May 31st is a day that I will never forget. Today marks the three year anniversary since the horrific murder of Dr. George Tiller. Dr. Tiller was gunned down and shot in his church where he was serving as an usher. His wife was in the church choir. It was a Sunday; I was living in DC and was about to enjoy a beautiful Sunday with many other Washingtonians playing kickball on the mall when my phone rang. It was my coworker calling to say, "You better sit down, they murdered Dr. Tiller this morning".
At the time I was the Director of a national Hotline that fielded calls from all over the country and Canada from women who were seeking abortion care. We sent many women to Wichita, KS as Women's Healthcare Services (Dr. Tiller’s clinic) was their last hope.
Dr. Tiller provided late-term abortion care, a needed service to save women's lives. I feel that it's not stigma that surrounds late-term abortion care, its ignorance and lack of understanding. The women who went to see Dr. Tiller for his care were often carrying wanted pregnancies. Many women had received a diagnosis of a catastrophic fetal anomaly that would result in a horrific disability or death, if carried to term. Other women who needed his care had been desperately trying to get a first trimester procedure, but due to obstacles out of their control, they were not able to receive care in their home state and had to make the life-changing journey to Wichita, KS.
Dr. Tiller was one of the few remaining providers that gave women their lives back. He used to say, "Abortion is not a cerebral or a reproductive issue. Abortion is a matter of the heart. Until one understands the heart of a woman, nothing about abortion makes any sense at all." He knew every woman’s story was different. It makes me want to scream at these lawmakers who think they can take their privilege and create these blanket ridiculous laws that are harmful to women.
We used to strategize on how to get women to Wichita from all over the country. He used to say to me, "thank you, I don't know how you do it" to which I would say, "Planes, trains and automobiles, I don't know how you do it.” He would say to me, "Kira, just get her here, I'll take it from there".
Dr. Tiller, it was an honor to work with you.
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