Faith leaders condemn murder of Dr. George Tiller, call for common ground...
Religious leaders and groups who hold different views on the legality of abortion, but a shared commitment to working towards common ground solutions to reduce abortions by addressing its root causes issued the following statement on Monday, June 1:
"We were shocked and saddened to hear that Dr. George Tiller was murdered at his church yesterday morning. Such violence is an affront to the teachings of all faith traditions and an attack on civil society. Houses of worship have served as sanctuaries providing a safe harbor even in times of widespread violence for millennia -- that this act took place in Dr. Tiller's church where he was serving as an usher on Sunday morning only underscores its abhorrence. We condemn it, and we pray for Dr. Tiller's family, church and community.
"As people of faith working to create civility and common ground on abortion, this reprehensible attack reminds us of our moral obligation to respect the humanity of those on both sides of this issue. Wherever we stand, this act offends us all." [Signatories here.]
...While some use horrific attack for political gain
Just hours later, at a press conference on the steps of the Supreme Court anti-abortion leaders led by the Christian Defense Coalition condemned the murder, called on President Obama and Congressional leaders not to use it "for political gain," and then proceeded to use the platform provided by the abhorrent attack to misrepresent Pres. Obama's record on abortion and otherwise spread misinformation about the issue.
Rev. Patrick Mahoney, director of the coalition, claimed that the administration is dismantling conscience protections for healthcare providers who refuse to perform abortions on moral grounds. This is false. In February the administration initiated a review of the broad, last-minute conscience clause Pres. Bush put in place before leaving office. Although the outcome is still pending, three separate federal laws protect -- and will continue to protect -- medical professionals who do not wish to perform abortion procedures for religious or moral reasons.
Rev. Mahoney also claimed that the administration supports late-term abortions and "partial-birth abortion." This claim too is false. Pres. Obama has stated his support for restrictions on these procedures if there are protections for the health of the mother. He has also stated that his votes in opposition to legislation restricting the late-term abortion were based on a lack of such protections.
Speakers at the press conference also misleadingly repeatedly referenced a recent Gallup poll which found that a majority of Americans consider themselves pro-life. Rev. Mahoney said the poll showed that the majority of Americans reject appointing a judge who would uphold Roe v. Wade to the Supreme Court. The Gallup poll actually showed that 51% of Americans consider themselves "pro-life" -- not that a majority of Americans oppose appointing a Supreme Court Justice who would uphold Roe. In fact, polling consistently shows that more than 60 percent of Americans oppose overturning Roe v. Wade. Several analyses have shown the Gallup poll to a) be an outlier, b) not pertinent to the legality of abortion, and c) so vague that it means little at all.
The anti-abortion leaders who spoke at the Supreme Court this morning could have condemned the murder of George Tiller and reiterated their opposition to abortion without politicizing the tragedy and making misleading claims for political gain -- a maneuver they claim to denounce.
Now more than ever, we must all come together to recognize our shared humanity and find common ground. That's what Americans really want out of our leaders.
