PrintJune 18, 2009
The National Debate about Late-Term Abortions
Bill O'Reilly only thought he opened up a hornet's nest when he coined the term "death mill" for late-term abortion clinics. But now public figures are blaming Mr. O'Reilly and pro-life advocates for the death of Dr. George Tiller, the famous abortion doctor who performed abortions up to the time of a baby's birth.
There has been almost universal condemnation of the killing of Dr. Tiller; the vast majority of pro-life people -- those who defend life and respect life from conception to natural death -- find it abhorrent that anyone would kill another person, including those who perform abortions. Yet, those looking for someone to blame for Dr. Tiller's death have turned their attention to the Fox News celebrity, claiming that his outspoken opinions have created a climate where such crimes are commonplace. Those same critics also blame pro-lifers for creating a "negative" climate because they speak boldly and passionately about the issue. Those critics are especially condemning of pro-lifers who participate in silent prayer vigils near the clinics or have legal demonstrations on the sidewalks leading to the clinics.
As Congress considers "hate crime" legislation, the left is using Dr. Tiller's murder as evidence that those who take strong moral stances on public issues are a public threat. There are nationwide efforts to silence those who speak out on moral issues -- even a television celebrity like Mr. O'Reilly who does not claim to speak from a religious perspective. Thus, Michael Tomasky, journalist at The Guardian, shifts the focus from Scott Roeder, who has been arrested and accused of the murder, to the public figure, Bill O'Reilly, who has been outspoken in condemning late-term abortions. In addition to calling the late-term abortion clinics "death mills," Mr. O'Reilly has said plainly that the doctor in such situations has "blood on his hands." Mr. Tomasky asked, "It's a fair question to ask: does Bill O'Reilly have blood on his hands?"
Those of us who have been analyzing American culture over the past two decades have seen dramatic changes in the nation's attempts to remain non-judgmental. In fact, the current attempts to pin the blame for Tiller's death on Bill O'Reilly and pro-life activists is drawing very little condemnation in a cultural climate where we've lost sight of the real victims. The words from Isaiah 5:20 are chillingly accurate in this context. "How horrible it will be for those who call evil good and good evil, who turn darkness into light and light into darkness, who turn what is bitter into something sweet, and what is sweet into something bitter."
Indeed, Nancy Northup, President of the New York-based Center for Reproductive Rights, celebrated Dr. Tiller as a "passionate defender of women's reproductive health and rights." Miss Northup and other so-called "women's rights" advocates view abortion as a woman's "right" and thus something "good," and those who speak out against abortion, then, are the villains -- the evil ones. The left argues that we need to stop "demonizing" the doctors who perform the abortions, but what is lost in the late-term abortion debate is the reality of the process that is performed and the horror stories that come out of the clinics. Sarah Brown is an infant who was born alive after an attempted abortion at Dr. Tiller's clinic. She miraculously lived until age five, when she died due to the damages that occurred during the attempted abortion that she survived.
Bill O'Reilly is one of the very few television personalities who have been willing to speak out against the horrible acts of abortion taking place at the late-term abortion clinics. He has refused to use soft, ambiguous language. He has been blunt and realistic in describing the atrocities that take place in those "death mills." Rod Dreher, a columnist for The Dallas Morning News, has defended such public stances. He recognizes the importance of making such a stand, saying, "If torture -- or abortion, or war, or discrimination, or any other morally consequential issue -- is wrong, then we are obliged to speak out against it, no matter what."
Decent people agree that the murder of George Tiller cannot be condoned; we agree that the alleged actions of the accused murderer also were clearly wrong. But blame shifting is equally wrong. Rather than accept that a single gunman acted alone and voluntarily, the media is attempting to turn this tragic incident into an ideological attack against Bill O'Reilly and conservatives in general. The fallacious claim that Bill O'Reilly is somehow responsible is based on speculation. There is no evidence given to the public supporting the theory that the gunman even watched O'Reilly's show or was aligned with pro-life organizations.
Bill O'Reilly was correct in saying that, "Clear thinking Americans should condemn the murder of late-term abortionist Tiller, even though the man terminated thousands of pregnancies." Might I also add that clear thinking Americans should condemn the recent practice of blaming other Americans whose only "crime" is giving voice to our beliefs and values?
