“(W)e were a couple months away from getting his license revoked.”
Dr. George Tiller, one of the few American physicians who performedlate-term abortions, was shot to death in the lobby of his church todayin Wichita, Kan., according to his attorneys.
A 51-year-old suspect was arrested three hours after the shooting at 10a.m. Central time in a Kansas City suburb about 170 miles from Wichita,police said. They did not release his name, but said he would probablybe charged Monday with one count of murder and two counts of aggravatedassault.
For years, Tiller, 67, was a lightning rod in the struggle over legalized abortion.
He had previously been the victim of violence. In 1993, he was shot inboth arms by an abortion protester as he drove away from his clinic. In1986, his Women’s Health Care Services clinic was severely damaged in abomb blast. In 1991, the clinic was blockaded for six weeks byanti-abortion protesters.
And this month, Tiller’s attorneys told theAssociated Press, the doctor had asked the FBI to investigate anincident where vandals cut wires to security cameras, cut holes in theroof and plugged downspouts, resulting in thousands of dollars indamage to the clinic.
In addition to fending off abortion protesters for years, Tiller had been pursued by public officials opposed to abortion.
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