Dr. Tiller – A Gynecological Superhero
Digg This!As seemingly everyone knows, Dr. Tiller, a Kansas gynecologist, was killed on Sunday because he was willing to provide abortion services. I never met Dr. Tiller, but I am familiar with his work. I work for a family planning agency in Wisconsin that is prohibited form providing medical referrals for abortion services. This makes providing information to patients seeking such services a challenge, but we manage to thread the needle.
As a result, I understand that health care workers who make abortion services available are everyday heroes. But Dr. Tiller was different. He was above and beyond the everyday. He was a superhero. And now he’s gone; brutally taken from this life in a way that many who disagreed with his work have implicitly condoned by failing to denounce his murder without qualification. I haven’t yet fully verbalized my reaction to this event. This is mostly because I like to accommodate and reassure others and I have no easy answers to the questions my thought will evoke.
My first two thoughts upon hearing of Dr. Tiller’s death were: 1. “Dear God, let this be a mistake. Please – he can’t be dead,” and 2. “I hope I don’t get shot, too.” The first part has been a somewhat universal reaction. The second part requires explanation and reassurances that I don’t know how to provide because it’s out of my control. This post is my attempt to explain that part and to share how Dr. Tiller’s death impacts my life.
For nearly a year now, the clinic I work at has been targeted by “pro-life” demonstrators. At various points they’ve carried signs reading, “Family planners promote child promiscuity,” “Stop ALL Abortion,” “Birth Control Leads to Abortion,” etc. Usually they come once a week on Thursday afternoons, although this spring they participated in the 40 Days for Life Campaign and their website indicates they’ll be doing it again this fall. One of my responsibilities at work is to document the demonstrators. This mostly involves takign a few pictures and writing a brief report about what happened that day.
A little more than four weeks ago, this changed for me. They had a new sign. The sign reads, “God Bless Francis Irwin.” I do not know how they got my name. I do not know what they intended when they made the sign. I’d like to pretend that this is no more than a joke in poor taste. But the actions taken by a “pro-lifer” on Sunday make me question my assumption and my gumption. Dr. Tiller was a superhero. He did what few were willing to do. He never failed to serve his patients regardless of the level of property damage, physical injury, and intimidation he was subjected to as a result of his service. I am not an everyday hero. I do not provide abortion services. I am not a doctor or a nurse. Our clinic has not been damaged and I have never been physically hurt by our demonstrators. On a very few occasions, I have been frightened by the demonstrators’ actions. After Sunday, I realize that I could be intentionally injured by someone who opposes my work. To some extent allowing myself to worry about that feels like cowardice because Dr. Tiller was a superhero. And that’s a lot to aspire to.
