Scott Roeder was found guilty of the first degree murder of abortionist George Tiller. The jury deliberations were brief (37 minutes) after Roeder admitted during his testimony yesterday that he shot Tiller to stop the killing of unborn babies through abortion. It is sad that someone who purportedly holds pro-life views resorted to death as answer to the problem of abortion. To fall prey to the seductions of the Culture of Death while combating that culture is tragic. Killing is can not be a means to an end — not to avoid the inconvenience of an unplanned pregnancy nor to stop the destruction of the unborn.
Our coverage of the Tiller murder in the July 2009 issue of The Interim is available here. Recall that every major pro-life group in Canada and the United States condemned the Tiller murder; LifeSiteNews has a thorough list here. We also ran an editorial, “Not in our name,” that concluded:
In the Garden of Olives, Peter momentarily succumbs to the illusion that violence can lead to justice. In trying to prevent the murder of an innocent victim, he draws his sword and strikes a guard. Significantly, the last miracle of Christ is the healing of this guard, reminding his disciple that “all those who take up the sword shall perish by the sword” (Mt 26:52). Instead of justifying violence, this maxim is a reminder for all who struggle against injustice: it is only by peacefully witnessing to the truth that violence is overcome.
“I say to you, love your enemies, and pray for those who persecute you that you may be children of your heavenly Father, for He … causes rain to fall on the just and the unjust” (Mt 5:44). If we in the pro-life movement hope to be counted among the just, we must continue to oppose and denounce all forms of violence, without passing judgment on its perpetrators. For, in the words of John Donne, “Any man’s death diminishes me, because I am involved in mankind.”
We at The Interim condemn the murder of George Tiller and look forward to the day when no violence – committed against abortionists or by them – occurs in our society.
