caliber shell casing was found near Tiller's body.
18) Unlike his peers, Tiller embraced a high profile life even after being wounded in 1993. His clinic, heavily fortified after a bombing in 1986, became the target of both peaceful and violent protests. In 1991, a 45-day "Summer of Mercy" campaign organized by Operation Rescue drew thousands of anti-abortion demonstrators to Wichita.
19) After Tiller's death, his family said that they would permanently shut the clinic's doors. The facility's signage has been taken down, and a tall privacy fence of solid boards surrounds the building.



2009-11-09
Man confesses to shooting US abortion provider
(APW_ENG_20091109.0978)
1) The man accused of shooting a Kansas abortion provider has confessed to the killing to The Associated Press, saying he has no regrets.
2) In a telephone call from jail Monday, Scott Roeder told the AP: "Because of the fact pre-born children's lives were in imminent danger, this was the action I chose."
3) The 51-year-old Kansas City man is charged with first-degree murder and aggravated assault in the May 31 shooting of Dr. George Tiller at the abortion provider's Wichita church.
4) Tiller had been the target of protests for most of the 36 years that he performed abortions at his Wichita clinic, where he practiced as one of few U.S. providers of late-term abortions.



2010-01-22
Opening statements set in abortion slaying trial
(APW_ENG_20100122.0372)
1) Dr. George Tiller gathered with supporters in a tent outside his clinic on the morning of Jan. 22 eight years ago to tell them abortion rights remained "fragile" in America, even as they celebrated the anniversary of the 1973 U.S. Supreme Court decision that legalized the procedure.
2) Defying protesters outside the clinic gates, the embattled Kansas doctor marked the event by giving low-income women free abortions. Some 38 were scheduled.
3) "We are sort of a huddled mass here together, a few of us arrayed against a vast enemy," Tiller told about 65 supporters gathered that day. "But what are we armed with? We are armed with our attitude and our conviction that men and women are reproductively equal."
4) On Friday, the 37th anniversary of the Supreme Court's decision in Roe v. Wade, opening statements are set to begin in the trial of the man who has publicly confessed to killing Tiller. The Wichita clinic, one of the few in the United States that specialized in late-term abortions, closed after Tiller's death.
5) Scott Roeder, 51, faces a charge of premeditated, first-degree murder for the May 31 shooting of Tiller as the doctor was serving as an usher at his church. The Kansas City, Missouri, man s also charged with two counts of aggravated assault for allegedly threatening two ushers who tried to stop him from fleeing.
6) District Judge Warren Wilbert has repeatedly said the trial will not turn into a debate over abortion, warning Roeder's lawyers that he intends to keep the case as a "criminal, first-degree murder trial."
7) But the judge galvanized both sides of the abortion battle when he refused, on the eve of jury selection, to block the defense from trying to build a case for a conviction on a lesser charge of voluntary manslaughter.
8) They want to argue that Roeder believed Tiller's killing was necessary to save unborn children. In Kansas, voluntary manslaughter is defined as "an unreasonable but honest belief that circumstances existed that justified deadly force."
9) If convicted of first-degree murder, Roeder faces a life sentence. Under state sentencing guidelines, a conviction for voluntary manslaughter for someone with as little criminal history as Roeder would bring a sentence closer to five years.
10) The jury selection process that ultimately whittled the panel down to eight men and six women took six days and occurred for the most part behind closed doors. The two alternate jurors will be designated later.
11) After six days of secret questioning of potential jurors, the court finally opened jury selection to the media on Thursday while turning away public spectators. Wilbert had initially closed all of the jury process until four news outlets, including The Associated Press, appealed to the Kansas Supreme Court. Only the final hour and a half of jury questioning was open to the media, and then only to those four news outlets.
12) Tiller championed abortion rights even after being shot in both arms by an activist in 1993. His clinic, heavily fortified after a bombing in 1986, was the target of both peaceful and violent protests. In 1991, a 45-day "Summer of Mercy" campaign organized by anti-abortion group Operation Rescue drew thousands of protesters to Wichita for demonstrations and saw mass arrests.
13) In more recent years, anti-abortion activists had focused their attacks against Tiller within the legal system and political arena. Thousands of abortion opponents signed petitions forcing Sedgwick County to convene grand juries in 2006 and 2008 to investigate him, but both refused to indict him.
14) Two state attorneys general also tried in vain to prosecute him. Just two months before his death, a jury acquitted Tiller of misdemeanor charges accusing him of failing to get an independent second opinion for late abortions. The state's medical board was investigating similar allegations at the time of his killing.


Opening statements begin in US abortion slay trial
(APW_ENG_20100122.0981)
1) Opening statements in the murder trial of the man accused of shooting one of the nation's most prominent abortion providers began Friday on the 37th anniversary of the U.S. Supreme Court's landmark decision that legalized abortion.
2) Jurors will hear from witnesses who saw Dr. George Tiller gunned down at his church, listen to the emergency call made moments later, and see evidence of his blood on the accused killer's shoes, a prosecutor said.
3) Scott Roeder, 51, of Kansas City, Missouri, is accused of shooting Tiller, who specialized in late-term abortions. Roeder told The Associated Press in November that he killed Tiller to protect unborn children. Roeder also faces two charges of aggravated assault for allegedly threatening two church ushers who tried to stop him from fleeing. He has pleaded not guilty.
4) Before opening statements began, District Judge Warren Wilbert denied a defense motion to move the trial out of Wichita and a motion from prosecutors to not allow an involuntary manslaughter defense.
5) Wilbert has repeatedly said the trial will not turn into a debate over abortion, warning Roeder's lawyers that he intends to keep the case as a "criminal, first-degree murder trial."
6) But the judge galvanized both sides of the abortion battle when he refused, on the eve of jury selection, to block the defense from trying to build a case for a conviction on a lesser charge of voluntary manslaughter.
7) The defense wants to argue that Roeder believed Tiller's killing was necessary to save unborn children. In Kansas, voluntary manslaughter is defined as "an unreasonable but honest belief that circumstances existed that justified deadly force."
8) If convicted of first-degree murder, Roeder faces a life sentence. Under state sentencing guidelines, a conviction for voluntary manslaughter for someone with as little criminal history as he has would bring a sentence closer to five years.
9) The opening arguments coincided with Friday's anniversary of the U.S. Supreme Court's 1973 Roe v. Wade decision that legalized abortion.
10) Church members were gathering the morning of May 31 in the fellowship hall, where Tiller was scheduled to serve as an usher, Sedgwick County District Attorney Nola Foulston told the jury of eight men and six women.
11) "Then unexpectedly, a sound was heard, like a popping of a balloon," she said.
12) Foulston said a witness saw "a man standing next to George Tiller with his arm still raised and ... Dr. Tiller fell to the floor. ... And the assailant was running."
13) Jurors will hear several witness accounts of Tiller's shooting, she said, and other evidence will include Roeder's shoes with Tiller's blood on them and a police video of Roeder's arrest later that day.
14) Jury selection in the case occurred for the most part behind closed doors. After six days of secret questioning of potential jurors, the court finally opened jury selection to the media on Thursday while turning away public spectators.
15) Tiller, whose Wichita clinic closed after his death, championed abortion rights even after being shot in both arms by an activist in 1993. The clinic, heavily fortified after a bombing in 1986, was the target of both peaceful and violent protests. In 1991, a 45-day "Summer of Mercy" campaign organized by Operation Rescue drew thousands of anti-abortion protesters to Wichita for demonstrations and saw mass arrests.
16) In more recent years, anti-abortion activists had focused their attacks against Tiller within the legal system and political arena. Thousands of abortion opponents signed petitions forcing Sedgwick County to convene grand juries in 2006 and 2008 to investigate him, but both refused to indict him.
17) Two state attorneys general in Kansas also tried in vain to prosecute him. Just two months before his death, a jury acquitted Tiller of misdemeanor charges accusing him of failing to get an independent second opinion for late-term abortions. The state's medical board was investigating similar allegations at the time of his killing.


Opening statements begin in US abortion slay trial
(APW_ENG_20100122.1056)
1) A witness described seeing a prominent abortion provider gunned down at his church as testimony began Friday in the murder trial of an anti-abortion activist who claims the killing was necessary to save unborn children.
2) The prosecution began presenting its case on the 37th anniversary of the landmark U.S. Supreme Court decision in the Roe v. Wade case that legalized abortion.
3) Scott Roeder, 51, of Kansas City, Missouri, is charged with premeditated, first-degree murder in the shooting death of Dr. George Tiller, who specialized in late-term abortions.
4) Roeder told The Associated Press in a jailhouse interview in November that he killed Tiller to protect unborn children. Roeder also faces two charges of aggravated assault for allegedly threatening two church ushers who tried to stop him from fleeing. He has pleaded not guilty.
5) Before opening statements began, District Judge Warren Wilbert denied a defense motion to move the trial out of Wichita and a motion from prosecutors to not allow an involuntary manslaughter defense.
6) Wilbert has repeatedly said the trial will not turn into a debate over abortion, warning Roeder's lawyers that he intends to keep the case as a "criminal, first-degree murder trial."
7) But the judge galvanized both sides of the abortion battle when he refused, on the eve of jury selection, to block the defense from trying to build a case for a conviction on a lesser charge of voluntary manslaughter.
8) The defense wants to argue that Roeder believed Tiller's killing was necessary to save unborn children. In Kansas, voluntary manslaughter is defined as "an unreasonable but honest belief that circumstances existed that justified deadly force."
9) If convicted of first-degree murder, Roeder faces a life sentence. Under state sentencing guidelines, a conviction for voluntary manslaughter for someone with as little criminal history as he has would bring a sentence closer to five years.
10) Jurors will hear several witness accounts of Tiller's shooting, and other evidence will include Roeder's shoes with Tiller's blood on them and a police video of Roeder's arrest later that day, Sedgwick County District Attorney Nola Foulston told the jury of eight men and six women in her opening statement.
11) Prosecutors displayed a graphic photo of Tiller, showing him lying on the ground wearing a green business suit and cowboy boots. Blood covered most of his face and formed a pool under his head.
12) The first witness, Kathy Wegner, told jurors she was at the Wichita church on the morning of May 31 when she heard a popping sound and saw Tiller fall to the floor. Wegner said the assailant ran out of the church and she went to call the police emergency dispatcher.
13) Roeder's attorneys will make their opening statement when they begin presenting their case. The trial is expected to last two weeks.
14) Jury selection in the case occurred for the most part behind closed doors. After six days of secret questioning of potential jurors, the court finally opened jury selection to the media on Thursday while turning away public spectators.
15) Tiller, whose Wichita clinic closed after his death, championed abortion rights even after being shot in both arms by an activist in 1993. The clinic, heavily fortified after a bombing in 1986, was the target of both peaceful and violent protests. In 1991, a 45-day "Summer of Mercy" campaign organized by Operation Rescue drew thousands of anti-abortion protesters to Wichita for demonstrations and saw mass arrests.
16) In more recent years, anti-abortion activists had focused their attacks against Tiller within the legal system and political arena. Thousands of abortion opponents signed petitions forcing Sedgwick County to convene grand juries in 2006 and 2008 to investigate him, but both refused to indict him.
17) Two state attorneys general in Kansas also tried in vain to prosecute him. Just two months before his death, a jury acquitted Tiller of misdemeanor charges accusing him of failing to get an independent second opinion for late-term abortions. The state's medical board was investigating similar allegations at the time of his killing.



2010-01-23
Witnesses describe scene in abortion slaying case
(APW_ENG_20100123.0011)
1) Witnesses described the scene at a church when a prominent abortion doctor was shot and killed as testimony began in the murder trial of an anti-abortion activist who claims the killing was necessary to save unborn children.
2) The prosecution began presenting its case Friday on the 37th anniversary of the U.S. Supreme Court's landmark Roe v. Wade decision that legalized abortion.
3) Scott Roeder, 51, of Kansas City, Missouri, is accused of shooting Tiller, who specialized in late-term abortions. Roeder told The Associated Press in a jailhouse interview in November that he killed Tiller to protect unborn children. Roeder also faces two charges of aggravated assault for allegedly threatening two church ushers who tried to stop him from fleeing the Wichita church. He has pleaded not guilty.
4) Roeder's defense team did not address the jury in an opening statement, but would likely do so later in the trial, which is expected to take two weeks.
5) Before opening statements began, District Judge Warren Wilbert denied a defense motion to move the trial out of Wichita and a motion from prosecutors to not allow defense lawyers to seek a lesser charge of voluntary manslaughter.
6) Wilbert has repeatedly said the trial will not turn into a debate over abortion, warning Roeder's lawyers that he intends to keep the case as a "criminal, first-degree murder trial."
7) But the judge galvanized both sides of the abortion battle when he refused, on the eve of jury selection, to block the defense from trying to build a case for a conviction on the lesser charge of voluntary manslaughter.
8) They want to argue that Roeder believed Tiller's killing was necessary to save unborn children. In Kansas, voluntary manslaughter is defined as "an unreasonable but honest belief that circumstances existed that justified deadly force."
9) If convicted of first-degree murder, Roeder faces a life sentence. Under state sentencing guidelines, a conviction for voluntary manslaughter for someone with as little criminal history as he has would bring a sentence closer to five years.
10) Jurors will hear several witness accounts of Tiller's shooting on the morning of May 31, and other evidence will include Roeder's shoes with Tiller's blood on them and a police video of Roeder's arrest later that day, Sedgwick County District Attorney Nola Foulston told the jury of eight men and six women in her opening statement.
11) The first witness, Kathy Wegner, tearfully described how moments after she greeted Tiller as he came into church to serve as an usher she heard a popping sound and saw him "just fall flat on his back."
12) On her emergency call to police, she told the dispatcher the shooter was about 6 feet (1.8 meters) tall, balding and was wearing a white shirt.
13) Prosecutors also displayed a graphic photo of Tiller, showing him lying on the ground wearing a green business suit and cowboy boots. Blood covered most of his face and had pooled under his head.
14) Tiller's wife, Jeanne, placed her head into her hands and covered her eyes as a police officer testified about photographs taken at the scene.
15) Officer Valerie Shirkey testified that Tiller was "laying a pool of blood" and that a doctor who had been trying to help Tiller was also "covered in blood."
16) Jury selection in the case occurred for the most part behind closed doors. After six days of secret questioning of potential jurors, the court finally opened jury selection to the media on Thursday while turning away public spectators. Eight men and six women were chosen. Which two are alternates will be designated later.
17) Tiller, whose Wichita clinic closed after his death, championed abortion rights even after being shot in both arms by an activist in 1993. The clinic, heavily fortified after a bombing in 1986, was the target of both peaceful and violent protests. In 1991, a 45-day "Summer of Mercy" campaign organized by Operation Rescue drew thousands of anti-abortion protesters to Wichita for demonstrations and saw mass arrests.



2010-01-25
Church usher testifies he saw US doctor ' s slaying
(APW_ENG_20100125.0815)
1) A church usher has testified that he watched the fatal shooting of prominent Kansas abortion provider Dr. George Tiller by a man who has confessed publicly to the killing.
2) Gary Hoepner, an usher at the Reformation Lutheran Church in Wichita, testified Monday that he saw 51-year-old Scott Roeder walk into the church May 31, put the gun "point blank" to Tiller's head and pull the trigger.
3) Hoepner says he ran after Roeder but stopped after Roeder threatened to shoot him and another usher.
4) Roeder has pleaded not guilty to charges of first-degree murder and aggravated assault in the slaying of Tiller, one of the few providers of late-term abortions in the U.S. Roeder has said publicly that he killed Tiller to save unborn children.



2010-01-28
Defendant testifies he killed US abortion doctor
(APW_ENG_20100128.1192)
1) The man accused of murdering a prominent abortion provider Dr. George Tiller has testified at his trial that he did fatally shoot the doctor.
2) Scott Roeder testified Thursday that he killed Tiller in the foyer of Tiller's Wichita church on May 31. Tiller was one of only a few late-term abortion providers in the U.S.
3) The 51-year-old Roeder also said he believes abortion is murder.
4) Roeder took the stand just after District Judge Warren Wilbert barred Kansas' anti-abortion crusading former attorney general Phill Kline from testifying.
5) Roeder has pleaded not guilty to first-degree murder and aggravated assault in the case.
6) The defense wants to show that Roeder was relying on Kline's belief that Tiller was breaking the law -- a potential step toward a lesser manslaughter conviction.


Defendant hatched elaborate schemes to kill doctor
(APW_ENG_20100128.1555)
1) The judge in the trial of a man accused of murdering an abortion doctor dealt the defense a major setback Thursday, ruling that the jury cannot consider a lesser charge of manslaughter.
2) The ruling came hours after Scott Roeder took the stand in his own defense and admitted killing Dr. George Tiller, saying he acted to save the lives of unborn children.
3) Roeder's attorneys had hoped to win a lesser conviction of voluntary manslaughter, which requires them to show their client had an unreasonable but honest belief that deadly force was justified. The charge carries a considerably lighter sentence than murder.
4) Roeder testified that he considered elaborate schemes to stop the doctor, including chopping off his hands, crashing a car into him or sneaking into his home to kill him.
5) But in the end, Roeder told jurors, the easiest way was to walk into Tiller's church, put a gun to the man's forehead and pull the trigger.
6) Testifying as the lone defense witness, Roeder calmly explained what he admitted publicly months ago -- that he killed Tiller to save unborn children.
7) "Those children were in immediate danger if someone did not stop George Tiller," Roeder said as the jury watched attentively but without a hint of surprise.
8) "They were going to continue to die," he said. "The babies were going to continue to die."
9) Roeder has pleaded not guilty to murder in the attack at the Wichita church where Tiller was an usher. Witnesses have described how Roeder walked into the building's foyer shortly after the service started, approached Tiller and fired a single shot before fleeing.
10) After Roeder's testimony, District Judge Warren Wilbert ruled that the jury would not be permitted to consider the manslaughter charge because abortion, including late-term abortion, is legal in Kansas and because Tiller did not pose an imminent threat.
11) "There is no immediate danger in the back of a church," the judge said. He also ruled out a second-degree murder conviction, which does not involve premeditation, because it was clear Roeder planned the killing.
12) "It would be hard for a reasonable fact-finder to find anything other than the defendant formulating his belief and then planning on multiple occasions ... to carry out his intention to (kill) Dr. Tiller."
13) In a November interview with The Associated Press, Roeder publicly confessed to shooting Tiller, who was one of the few doctors in the country who performed late-term abortions.
14) Roeder said he considered other ways of killing Tiller, including driving his car into Tiller's or shooting him with a shotgun. But he said he was concerned those approaches could hurt others.
15) He testified that he wrapped the .22-caliber handgun in a piece of cloth and buried it in a rural area. The weapon has not been recovered.
16) Prosecutors were careful during the first few days of testimony to avoid the subject of abortion and to focus on the specifics of the shooting. District Judge Warren Wilbert said he did not want the trial to become a debate on abortion, but he said he would give Roeder a great deal of "latitude" when discussing his beliefs because they were integral to his defense.
17) Throughout his questioning, Roeder appeared calm and collected, waiting quietly each time prosecutors objected to something he said about medical procedures or late-term abortions, which the judge forbade him from testifying about.
18) When asked, for example, to detail the types of abortion procedures he was familiar with, Roeder answered "four or five" and then listed them. In one instance, he described a procedure as the fetus being "torn limb from limb" -- a characterization that prompted a quick objection from prosecutor Nola Foulston.
19) During a lengthy cross examination, Foulston tried to keep Roeder's responses to "yes" or "no." At one point, Roeder acknowledged that he had been thinking about killing abortion providers since the 1990s, and had considered using a sword to chop off Tiller's hands or killing him at his home.
20) Roeder testified though that he thought chopping off Tiller's hands was not a good solution because Tiller would still be able to train people. He said Tiller's home was not a good location because it was in a gated community and difficult to access.
21) Roeder also said he had gone to Reformation Lutheran Church on three other occasions to kill Tiller, once the evening before and once the week before Tiller was shot, and once in 2008, but Tiller was not at the church on those occasions.



2010-01-29
Manslaughter defense ruled out in abortion slaying
(APW_ENG_20100129.0041)
1) The judge in the trial of a man accused of murdering an abortion doctor dealt the defense a major setback Thursday, ruling that the jury cannot consider a lesser charge of manslaughter.
2) The ruling came hours after Scott Roeder took the stand in his own defense and admitted killing Dr. George Tiller, saying he acted to save the lives of unborn children.
3) Roeder's attorneys had hoped to win a lesser conviction of voluntary manslaughter, which requires them to show their client had an unreasonable but honest belief that deadly force was justified. The charge carries a considerably lighter sentence than murder.
4) Roeder testified that he considered elaborate schemes to stop the doctor, including chopping off his hands, crashing a car into him or sneaking into his home to kill him.
5) But in the end, Roeder told jurors, the easiest way was to walk into Tiller's church, put a gun to the man's forehead and pull the trigger.
6) Testifying as the lone defense witness, Roeder calmly explained what he admitted publicly months ago -- that he killed Tiller to save unborn children.
7) "Those children were in immediate danger if someone did not stop George Tiller," Roeder said as the jury watched attentively but without a hint of surprise.
8) "They were going to continue to die," he said. "The babies were going to continue to die."
9) Roeder has pleaded not guilty to murder in the attack at the Wichita church where Tiller was an usher. Witnesses have described how Roeder walked into the building's foyer on May 31 shortly after the service started, approached Tiller and fired a single shot before fleeing.
10) After Roeder's testimony, District Judge Warren Wilbert ruled that the jury would not be permitted to consider the manslaughter charge because abortion, including late-term abortion, is legal in Kansas and because Tiller did not pose an imminent threat.
11) "There is no immediate danger in the back of a church," the judge said. He also ruled out a second-degree murder conviction, which does not involve premeditation, because it was clear Roeder planned the killing.
12) "It would be hard for a reasonable fact-finder to find anything other than the defendant formulating his belief and then planning on multiple occasions ... to carry out his intention to (kill) Dr. Tiller."
13) In a November interview with The Associated Press, Roeder publicly confessed to shooting Tiller, who was one of the few doctors in the country who performed late-term abortions.
14) Roeder, 51, of Kansas City, Missouri, said he considered other ways of killing Tiller, including driving his car into Tiller's or shooting him with a shotgun. But he said he was concerned those approaches could hurt others.
15) He testified that he wrapped the .22-caliber handgun in a piece of cloth and buried it in a rural area. The weapon has not been recovered.
16) Prosecutors were careful during the first few days of testimony to avoid the subject of abortion and to focus on the specifics of the shooting. The judge said he did not want the trial to become a debate on abortion, but he said he would give Roeder a great deal of "latitude" when discussing his beliefs because they were integral to his defense.
17) Throughout his questioning, Roeder appeared calm and collected, waiting quietly each time prosecutors objected to something he said about medical procedures or late-term abortions, which the judge forbade him from testifying about.
18) When asked, for example, to detail the types of abortion procedures he was familiar with, Roeder answered "four or five" and then listed them. In one instance, he described a procedure as the fetus being "torn limb from limb" -- a characterization that prompted a quick objection from prosecutor Nola Foulston.
19) During a lengthy cross examination, Foulston tried to keep Roeder's responses to "yes" or "no." At one point, Roeder acknowledged that he had been thinking about killing abortion providers since the 1990s, and had considered using a sword to chop off Tiller's hands or killing him at his home.
20) Roeder testified though that he thought chopping off Tiller's hands was not a good solution because Tiller would still be able to train people. He said Tiller's home was not a good location because it was in a gated community and difficult to access.
21) Roeder also said he had gone to Reformation Lutheran Church on three other occasions to kill Tiller, once the evening before and once the week before Tiller was shot, and once in 2008, but Tiller was not at the church on those occasions.


Man convicted of murdering US abortion provider
(APW_ENG_20100129.1027)
1) A man who says he killed a prominent abortion provider to protect unborn children has been convicted of murdering the doctor.
2) A jury deliberated for 37 minutes Friday before finding Scott Roeder guilty of premeditated, first-degree murder. The 51-year-old Kansas City, Missouri, man faces a mandatory sentence of life imprisonment with the possibility of parole after 25 years.
3) Roeder testified that he shot Dr. George Tiller in the head May 31 in the foyer of Tiller's church in Wichita because he believed the doctor posed an "immediate danger" to unborn children.
4) His attorneys were hoping to get a lesser charge of voluntary manslaughter for Roeder, but the judge ruled that the jury could not consider such a verdict.
5) Tiller was one of the few doctors in the U.S. to provide late-term abortions.


Man convicted of murdering US abortion provider
(APW_ENG_20100129.1109)
1) A man who said he killed one of the most prominent abortion providers in the U.S. in order to save the lives of unborn children was convicted Friday of murder.
2) The jury deliberated for just 37 minutes before finding Scott Roeder, 51, of Kansas City, Missouri, guilty of premeditated, first-degree murder in the May 31 shooting death of Dr. George Tiller.
3) Roeder faces a mandatory sentence of life in prison with the possibility of parole after 25 years when he is sentenced March 9. Prosecutor Nola Foulston said she would pursue a so-called "Hard 50" sentence, which would require Roeder to serve at least 50 years before he can be considered for parole.
4) Tiller's widow, Jeanne, and the rest of the family quickly exited the courtroom after the verdict. In a statement, Jeanne Tiller said "once again, a Sedgwick County jury has reached a just verdict."
5) The family said it wanted Tiller to be "remembered for his legacy of service to women, the help he provided for those who needed it and the love and happiness he provided us as a husband, father and grandfather."
6) Roeder had confessed publicly before the trial and admitted again on the witness stand that he shot Tiller in the head in the foyer of the Wichita church where the doctor was serving as an usher. He testified he felt the lives of unborn children were in "immediate danger" because of Tiller.
7) Roeder also was convicted of aggravated assault for pointing a gun at two ushers at the church after the shooting.
8) Roeder sat straightforward as the verdict was read, showing no visible reaction as he moved his head toward the judge and to the jury as each juror confirmed the verdict.
9) Tiller was one of the few providers of late-term abortions in the U.S., and his Wichita clinic was the focus of many protests. It also had been under investigation by a former state district attorney who accused Tiller of skirting Kansas' abortion laws.
10) Roeder's attorneys were hoping to get a lesser charge of voluntary manslaughter for their client, a defense that would have required them to show that Roeder had an unreasonable but honest belief that deadly force was justified.
11) But after hearing Roeder testify, District Judge Warren Wilbert ruled that his lawyers failed to show that Tiller posed an imminent threat and the jury could not consider such a verdict.
12) Prosecutors were careful during the first few days of testimony to avoid the subject of abortion and to focus on the specifics of the shooting. Wilbert said he did not want the trial to become a debate on abortion, but he did allow Roeder to discuss his views on the subject because his attorneys said they were integral to their case.
13) Roeder, the lone defense witness, testified Thursday that he considered elaborate schemes to stop Tiller, including chopping off his hands, crashing a car into him or sneaking into his home to kill him.
14) But in the end, Roeder told jurors, the easiest way was to walk into Tiller's church, put a gun to the man's forehead and pull the trigger.
15) "Those children were in immediate danger if someone did not stop George Tiller," Roeder said. "They were going to continue to die."
16) He testified that he wrapped the .22-caliber handgun in a piece of cloth and buried it in a rural area. The weapon has not been recovered.
17) Tiller, whose Wichita clinic closed after his death, championed abortion rights even after being shot in both arms by an activist in 1993. The clinic, heavily fortified after a bombing in 1986, was the target of both peaceful and violent protests.


Man convicted of murdering US abortion provider
(APW_ENG_20100129.1179)
1) Jurors swiftly convicted an abortion opponent of murder Friday for shooting to death one of the only doctors to offer late-term abortions in the U.S., a killing the gunman claimed was justified to save the lives of unborn children.
2) The jury deliberated for just 37 minutes before finding Scott Roeder, 51, guilty of premeditated, first-degree murder for putting a gun to the forehead of Dr. George Tiller on May 31 and pulling the trigger.
3) Defense attorney Mark Rudy described his case as helpless and hopeless.
4) "I've never seen anyone lay himself out as much as Mr. Roeder did," Rudy said after the verdict, referring to his client's confessions.
5) Roeder faces a mandatory sentence of life in prison with the possibility of parole after 25 years when he is sentenced March 9. Prosecutor Nola Foulston said she would pursue a so-called "Hard 50" sentence, which would require Roeder to serve at least 50 years before he can be considered for parole.
6) Tiller's widow, Jeanne, and the rest of the family quickly exited the courtroom after the verdict. In a statement, Jeanne Tiller said "once again, a Sedgwick County jury has reached a just verdict."
7) The family said it wanted Tiller to be "remembered for his legacy of service to women, the help he provided for those who needed it and the love and happiness he provided us as a husband, father and grandfather."
8) Roeder had confessed publicly before the trial and admitted again on the witness stand that he shot Tiller in the foyer of the Wichita church where the doctor was serving as an usher. He testified he felt the lives of unborn children were in "immediate danger" because of Tiller.
9) During closing arguments earlier Friday, Rudy urged the jury to reject the murder charge, saying, "no one should be convicted based on his convictions."
10) Rudy mentioned leaders who stood up for their beliefs, including civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr. They were "celebrated individuals (who) stood up and made the world a better place."
11) "They leave their marks based on their words and deeds," Rudy said.
12) But prosecutor Kim Parker said Roeder is "simply guilty of the crime he has been charged with."
13) Prosecutor Ann Swegle told jurors to use their "common sense" when deliberating and find Roeder guilty based not only on the state's case but also on Roeder's own testimony in which he described how he killed Tiller in a "planned assassination."
14) "There could be no other verdict in this case," she said.
15) Roeder also was convicted of aggravated assault for pointing a gun at two ushers at Tiller's church after the shooting. Wearing a dark suit with a red tie, he sat straightforward and expressionless as the verdict was read, moving his head toward the judge and to the jury as each juror confirmed his or her decision.
16) Roeder's attorneys were hoping to get a lesser charge of voluntary manslaughter for Roeder, a defense that would have required them to show that Roeder had an unreasonable but honest belief that deadly force was justified.
17) Tiller's Wichita clinic was the focus of many protests and had been under investigation by a former state district attorney who accused the doctor of skirting Kansas' late-term abortion laws requiring a second opinion from a physician who is not affiliated to the one performing the abortion.
18) Kansas law says abortions on viable fetuses after the 21st week of pregnancy are allowed only if a woman or girl's life is in danger, or if she faces a "substantial and irreversible impairment" of a major bodily function. Courts have interpreted a major bodily function to include mental health.
19) Roeder was the sole defense witness after the judge barred testimony from two state prosecutors whom the defense subpoenaed in a bid to show Roeder believed Tiller was performing unlawful abortions and was frustrated charges against the doctor had been dismissed in one case. Jurors in the other case acquitted the doctor.
20) Roeder testified Thursday that he considered elaborate schemes to stop the doctor, including chopping off his hands, crashing a car into him or sneaking into his home to kill him. Roeder said he went to Reformation Lutheran Church on three other occasions to kill Tiller: once the evening before and once the week before Tiller was shot, and once in 2008, but Tiller was not at the church on those occasions.
21) But in the end, Roeder told jurors, the easiest way was to walk into Tiller's church, put a gun to the doctor's forehead and pull the trigger.
22) "Those children were in immediate danger if someone did not stop George Tiller," Roeder told jurors.
23) But after hearing Roeder testify, District Judge Warren Wilbert ruled that his lawyers failed to show that Tiller posed an imminent threat and the jury could not consider a manslaughter verdict.
24) Prosecutors were careful during the first few days of testimony to avoid the subject of abortion and to focus on the specifics of the shooting. Wilbert said he did not want the trial to become a debate on abortion, but he did allow Roeder to discuss his views on the subject because his attorneys said they were integral to their case.


Activist convicted in US abortion doctor ' s death
(APW_ENG_20100129.1425)
1) A jury took just 37 minutes Friday to convict an anti-abortion activist of murder for putting a gun to the head of a prominent abortion provider and pulling the trigger in the foyer of a church.
2) Attorneys for Scott Roeder had hoped to argue for a lesser conviction of voluntary manslaughter, based on the defendant's belief that the killing of Dr. George Tiller on May 31 was justified to save the lives of unborn children. But the judge threw out that defense a day earlier, leaving the jurors to choose between a murder conviction or acquittal.
3) Roeder, 51, of Kansas City, Missouri, admitted his actions on the witness stand. He faces a mandatory sentence of life in prison.
4) Defense attorney Mark Rudy described his case as "helpless and hopeless."
5) "I've never seen anyone lay himself out as much as Mr. Roeder did," Rudy said after the verdict, referring to his client's confessions.
6) Prosecutors carefully sidestepped the abortion debate as they laid out a case painting Roeder as a cold and careful killer who methodically planned his attack on Tiller, one of the only doctors in the U.S. to offer late-term abortions.
7) But both sides of the abortion debate lined up to respond to the verdict.
8) Abortion-rights advocates said the decision would send a message to the militant fringe of the anti-abortion movement.
9) Vicki Saporta, president of the National Abortion Federation, said she hoped the verdict would be a "deterrent to those that that are considering following in Roeder's footsteps."
10) "While the verdict won't bring back Dr. Tiller, it was very important justice was done today for the safety and security of other abortion providers across the country and women's ability to access abortion care," Saporta said.
11) Troy Newman, president of Wichita-based Operation Rescue, which organized protests against Tiller's clinic, said "pro-life was not on trial. An insane man doing an insane thing was on trial."
12) He said Roeder "could have saved us about three weeks of taxpayers' time and the city's agony if he would have just confessed to it up front."
13) Roeder could be considered for parole after 25 years. But prosecutor Nola Foulston said she would seek to ensure that he serve at least 50 years before being eligible for parole. Sentencing was set for March 9.
14) In the courtroom, Tiller's family held hands and fought tears as the verdicts were read. Tiller's widow, Jeanne, later released a statement saying that the jury had "reached a just verdict."
15) The family said it wanted Tiller to be "remembered for his legacy of service to women, the help he provided for those who needed it and the love and happiness he provided us as a husband, father and grandfather."
16) In a November jailhouse interview with The Associated Press, Roeder admitted shooting Tiller in the foyer of the Wichita church where the doctor was serving as an usher. On the witness stand, he testified he felt that Tiller placed the lives of unborn children in "immediate danger."
17) During closing arguments Friday, Rudy urged the jury to reject the murder charge. "No one," he said, "should be convicted based on his convictions."
18) Rudy mentioned leaders who stood up for their beliefs, including slain civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr. They were "celebrated individuals (who) stood up and made the world a better place."
19) "They leave their marks based on their words and deeds," Rudy said.
20) King, a Nobel Peace Prize laureate, was an outspoken advocate of non-violent civil disobedience.
21) But prosecutor Kim Parker said Roeder was "simply guilty of the crime he has been charged with."
22) Prosecutor Ann Swegle told jurors to use their "common sense" and find Roeder guilty based not only on the state's case but also on Roeder's own testimony in which he described how he killed Tiller in a "planned assassination."
23) "There could be no other verdict in this case," she said.
24) Wearing a dark suit with a red tie, Roeder sat expressionless as the verdict was read. He moved his head toward the judge and to the jury as each juror confirmed the decision.
25) Tiller's Wichita clinic was the focus of many protests and had been under investigation by a former state district attorney who accused the doctor of skirting Kansas' abortion laws. In 2009, Tiller was acquitted of misdemeanor charges of violating Kansas restrictions on late-term abortions.
26) Tiller's Wichita clinic was the focus of many protests and had been under investigation by a former state district attorney who accused the doctor of skirting Kansas' abortion laws. In 2009, Tiller was acquitted of misdemeanor charges of violating Kansas restrictions requiring a second opinion from a physician who is not affiliated to the one performing a late-term abortion.
27) Kansas law says abortions on viable fetuses after the 21st week of pregnancy are allowed only if a woman or girl's life is in danger, or if she faces a "substantial and irreversible impairment" of a major bodily function. Courts have interpreted a major bodily function to include mental health.
28) Roeder, the sole defense witness, testified Thursday that he considered elaborate schemes to stop the doctor, including chopping off his hands, crashing a car into him or sneaking into his home to kill him.
29) But in the end, Roeder told jurors, the easiest way was to walk into Tiller's church, put a gun to the doctor's forehead and pull the trigger.
30) "Those children were in immediate danger if someone did not stop George Tiller," Roeder told jurors.
31) But after hearing Roeder testify, District Judge Warren Wilbert ruled that his lawyers failed to show that Tiller posed an imminent threat and the jury could not consider a manslaughter verdict.
32) Roeder was also convicted of aggravated assault for threatening two church ushers who tried to stop Roeder from fleeing.



2010-04-01
Killer of US abortion doctor faces life in prison
(APW_ENG_20100401.0002)
1) The man who gunned down one of the nation's few providers of late-term abortions could be sent to prison Thursday for the rest of his life, but he may have gotten what he wanted all along: It is markedly harder in Kansas to get an abortion.
2) Dr. George Tiller's clinic is closed, leaving the state with no facility where women can have the procedure after the 21st week of pregnancy. An early vow by one of Tiller's contemporaries to fill the gap hasn't materialized, and state lawmakers are moving to enact tough new rules to dissuade other physicians from taking Tiller's place.
3) "The national anti-abortion movement has a tremendous victory here," said Dr. Warren Hern, a longtime friend of Tiller who performs late-term abortions in Colorado. "They accomplished exactly what they wanted, and they continue to accomplish it."
4) But even as Scott Roeder faces a mandatory life sentence for killing Tiller, many ponder the conflicting legacies of his actions. Outside Kansas, abortion rights supporters say there's been a surge in late-term abortion practices by doctors emboldened to pick up where Tiller left off.
5) "What he really did was murder a doctor in church, and the effect on abortion is negligible," said Dr. LeRoy Carhart, a Nebraska doctor who worked part-time for Tiller.
6) Carhart said Wednesday he had not given up on opening a practice in Kansas where women can have a late-term procedure, even though he admitted his plans were in a state of flux given the rules passed late Tuesday night by the Kansas Legislature.
7) Some people on the other side of the abortion debate aren't taking comfort in the fate of Roeder, 52, who was convicted in January of first-degree murder for fatally shooting Tiller last May as the doctor served as an usher in his Wichita church. The only question remaining Thursday is whether Roeder's imprisonment will include a mandatory minimum of 25 or 50 years behind bars.
8) "Mr. Roeder was a setback to the pro-life movement -- and to give him any sort of credit for reducing or stopping abortion is well beyond reason," said Troy Newman, president of Operation Rescue.
9) Roeder's militant sympathizers disagree.
10) "He went ahead and laid down his life to save unborn children and to me that is the definition of a hero -- he gave up his life to save someone else," said the Rev. Don Spitz, of Virginia, who runs the Army of God Web site supporting violence against abortion providers.
11) In Kansas, Tiller's killing has practically erased late-term procedures and forced women to Albuquerque, New Mexico and Boulder, Colorado, among other places, to have them.
12) Just three clinics in the state -- all located in or near the Kansas City metro area -- offer limited abortion services for women up to their 21st week of pregnancy.
13) "People were coming from all over the world to have abortions in Kansas," said Kari Ann Rinker, a lobbyist for the National Organization for Women's Kansas chapter. "Now they don't come here because Dr. Tiller has been killed."
14) Beyond the state, however, abortion rights advocates say doctors are increasingly offering the procedure to ensure women have access.
15) "Dr. Tiller's death was a devastating loss to the provider community and his family, but he was so admired and respected that his death has inspired medical students and providers to recommit themselves to providing women with the abortion care that they need," said Vicki Saporta, president of the National Abortion Federation.
16) Among them is Megan Evans, a third-year medical student at George Washington University who said she hopes to include abortion services as part of a larger obstetrics and gynecology practice.
17) "After he was killed, for me it assured me this was the right field to go into," she said.
18) In the wake of Tiller's murder, Dr. Curtis Boyd of Albuquerque decided to provide third-trimester abortions on a case-by-case basis and hired two physicians who had worked at Tiller's clinic.
19) Wichita-based Operation Rescue, an anti-abortion group that followed Boyd's announcement by declaring it would open a satellite operation in Albuquerque, contends its movement has been winning for the past 15 years as abortion clinics close as a result of legislative efforts coupled with political and social pressures.
20) Saporta contends there are now more doctors across the nation providing late abortions than there were before Tiller was killed, but she refuses to say how many or identify them for fear of making them instant targets.
21) Kansas law permits an abortion on a viable fetus after the 21st week of pregnancy to save a mother's life or to prevent "substantial and irreversible impairment of a major bodily function."
22) State lawmakers who oppose abortion want to further restrict the law. They passed a bill that would require doctors' reports to the state include the exact medical diagnosis justifying a late-term abortion. It also would allow a doctor to be sued if the mother or her family had evidence that a late-term abortion violated Kansas law. But the Republican-controlled Legislature doesn't yet have the two-thirds majorities it needs to override a potential veto by Democratic Gov. Mark Parkinson, an abortion rights supporter.
23) "There's no reason not to do the right thing just because Tiller's clinic is closed," said Mary Kay Culp, executive director of Kansans for Life. "The possibility exists that someone else could come into this state and run his business in the same way."
24) The state Department of Health and Environment reported last week that the number of late-term abortions of viable fetuses dropped dramatically last year, from 192 in 2008 to 67 in 2009. The total number of abortions declined 11 percent, from about 10,600 in 2008 to about 9,500 in 2009.
25) Abortion opponents argue that decline can be linked to an increase in crisis pregnancy centers and a new law requiring doctors to give women the option of seeing an ultrasound of their fetus before an abortion.
26) But Rinker, the NOW lobbyist, said Roeder accomplished what the state's conservative lawmakers could not.
27) "We need more abortion clinics," she said. "We need more physicians who aren't afraid to practice abortion procedures because of fear of legal repercussions."


US abortion doctor ' s killer faces life sentence
(APW_ENG_20100401.0404)
1) The activist who gunned down a Kansas doctor who was one of the few in the U.S. to perform late-term abortions has never shown remorse, insisting the killing was justified to save the lives of unborn children.
2) Scott Roeder now faces a mandatory life sentence for the slaying of Dr. George Tiller, who was shot in May in the foyer of the Wichita church where the doctor was serving as an usher. Roeder, who admitted killing Tiller on the witness stand during his trial, is expected to testify again at Thursday's sentencing hearing and speak freely about his beliefs.
3) Several of Roeder's friends and fellow anti-abortion activists have said Roeder asked them to testify as character witnesses -- although it's up to the judge to decide how much, if any, such testimony he will hear.
4) Roeder was convicted in January of first-degree murder for the May 31 slaying of Tiller and of two counts of aggravated assault for threatening two ushers who tried to stop him after the shooting.
5) Lee Thompson, an attorney for the Tiller family, declined to discuss any plans for statements to the court during Thursday's hearing.
6) While District Judge Warren Wilbert must sentence Roeder to life in prison, the judge will decide whether the 52-year-old Kansas City, Missouri, man must serve 25 years or 50 years before being eligible for parole.
7) Prosecutors seeking the harsher sentence must show an aggravating circumstance, such as whether Roeder stalked his victim before killing him. Roeder testified in January that he had previously taken a gun into the doctor's church and had checked out the gated subdivision where Tiller lived and the clinic where he practiced.
8) Defense attorneys are challenging the constitutionality of the harsher sentence. Also pending is a routine motion seeking a new trial, a procedural matter filed mostly for appeal purposes.
9) Although he could spend the rest of his life in prison, Roeder may have gotten what he wanted all along: In the months since Tiller's death and his clinic was closed, it has been markedly more difficult to get an abortion in Kansas.
10) The state was left with no facility where women can have the late-term procedure. Just three clinics in the state -- all located in or near the Kansas City area -- offer limited abortion services for women up to their 21st week of pregnancy.
11) An early vow by one of Tiller's contemporaries to fill the gap hasn't materialized, and state lawmakers are moving to enact tough new rules to dissuade other doctors from taking Tiller's place.
12) But outside Kansas, abortion-rights supporters say there's been a surge in late-term abortion practices by doctors emboldened to pick up where Tiller left off.
13) "What he really did was murder a doctor in church, and the effect on abortion is negligible," said Dr. LeRoy Carhart, a Nebraska doctor who worked part-time for Tiller and said he hasn't given up on the idea of opening a practice in Kansas where late-term abortions would be performed.


US abortion doctor ' s killer faces life sentence
(APW_ENG_20100401.0693)
1) The activist who gunned down a doctor who was one of the few in the U.S. to perform late-term abortions faces a mandatory life term in prison when he is setenced Thursday.
2) Scott Roeder has never shown remorse slaying of for the slaying of Dr. George Tiller, insisting the killing was justified to save the lives of unborn children. Tiller was shot in May in the foyer of the Wichita church where the doctor was serving as an usher.
3) Roeder, who admitted killing Tiller on the witness stand during his trial, is expected to testify again at Thursday's sentencing hearing and speak freely about his beliefs.
4) While District Judge Warren Wilbert must sentence Roeder to life in prison, the judge will decide whether the 52-year-old Kansas City, Missouri, man must serve 25 years or 50 years before being eligible for parole.
5) Several of Roeder's friends and fellow anti-abortion activists have said Roeder asked them to testify as character witnesses -- although it's up to the judge to decide how much, if any, such testimony he will hear.
6) Roeder was convicted in January of first-degree murder for the May 31 slaying of Tiller and of two counts of aggravated assault for threatening two ushers who tried to stop him after the shooting.
7) Lee Thompson, an attorney for the Tiller family, declined to discuss any plans for statements to the court during Thursday's hearing.
8) Although he could spend the rest of his life in prison, Roeder may have gotten what he wanted all along: In the months since Tiller's death and his clinic was closed, it has been markedly more difficult to get an abortion in the Midwestern state of Kansas.
9) The state was left with no facility where women can have the late-term procedure. Just three clinics in the state -- all located in or near the Kansas City area -- offer limited abortion services for women up to their 21st week of pregnancy.
10) An early vow by one of Tiller's contemporaries to fill the gap hasn't materialized, and state lawmakers are moving to enact tough new rules to dissuade other doctors from taking Tiller's place.
11) Abortion has been legal in the United States since a 1973 U.S. Supreme Court ruling, but it remains a contentious issue in the country.


US abortion doctor ' s murderer gets life in prison
(APW_ENG_20100401.1167)
1) A judge has sentenced an anti-abortion zealot convicted of murdering a prominent Kansas abortion doctor to life in prison with the possibility of parole after 50 years.
2) Scott Roeder faced a mandatory life prison term for gunning down Dr. George Tiller in the back of Tiller's Wichita church last May.
3) Sedgwick County District Judge Warren Wilbert could have made the 52-year-old Roeder eligible for parole after 25 or 50 years. He gave him the harsher sentence because he said the evidence showed Roeder stalked Tiller before killing him.
4) Roeder testified that he killed Tiller because he felt doing so would protect unborn children.



2010-10-09
AP source: Grand jury probing anti-abortion murder
(APW_ENG_20101009.0025)
1) A federal grand jury is investigating whether last year's murder of a Kansas abortion doctor was connected to a broader case involving radical anti-abortion activists, a federal law enforcement official familiar with the case said Friday.
2) The official spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to publicly discuss the investigation. The official said several federal civil rights prosecutors were holding grand jury proceedings in Kansas City, looking into whether a broader case surrounded the May 2009 death of Dr. George Tiller.
3) Tiller was among the few late-term abortion providers in the U.S. before he was fatally shot in his Wichita church by anti-abortion activist Scott Roeder.
4) "Yes, there is a grand jury investigation. I can tell you that there are several attorneys from Washington, D.C., looking into this matter and are looking into the broader case than just the actual incident that occurred in Wichita," the official said.
5) A spokesman for the U.S. Attorney's Office in Kansas declined comment Friday.
6) Roeder, who admitted to the shooting, said during his trial in January that he believed the killing was justified to save the lives of unborn children. Roeder is serving a sentence of life in prison.
7) At least one Justice Department civil rights prosecutor attended Roeder's trial, along with agents from the FBI. Shortly after Tiller's death, the Justice Department increased security around women's health facilities and opened an ongoing investigation.
8) In recent days, talk of a sitting grand jury in Kansas City began swirling among anti-abortion activists who have kept in contact with Roeder.
9) Tiller's clinic in Wichita has been closed since the doctor's death. The building is for sale.


AP source: Grand jury probing anti-abortion murder
(APW_ENG_20101009.0053)
1) A federal grand jury is investigating whether last year's murder of a Kansas abortion doctor was connected to a broader case involving radical anti-abortion activists, a federal law enforcement official familiar with the case said Friday.
2) The official spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to publicly discuss the investigation. The official said several federal civil rights prosecutors were holding grand jury proceedings in Kansas City, looking into whether a broader case surrounded the May 2009 death of Dr. George Tiller.
3) Tiller was among the few late-term abortion providers in the U.S. before he was fatally shot in his Wichita church by anti-abortion activist Scott Roeder.
4) "Yes, there is a grand jury investigation. I can tell you that there are several attorneys from Washington, D.C., looking into this matter and are looking into the broader case than just the actual incident that occurred in Wichita," the official said.
5) A spokesman for the U.S. Attorney's Office in Kansas declined comment Friday.
6) Roeder, who admitted to the shooting, said during his trial in January that he believed the killing was justified to save the lives of unborn children. Roeder, of Kansas City, Missouri, was sentenced to life in prison.
7) At least one Justice Department civil rights prosecutor attended Roeder's trial, along with agents from the FBI. Shortly after Tiller's death, the Justice Department increased security around women's health facilities and opened an ongoing investigation.
8) In recent days, talk of a sitting grand jury in Kansas City began swirling among some anti-abortion activists who have kept in contact with Roeder, including Jennifer McCoy.
9) "It won't change things for Scott, and that is what makes me think the problem is the rest of us," said McCoy, who was sentenced in 1997 to 2 1/2 years in prison for arsons at two Virginia abortion clinics. "They have gone in trying to prove some conspiracy that doesn't exist."
10) McCoy, who said she has not been subpoenaed, now lives in Wichita and befriended Roeder after his arrest in Tiller's death. She said she learned about the grand jury investigation from Roeder.
11) Tiller's clinic in Wichita has been closed since the doctor's death. The building is for sale.