Roeder Sentenced to LIfe, No Parole for 50 Years
Scott Roeder was sentenced today to 50 years in prison with no chance of parole. Roeder was convicted of the murder of Kansas physician, Dr. George Tiller.
This article was amended at 12:24 am, Friday, April 2nd, 2010 to clarify the sentence given to Scott Roeder.
Late this afternoon, a judge sentenced Scott Roeder to life imprisonment– with eligibility for parole only after 50 years–for the murder of Dr. George Tiller. That brings to a close this year-long story of anti-choice terrorism and heartache for the family and friends of Dr. Tiller.
Julie Burkhart, co-worker of the slain Dr. George Tiller, reacts to the sentencing of his killer Scott Roeder, and expresses her concern that inflammatory rhetoric surrounding issues like abortion will continue to incite violence. Read Julie’s feature on the Nebraska abortion ban here…
The attorney for the Tiller family Lee Thompson spoke fondly of Dr. Tiller, both as his lawyer and as his friend. He compared the slaying to other forms of hate crimes such as anti-gay or racially motivated killings. Radical anti-choicers were brought in to be character witnesses for Scott Roeder, a questionable move from a defense attorney, but probably the only shot the defense had at getting anyone to speak well of Scott Roeder, who has been thoroughly exposed as a fringe right wing paranoid.
Roeder didn’t do well for himself, occasionally speaking out of turn. In the prepared statement he read, he trotted out more of his paranoia and accused the slain doctor of murder in front of Tiller’s family and friends. He also criticized the judge’s handling of the trial.
Julie Burkhart, a colleague of Dr. Tiller’s and former executive director of ProKanDo, is scheduled to appear on Rachel Maddow’s program tonight to speak about the sentencing. Burkhart now runs TrustWomen PAC, and wrote an article yesterday about protecting women’s choices for Rewire.
We can hope it ends here. Unfortunately, anti-choice activists, while disingenuously decrying terrorism, have already moved on to targeting other doctors, especially Dr. Leroy Carhart of Nebraska, who has gallantly tried to provide the kinds of late term abortions Dr. Tiller specialized in. Late term abortions must be medically indicated; most of these abortions involve fetal abnormalities, threats to the mother’s health, or serious rape or incest cases.
Other coverage of Dr. Tiller can be found at these links:
Mercy Abortions: What Dr. Tiller Did
The Murder of Dr. Tiller: A Foreshadowing
In Memory of Dr. Tiller: A Tireless Supporter of Women’s Dignity