Condemning both Dr. Tiller’s killing and the act of abortion as murder is morally consistent on one level, yet doesn’t resolve the deeper, extremely unsettling question: if Tiller truly was the murderer of thousands, isn’t what Scott Roeder did at least somewhat defensible—even admirable? Though pro-life groups rightfully condemned this act, the force of their conviction was compromised by reflexively equating this heinous act with abortion in general. In any other circumstance, the ideological killing of a genocidal murderer would be celebrated—inwardly, if not openly. Why should this be any different?
This isn’t to say that abortion is not (at least in a sense) murder, or that Roeder deserves an iota of sympathy. However, it forces me to reconsider, as a pro-life Christian, the wisdom of classifying all abortion as first-degree murder. As abhorrent as late-term abortion may be, what Dr. Tiller did was legal, and gratefully acknowledged by many patients, most of whose situations were not as selfish or reckless as we want to believe. (And here’s another conundrum: if all abortion is murder, why is late-term abortion any worse than early-term? Why target Tiller?)
As a medical student, I had the eye-opening experience of meeting two women who were having abortions, then witnessing their procedures. I listened to their stories. I have also personally known Christian women, as decent and upstanding as you or me, who made secret, excruciating decisions to end their pregnancies.
Should the state forbid them this choice, and should they be punished if they proceed anyway? As a Christian, I realize I should answer—uneasily, humbly, but clearly—“yes.” But I am also increasingly at odds with crusading activists who insist this is a clear-cut issue with simple solutions, either morally or politically.
After watching the abortions, is there reason the think there is prenatal human life?