Roeder is charged with one count of first-degree murder for Dr. Tiller, who ran a women's clinic in Wichita where abortions were performed, including the controversial late-term procedure.
Sedgwick County District Judge Warren Wilbert ruled that the jury could not consider convicting Roeder of the lesser charge of voluntary manslaughter, which is defined as "an unreasonable but honest belief that circumstances existed that justified deadly force" under Kansas statute.
Before his murder, Dr. George Tiller was one of the few U.S. doctors who performed late-term abortions and had already survived an attempted murder when his clinic was bombed.
While on trial, Roeder admitted to thinking about many ways to kill Tiller, he said he considered cutting Tiller's hands off with a sword, but decided that would not be effective, as Tiller would still be able to train others.
He said his anti-abortion beliefs "go hand in hand" with his religious beliefs and that he became born again in 1992 after watching an episode of "The 700 Club."
I thought this would be an interesting blog post as the issue of abortion will be coming up in class during the case study projects. Roeder is clearly on the pro-life side and thinks that abortion is murder in any case. However, I think he is clearly a disturbed man that deserves to go to jail for executing a man in front of his church, it doesn't matter that he thought he was doing it to prevent further deaths of unborn babies. Thoughts on this matter?
6 comments:
How could this possibly be justified as manslaughter? He premeditated the execution of the abortion doctor. That is the definition of first degree murder. He can think he's righteous if he likes, but it doesn't change the legal status (or the morally reprehensible status) of his actions.
Roe v. Wade!
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roe_v._Wade
"right of privacy, whether it be founded in the Fourteenth Amendment's concept of personal liberty and restrictions upon state action, as we feel it is, or, as the District Court determined, in the Ninth Amendment's reservation of rights to the people, is broad enough to encompass a woman's decision whether or not to terminate her pregnancy."
This is so creepy. By killing a man who "kills babies" isn't making the situation any better. Instead, it says a lot about Roeder himself. Tiller is providing abortion to women out there who CHOOSE to perfrom abortion with the help of a medical assistant. Roeder is helping people out there. If abortion is to be prevented, women need to learn how to make better choices. The doctors or abortion providers can't be the ones to blame.
I agree with Serena that the ones providing the abortion shouldn't be to blame, at least as much as the woman deciding to have one.
Plus, as someone not in favor of abortion (or murder as he defines it), murdering someone else isn't the best way for him to demmonstrate his pro-life sentiment; perhaps even a little hyporcritical?
FYI, the jury returned a guilty verdict on the 1st degree (premeditated) murder charges in less than an hour. Not many people are buying this brand of radicalism.
I am absolutely anti-abortion, however, I do not think that Roeder conveyed his pro-life message appropriately. Tiller's the one with blood on his hands, not Roeder. He doesn't get to decide who lives and who doesn't. The irony is obvious ... so ... my point's been made.
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