Dr. George Tiller, human being

by David Safier
As the media has carried the story about the murder of Dr. George Tiller, it has labeled Tiller either as Abortion Doctor or "one of the nation's few late-term-abortion providers." It's typical of today's media to use shorthand to make the story clear and simple, but it's dehumanizing not to tell more of the man's history and career as a doctor. I guess the "liberal media" is afraid to alienate the anti-abortion crowd by humanizing Tiller.

Daily Kos has an affecting post by a woman who tells the story of Dr. George Tiller's quick and decisive thinking that may have saved her mother's life when he spotted her breast cancer. Later, he intervened just before her mother had a heart attack, and at another time gave the writer prenatal care free of charge.

A post on the Washington Monthly blog has stories about late term abortions, one performed by Dr. Tiller, which take the procedure out of the horror movie scenario abortion opponents create and into the realm of helping families make very painful decisions and saving the life of the mother.

The media usually goes out if its way to create a sympathetic portrait of murder victims. To its shame, it hasn't given Dr. Tiller that kind of caring treatment, which he deserves.