Dr. George Tiller

I can remember almost the exact moment I went from being sort of wishy-washy, noncommittal pro-choice to knowing without question what choice I would make in that situation. It was my senior year in high school, I had had sex (for the first time!) without using birth control, and my period was late. My first thought was, "How much does an abortion cost, and where will I get the money for it?"

As it turned out, I was not pregnant, and I have never had to make that choice. G-d willing, I will never have to. But I have since counseled numerous women about their choices and helped scores of women who chose abortion to come up with the money they needed to pay for the procedure (through my paid work at PPLM and my volunteer work with the EMA Fund), and I've witnessed the range of emotions that women have expressed at that time in their lives.

When I learned yesterday of Dr. George Tiller’s murder, I was holding Ava in my arms, surfing the web while rocking her to sleep. As the tears welled up in my eyes and I cried out, "Oh my G-d, no, no, no!" she woke up. I quickly shushed her back to sleep and put her down, sick with grief for this man I had never met, but who was a hero to me and, I daresay, thousands of women across the country.

A staff member from Dr. Tiller's clinic came to speak to us at PPLM while I worked there. She told us about the protocols they used with their late-term patients. I remember being overwhelmed by the care and compassion they had for their patients. The women they served were often in the worst of circumstances. I always knew that when I referred a patient to Dr. Tiller, she would be receiving wonderful care, both physically and emotionally. And now that he's gone, I wonder what will happen to these most desperate of women. Who will they turn to?

Ava and I will be attending a vigil for Dr. Tiller tonight. It's important to me that she be there. I want to be able to tell her that she was a part of this fight from the beginning. And if we’re still fighting it in 20 years, I want to be able to show her why it's such a crucial, vital, essential fight. If any of us felt that we could become complacent now that a pro-choice president is in office, Dr. Tiller's murder has shown us just how wrong we are.

God bless you, Dr. Tiller. You will be missed.

Please consider a donation to the EMA Fund in Dr. Tiller's memory.