Shocking news from America.
A doctor who was one of the few in the US to continue carrying out late-term abortions was shot dead in a church today.
George Tiller, 67, who had been picketed, bombed and shot in the arms in previous incidents, was killed at his church in Kansas, according to police sources.
His was one of only three clinics in the United States to carry out late-term abortions, which are legal in Kansas if two independent doctors agree that the mother would be irreparably harmed should the pregnancy be allowed to continue.
Tiller was a controversial man, whose clinic has been the site of protests for two decades. He was shot and wounded by a protester in 1993 and someone placed a bomb on the roof of the clinic in 1986, seriously damaging the building.
If, as seems likely, this “pro-life” murderer was motivated by religious feeling then this detail is particularly worth noting.
Tiller, 67, was shot just after 10 a.m. in the lobby of Reformation Lutheran Church at 7601 E. 13th, where he was a member of the congregation.
Tiller was serving as an usher at the church, one of six ushers listed in the church bulletin. He was handing out bulletins to people going into the sanctuary minutes before being shot.
A church member who did not want to be identified said the gunman threatened another person at the church after the shooting.
As with many other brands of religious extremism, the hypocrisy is agonising.