Oncology

Blogs Comment On Tiller's Death, Sotomayor, Other Topics

The following summarizes selected women"s health-related blog entries.~ "Dr. Tiller -- A Gynecological Superhero," Frances Irwin, Below the Waist: Kansas abortion provider George Tiller, who was shot to death on Sunday, was "a superhero" who "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," Irwin, who works for a Wisconsin-based family planning agency, writes. Irwin notes that, for nearly a year, the clinic she works 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," and that new signs mention her by name. In the wake of Tiller"s death, Irwin writes that she "realize[s] that I could be intentionally injured by someone who opposes my work." She concludes, "To some extent allowing myself to worry about this feels like cowardice because Dr. Tiller was a superhero. And that"s a lot to aspire to" (Irwin, Below the Waist, 6/4).~ "Let"s Make an Abortion Deal," William Saletan, Slate"s "Human Nature": Some participants in the White House meetings to discuss abortion in the U.S. "aren"t trying hard enough" to find "common ground" and are "refusing the simplest concessions," Saletan writes. Saletan offers four recommendations to advocates on both side of the debate, including removing the distinction between reducing the number of abortions versus reducing the need for abortions. He writes, "No ordinary person sees a difference" between the two,"[s]o let"s focus on reduction through voluntary means and stop quibbling over how it"s described." His other recommendations include antiabortion-rights advocates conceding to increased access to contraception and both sides giving up "extremism." Saletan"s final recommendation is that abortion-rights opponents allow federal funding for reproductive health groups that offer abortion information or services. He writes that a ban on direct funding for abortions is "fine, " but the "indirect funding Obama restored is hardly radical," adding, "You might even discover that the most efficient way to prevent abortions in the long term is to fund the family planning organizations you keep trying to defund" (Saletan, "Human Nature," Slate, 6/4).~ "The ABCs of Antiabortion Activism," Tracy Clark-Flory, Salon"s "Broadsheet": Tiller"s murder "has opened up a Pandora"s box for pro-lifers, giving rise to all sorts of troublesome questions about the culpability of lenient law enforcement and the movement itself," Clark-Flory writes. She continues, "They certainly won"t find salvation from Pandagon"s Amanda Marcotte, who got her mitts on a disturbing antiabortion activist handbook" now online from Justice for All "that lays bare some of the lies, deception and cynical manipulation that might have led to Tiller"s assassination." According to Clark-Flory, "The single justifiable situation for an abortion is ectopic pregnancy, the manual explains," adding, "Deception of that sort is found throughout the handbook." She writes, "Activists are instructed that when confronting targets they are to pretend that they"re A-OK with contraception" so that "their mark will let his or her guard down and think that, you know, there"s actually a rational, fact-based discussion to be had." Clark-Flory continues, "The truth, of course, is that the manual goes on to arm activists with medical misinformation that they can spread about birth control." She concludes that Marcotte "puts this tactical deceit in perfect context: "It shows one face to the initiated and another to the public, especially on the topic of contraception. Once you realize this, the movement"s half-hearted denunciations of Dr. Tiller"s murder, coupled with the enthusiastic return to calling Dr. Tiller a monster, become all the more chilling"" (Clark-Flory, "Broadsheet," Salon, 6/4).~ "Late-Term Abortions: Facts, Stories and Ways To Help," Jodi Jacobson, RHRealityCheck: Despite the "extensive coverage" of the murder of abortion provider George Tiller, "little has been said to shed light on what late-term abortions are, who has them and why," Jacobson writes. She continues that the "media and talking heads pontificating on this subject" have caused the "dominant narrative" to be "one which perpetuates an assumption that people are electing to have late-term abortions for the sake of convenience" and "women are shamed for choosing abortion, no matter the circumstances." In addition, Tiller has been "portrayed even indirectly as a despicable aide in their shame," Jacobson writes. The blog says that this "narrative is so pervasive that even among those who consider themselves pro-choice, many people are left to wonder: Are these women just waking up one day … and opting for an abortion at 24 weeks?" Jacobson adds, "In fact, ... I have found the misunderstanding about late-term abortion to be widespread even among many of those in the public health advocacy community." Jacobson provides the following facts about abortion later in pregnancy: only about 1% of all U.S. abortions occur after 21 weeks; "[l]ate-term abortions are severely restricted by law" and most states have laws governing them; viability, on which many of these laws are based, "is a medical, not a legal definition"; Kansas is "strict on the issue of late-term abortions"; and there is a "huge gap in the narrative" of Tiller coming from "the extremist right" and "the many women and men who have been served" by Tiller. According to Jacobson, "Obviously, in this climate, constant political vigilance is needed against the erosion of women"s rights in law and in policy," the "public narrative that shames women and providers," and the "actions of the extremist right that daily put them at risk." She continues, "This will be increasingly true in the coming months" (Jacobson, RHRealityCheck, 6/2).~ "Protecting Abortion Providers," Kate Harding, Salon"s "Broadsheet": Although violent acts such as shootings and bombings are the "most dramatic examples," pro-life groups long have been conducting "relentless campaigns of intimidation," according to National Women"s Health Foundation President Susan Hill, Harding writes. Hill said that she and other providers have seen an increase in this harassment. Harding writes that the Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances Act of 1993 "didn"t stop the violence" any more than pre-existing laws did. Attorney General Eric Holder has ordered "increased security for some abortion providers" nationwide and pledged to work with local law enforcement in Kansas to investigate Tiller"s murder. However, according to Harding, Hill believes the "real problem lies with local law enforcement around clinics that are well-known targets." Hill said, "Local law enforcement is guilty. I think they see us as a pain in the ass. We call every time there"s some kind of a violation, and they don"t like it "cause they don"t want to be bothered." Hill added, "We"ve been telling them for months that something was coming. We always suffered our killings when the Democrats were in power. It wasn"t their fault, it"s just that the protesters were out of control" (Harding, "Broadsheet," Salon, 6/2).~ "George Tiller"s Murder Is Our Fault," Bonnie Erbe, U.S. News & World Report"s Thomas Jefferson Street: Tiller"s murder has "lifted the cover off the netherworld of violent antiabortion extremism," and the "proliferation of antiabortion violence … is a very, very scary development in U.S. history," Erbe writes. She adds that this is a "form of domestic terrorism" that requires "more state and federal investigation so would-be perpetrators can be stopped before they kill." Erbe cites a report that Scott Philip Roeder, the man arrested for Tiller"s murder, was arrested 13 years ago for "criminal use of explosives." She continues, "It goes without saying that a well-balanced individual is not going to engage in stalking, amassing an arsenal or spending his or her entire life pursuing a violent act," but the continuing recession has an "even greater destabilizing influence on those who suffer from mental health disorders," as was "apparently the case with Dr. Tiller"s alleged murderer." Erbe concludes, "It"s a shame on our society that he was not stopped before he apparently committed murder" (Erbe, Thomas Jefferson Street, U.S. News & World Report, 6/2).~ "In Obama Nominee Sotomayor, a Supreme Opportunity for Republicans," Mary Kate Cary, U.S. News & World Report: "If Republicans are smart," they will "leverage" Judge Sonia Sotomayor"s Supreme Court nomination hearings "into a necessary national discussion about principles and values" rather than more divisive issues, Cary writes. "Just about every Supreme Court nomination" since Sen. Edward Kennedy"s (D-Mass.) ""Robert Bork"s America"" speech in 1987 "has been incendiary, divisive and deeply ideological," but "this time, maybe things can be different," she adds. The entry states that Republicans "know the hard truth" that Sotomayor likely will be confirmed "no matter what the Republicans do," so "why not make lemonade out of lemons?" It is "time for a thoughtful discussion of what Republicans believe "fairness under the law" means today," why they believe "judicial activism is bad for our country," and what is "at stake for families and businesses when judges write laws from the bench," Cary writes. She continues that GOP senators should "carefully and thoughtfully spell out any differences they have with Sotomayor"s judicial philosophy" and not "get into wedge issues like gay marriage, abortion or stem cells" (Cary, U.S. News & World Report, 6/3).~ "Pro-Life States Have Lower Abortion Rates," Nate Silver, FiveThirtyEight: States with higher numbers of adults who consider themselves "pro-life" have lower rates of abortions among both teenagers and adults, according

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