"These materials contain hate messages, glorify violence against abortion doctors who provide constitutionally protected medical services, and instruct on means of violence, including bombing, of abortion clinics."
Letter to eBay from Lee Thompson, attorney for the Tiller family, approved by Jeannie Tiller, Dr. George Tiller's wife of nearly 35 years.
"They're not only chilling the First Amendment of the Constitution, they're raping the whole Constitution," said Regina Dinwiddie, a Kansas City abortion opponent and friend of Roeder.
She said the move wouldn't stop those who are trying to help Roeder.
"We have other plans that I’m not at the discretion to say right now," she said. "This is money for Scott Roeder so he can have a true defense. They're trying to shoot down the truth of what went on behind Tiller's closed doors and fenced gates, but it's not going to work."
Chilling effect? I think not. First of all, the Constitution restricts what various American governmental bodies can do. eBay is not a government body (even though the creator of eBay was haphazardly recommended by John McCain as Treasury Secretary during a presidential debate last year). They can restrict speech all they want. Second, raising money for an attorney is fine; however, the manner in which one does that might not be either legal or all that Constitutional (let alone tasteful).
The truth about what went on behind Dr. Tiller's doors is quite complex. Dr. Tiller provided abortions for women, most of which happened in the first trimester of pregnancy (around quickening, the fairly traditional line at which abortion was no longer legal). Of the second and third trimester abortions he provided, he did not terminate all pregnancies. He provided legal abortions (ones that would be illegal were turned away), and he wouldn't terminate pregnancies for uncertain women (at his funeral, I met a woman who, 15 years ago, went for an abortion and he almost didn't do it because he felt she wasn't certain she really wanted one). For women whose pregnancies he did not terminate, he offered adoption services, including finding her a place to stay in Wichita until she was ready to place her child for adoption. He provided late abortions for teenage girls (whose abortions tend to be later in pregnancy for various reasons) and women in need of abortions for their health and well-being within the law. If women could not afford her abortion, he would help them out, including helping pay for travel and reducing the cost of his medical services. He did not terminate pregnancies willy-nilly because someone wanted to fit into a prom dress or he wanted the cash. He did not take pride in murdering babies; he took pride in helping women. Law & Order might try to accuse him of killing already born babies, but that just didn't happen. No matter what Spitz, Leach, Dinwiddie, Newman, or Roeder claim. And that's the reality of what happened behind Dr. Tiller's doors.
We'll continue to follow this story since they will continue to try to raise these funds. But no matter what they do, the money will go to the State of Kansas, not to whatever lawyer they choose.
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