A killing in Kansas hits home in Minnesota
June 03, 2009 1:03:00
by Sarah Stoesz
President
Planned Parenthood Minnesota, North Dakota, South Dakota Action Fund
When the news hit that Dr. George Tiller had been shot to death in Wichita, Kansas, my thoughts turned immediately to his wife, his children, his grandchildren, his fellow churchgoers and the many women and families who benefited from his compassionate care.
I thought, too, about the safety of our staff, our patients, and the legions of volunteers who support the work we do at Planned Parenthood Minnesota, North Dakota, South Dakota. I vowed, as has our board of directors, that our security team would overlook no detail and spare no expense in protecting them.
I also thought about the angry protesters who gather every day outside our Highland Park clinic – and clinics around the country. They hold up distorted images and attempt to dehumanize our patients and staff. Their overheated, hate-filled rhetoric, fueled by the likes of Bill O’Reilly and too many others, feeds the paranoid fantasies of vulnerable, mentally unstable people.
What happened to Dr. Tiller is more than tragic. And if there’s one thing on which we can all agree, it is to tamp down the rhetoric. It’s time for ethically based people to come together, put a stop to this madness and start working toward practical solutions.
Dr. Tiller’s work was born of compassion. He was one of a handful of doctors willing to provide abortions in the most difficult of situations: when the life and health of the mother was clearly at risk or when there were fetal anomalies not compatible with life. He simply would not be deterred by the relentless threats against his life, assaults on his person, damage to his property and ceaseless verbal attacks.
Those with whom I’m privileged to work at Planned Parenthood are equally principled and committed. They will let nothing stand between them and the many people who need their services and care.
One of our volunteers, in fact, was spurred into action on Jan. 22, the day a man intentionally rammed his SUV into the front of our Highland Park clinic. This volunteer now serves as a clinic escort, ensuring that our patients and staff can come and go from the building with as little harassment as possible from protesters.
He responded the way many of us did to Dr. Tiller’s death: “With profound sadness, then anger, then just determination that this cannot stand.”
And, like Dr. Tiller, he will not be deterred: “I’m frightened,” he said, “but I can’t let this stop me. It’s very important to stay committed and focused on continuing to provide access to safe and legal care.”
Dr. Tiller stayed calmly and serenely above the fray. We admired his strength, his refusal to back down and, above all, his kindness toward his patients. We will remember him as does his colleague Dr. Shelley Sella. In an interview with Amy Goodman, she said: “Dr. Tiller . . . did everything out of kindness, justice, love and respect. Those were some of the words that he used to describe the doctor-patient relationship that he thought was so important, but those are words that describe him and the way that he provided care.”
As we mourn and remember Dr. Tiller, we will move forward with determination, courage and civility. We will stay focused on ensuring that our patients get the primary and preventive care they need at our clinics: cancer screenings, contraception and immunizations. We will renew our call to respect each other’s differences.
It is the only way to honor a man who refused to be intimidated.
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