Not Your Mama's Blog

Yesterday I was listening to the news and reading on the Internet about Dr. George Tiller. A Kansas doctor that performed late-term abortions that was murdered in church over the weekend. It made me sad, disgusted, angry, and, ultimately thankful.

I am not going to rehash all of the details of the controversy surrounding Dr. Tiller, but what stuck out for me was, despite being threatened, shot, bombed, arrested, indicted and emotionally wrung over the coals for the better part of his career, this man felt so strongly that he was doing the right thing, that he stuck it out. He felt, in his heart of hearts, he was performing a vital service for the women in Kansas and the surrounding states. What a wonderful man he must have been.

Many women seeking late term abortions are those that really, really don't want to have to have one: parents who found out after a 20-week ultrasound that their child was not developing normally, mothers diagnosed with cancer that need chemotherapy as soon as possible, children pregnant through horrible circumstances. These people are making what must be one of the most difficult decisions of their lives. Some argue that it probably isn't much of a decision (you can read all about some of the horrific fetal defects elsewhere, I don't want to think too hard about them), but without dedicated doctors like Dr. Tiller, there wouldn't be any option at all.

About 99% of my blog posts are included in my annual "blog scrapbook," the books I print to capture the silly stories, timely photos and memories I publish here. Every once in a while, a post comes along that I just don't think is necessary to include in that type of keepsake. When I initially set out to write this post, I was confident it would be excluded. Now I am not so sure.