I shot US abortion doctor to protect children, Scott Roeder tells court

Guardian ^ | 28 January 2010 | Ed Pilkington

[Ben Mugged]

A self-proclaimed born-again Christian who believes all abortions are a sin told his trial for murder today that he shot dead an abortion doctor in Wichita, Kansas, to protect unborn children.

Scott Roeder said he had bought a .22-calibre Taurus gun and ammunition on 30 May 2009, the day before he shot George Tiller, and practised target shooting with his brother. Then he checked into a motel in Wichita, and the next day followed Tiller to the church in the town where the doctor was an usher.

His defence lawyer asked: "Did you go and shoot Dr Tiller?"

Roeder replied: "Yes."

His confession is part of his defence that he felt forced to kill in order to save the lives of unborn children. He has pleaded not guilty to first-degree murder.

It is the first time in US legal history that a violent anti-abortionist has been allowed to present the jury with his justification for murder.

The judge in the case, Warren Wilbert, caused dismay among pro-abortionists and doctors this month when he ruled that Roeder would be allowed to present his justification to the court. Wilbert will decide later in the trial in Kansas whether the jury will be permitted to find the defendant guilty of the lesser crime of manslaughter.

Tiller was killed in the Reformation Lutheran church with one shot to the head. He had long been a target for anti-abortionists as he was one of few doctors prepared to perform legal late abortions, after 21 weeks of gestation.

[Randy Larsen]

NO!

He shot the abortion Dr.

[OldDeckHand]

"Once again you’re ignoring the facts that Tiller was murdering babies outside the law "

This isn't about Tiller, this is about Scott Roeder's decision to take the law into his own hands and murder a man in cold-blood.

Roeder's self-proclaimed moral superiority doesn't allow him to ignore the due process rights of the Constitution and go hunting for people he thinks are evil, irrespective how evil those people really are. Where does it end. Can anyone murder someone so long as their interpretation of their Bible, or their Imam tell them it's the righteous thing to do?

[trumandogz]

Oh yes, a Keyboard Cowboy.

How about the millions of other people that work in the abortion industry?

Do you wish to declare open season on each of them?

[Neidermeyer]

The jury agreed with me, not you.

**************************************

So what’s your point? I wasn’t betting on the outcome like it was a Vegas game line. Your attitude shows that to you “it’s all about winning and losing , not discovering the truth” that shows you to be a legal insider ,, and that is no compliment in anyones book.

[Neidermeyer]

This isn't about Tiller, this is about Scott Roeder's decision to take the law into his own hands and murder a man in cold-blood. .... Can anyone murder someone so long as their interpretation of their Bible, or their Imam tell them it's the righteous thing to do?

***************************************************

This is about Tiller ,, he was operating outside the law (at least concede that OldDeckHand ,, Tiller was found guilty of that) and he had corrupted the governor and her appointed subordinates.. When the entire legal sysem is corrupt to the very top as it was in Kansas can you not expect someone to take the law into his own hands?

Why do you keep falling back on blaming religon? What about organized religon has your panties in a wad? Defending innocent life is the right thing to do ... it's not about religon.

[OldDeckHand]

"Your attitude shows that to you “it’s all about winning and losing , not discovering the truth” that shows you to be a legal insider "

First of all, the Judicial system isn't designed to "search for truth", it's designed to equitably apply the law of the land. Nothing more, nothing less. In this instance, the truth as you put it, happens to marry up nicely with the outcome - a man murdered another man in cold-blood, he was convicted and he'll be sentenced shortly.

"that shows you to be a legal insider, and that is no compliment in anyones book."

I'll take my company as it comes - Thomas More, Jefferson, Adams and Scalia - and I'll rest easy.

[Neidermeyer]

I’ll take my company as it comes - Johnnie Cochran , John Edwards - and I’ll rest easy.

[sentient]

How about the millions of Germans who supported Hitler?
How about the millions of Muslims who support Islamic radicals?
How about the millions of people who support killing babies in the womb?
How many enablers stood by and let the machinery kill the innocent?
If you are an enabler your are no different than the one committing Genocide.....
Life, Liberty, and Pursuit of Happiness

[trumandogz]

I believe it was you who proposed the we cut all the late term abortionists up into pieces, but you apparently do not want to punish first trimester abortionists and those who dole out abortion pills to women.

Why is it that you believe that a baby at 7 months gestation is more important than a baby at 72 hours gestation?

[trumandogz]

“Among other things you are a habitual liar!”

Why, that is a strong accusation, could you please cite a post where I have lied?

[LearsFool]

Actually when all is said and done let's just use the "C word"...COWARDS! Because that's what they are until they are ready to get out from behind their keyboards and do what their hero did, kill someone to "save babies". But we know that aint happening anytime soon, don't we?

You're right - it ain't happening anytime soon.

And you know why too, everytime you look in the mirror. It's because - and let's just use the "T Word" here - TRAITORS like you cower behind the lines and shoot in the back anyone who musters the courage to march forward and take the battle to the enemy.

You and the other law-worshippers on here are scared of this fight. You hide behind the law because it protects YOU. But though you won't admit it, you realize that violent wars are - and should be - fought to protect the innocent from slaughter.

You prefer to be like U.N. blue-helmets, bloviating piously against this war because you haven't the stomach for it yourselves. And the law protects YOU...now that YOU have escaped Tiller's knife.

Sure, YOU made it across the line to safety. And now you're all snug and comfy under the blanket of law - and can't muster the courage to risk that safety by returning to save others. Well okay, we can accept that. After all, not everyone is hero material.

But for crying out loud, do you have to shoot in the back those who WILL fight?? Every time you betray one of your own for courageously taking the fight to the enemy, you send a clear warning to thousands of others who have the guts you lack.

Sure, you're against abortions...until somebody does something that actually stops them.

[safeasthebanks]

Get help. Lots of it. QUICKLY.

[sentient]

You got a screw loose or something.... Here is my position. All abortion illegal except in the case of the mother living or dying. Try to save both at all times. Conception equals life. Rape / incest is not a good reason for termination. What did the baby do to deserve to die? That would be like saying kill the family of those who commit murder. Stupid. If you are against the basic principle of life being allowed to have a chance, then you are the enemy of God’s greatest gift to man... The United State’s Constitution........ You are then an enemy of Humanity....

[calex59]

But, your moral beliefs aren’t license to murder someone with whom you disagree. If we go down that road - and endorse it, as you seem to be doing - then we might as well start dressing in bedsheets with diapers on our heads, because we will have become just like the Jihadists so many hate. Just because murder of unborn children is legal doesn't make it right. The guy who was shot and killed murdered(whether it was considered legal or not is irrelevant, it was murder)thousands of babies but you think the guy who shot him was bad because he killed one person and saved countless of infants. In your thinking the abortion doctor is not guilty of anything but the other guy is.

Insanity at it's finest. The same type of insanity that allowed the Nazis to take over Germany and kill millions of people(not just jews)because it was legal.

[calex59]

You see where I'm going here - this is the process of government - legal government, to include checks and balances on the three branches of government. What it isn't, is a man operating extra-legally and taking justice into his own hands by murdering someone in cold blood.

Vs the cold blooded murder of thousands of children by the abortionist? Besides this wasn't cold blooded murder, it was anger and disgust and hot blood that accompanied this murder. The so called "doctor", OTH, committed the coldblooded murder of thousands, let me repeat that:THOUSANDS, of unborn children. Just because the law says it is legal does not make it right. I don't condone killing abortion doctors but I can certainly understand this man's actions. Sitting on our hands while babies are killed is not the right thing to do. We need to stop this insanity now, it is NOT the mother's right to terminate the life of the child.

[the invisib1e hand]

If I was on the jury, I would convict the man. He committed murder regardless of the reason. That said, I would be hard pressed to send him to jail for more than a few years.

I don't disagree.

[trumandogz]

“All abortion illegal except in the case of the mother living or dying.”

I agree.

However, I do not agree with your assertion that abortion providers should be cut up into pieces.

Now, do you also believe that the pharmacist who doles out abortion pills should be cut up into pieces?

Or, do you only want to kill the doctors who murder the unborn via surgical abortion while you condone those who murder the unborn via an abortion pill?

[sentient]

Good grief... Do you work in the abortion mill industry? I seem to have struck a nerve. If you perform that hideous procedure you deserve the same done to you. If you are doling out pills you belong in jail. I would say the person should take the pill, the same procedure to be consistent, but that will not do anything to them. I am amazed at this conversation. Islamic radicals behead the innocent (Zarqawi), yet when we slaughter him (awesome) it is okay. Trumandogz, I watched almost every beheading video to understand the enemy and their utter contempt for life. The pain on the tapes was terrible. A baby being cut up goes through the same. George Tiller and Zarqawi are the same takers of life. Tiller was just a bigger coward because he killed babies... They both deserve what they got....

[trumandogz]

“If you perform that hideous procedure you deserve the same done to you. If you are doling out pills you belong in jail.”

Thanks for your honest answer.

In other words, the murder of a baby at three months gestation is a crime that deserves the death penalty but the murder of a child at two weeks gestation is only worthy of jail time.

So much for the Equal Protection of Human Life.

[sentient]

My honest answer is if it is two weeks gestation and a pill causes the death... Whoever gave the pill should get the death penalty. I am no medical expert, so when I said the pill I was assuming the morning after pill which to me is no more than 12 hours later... I still have problems with that.... Equal protection of Human Life - You have a problem with offing Tiller?? What about Adolf Hitler? Difference being Tiller did the Genocide. Hitler ordered it.... Where do you draw the line at defending life by using force?