Snappy newsletters. Simple Facebook sharing. Spirited comments. Sweet features are waiting… GET THEM NOW!

Hot on Facebook

Uproar After NC State Agent 'Fixes' Girl's Lunch Preschooler has to eat chicken nuggets instead of mom's meal »

More Crime & Courts Stories»

Tiller 'Knew Something Was Coming'

Murdered abortion doc worried about upsurge in protests, threats

By Rob Quinn, Newser Staff

Posted Jun 6, 2009 4:20 AM CDT

(Newser) – George Tiller noticed a worrying rise in protesters outside his clinics and threats against him and his staff in the weeks before his death, the Kansas City Star reports. The abortion doctor shared his concerns with a colleague in North Carolina two weeks before he was shot. "I said, ‘I don’t know, George. I think there’s something coming," the colleague recalls. “He said, ‘I do, too.’"

Abortion rights activists across America say incidents including threats and clinic vandalism were rising in the weeks before Tiller's shooting, to levels not seen since the Clinton administration. Many believe the change in government has made extremists feel desperate. "I think when they’re out of power, they feel much more threatened,” the president of NARAL Pro-Choice America said. “I hope we don’t see history repeated.”

[Images (4)]

[Quotes (1)]

Dr. George Tiller, who was shot to death at his church last Sunday. (AP Photo/Larry Smith, File)

A comment about the death of Dr. George Tiller is posted on a sign at the Spirit One Christian Center in Wichita, Kan. (AP Photo/Orlin Wagner)

Scott Roede, who is charged with first-degree murder in the death of late-term abortion provider Dr. George Tiller, makes his first court appearance via a video link earlier this week. (AP Photo/Jaime Oppenheimer, Pool)

Children and anti-abortion protesters gather at a Wichita, Kan. abortion clinic operated by Dr. George Tiller in this 2001 photo. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel, file)

« Prev« Prev | Next »Next » Slideshow

Strange things were happening in our Mississippi clinic and in North Carolina. Strange people were coming around. And he admitted that for the first time, he really believed that something was going to go down. - abortion doctor Susan Hill

« Prev« Prev | Next »Next » Slideshow

To report an error on this story, notify our editors.

OTHER STORIES ON OUR RADAR

AP Photo

35 Brutally Honest Reasons Men Say No to Sex (The Stir)

Which Entertainer Pulled Out of 'Inappropriate' Whitney Tribute? (NewsOne)

The French Government Wants to Tone My Vagina (Slate)

Obama Photo on Facebook Helps Catch Drug Dealer (HuffPost)

Hottest Women to Ever Appear in the SI Swimsuit Issue (Bleacher Report)

Partner Links

A snapshot of the day's best news stories.

View Larger Grid

All Today Yesterday Pick a Date

COMMENTS

Read the comment policy

Showing 3 of 10 comments

Doctor-Zaius

Jun 7, 2009 2:35 AM CDT

Yes, he was investigated. And found innocent in a court of law. The charges were trumped up to get mileage in the court of ignorant public opinion.

Doctor-Zaius

Jun 7, 2009 2:32 AM CDT

Bill O'Reilly is a douchebag and right now he's dropping bricks in his pants over the fear of a lawsuit and he should be.

Robert_Dada

Jun 6, 2009 12:03 PM CDT

No, Bill O'Reilly never actually called for his murder but he did declare time and time again that he was a murderer. Knowing full well what the demographics of his audience is, O'Reilly was playing with a loaded gun (as opposed to his loaded member during his phone sex hobbies). So when some unstable conservative goes out and does something like this, O'Reilly will state on air that he had nothing to do with it. Legally he is right. Morally, he is dead wrong, as is Hannity, Limbaugh, etc.

What's Popular Now on Facebook

Rick Santorum: Birth Control Is 'Not OK'

Valentine's Day Role-Playing Goes Very Wrong

Kansas City Star (Source Grid »)

Former Tiller guard believe killer stalked doctor
Wichita Eagle

Wichita prepares for Tiller's funeral
USA Today

Feds launch probe into Tiller's murder
New York Times

Crime & Courts • Health • US

abortion • murder • Kansas • Wichita • anti-abortion activists • George Tiller

More Newser Stories

It's Time to Overturn Roe v. Wade

And only Rick Santorum is serious about doing that: Rick Santorum

(NEWSER) - If you want a president who will actively fight to overturn Roe v. Wade, Rick Santorum is your man. As he explains in a Wall Street Journal opinion piece today, the other Republican candidates "simply check the pro-life box," whereas Santorum "fight[s] the battle in the trenches and will continue to do so until every innocent human life in this country is protected." Today is the 39th anniversary of Roe v. Wade, and Santorum wants to make this the decade in which that decision is overturned. More»

Kansas Licenses Lone Abortion Clinic

Other two in state seek injunction against new regulations

(NEWSER) - Kansas yesterday licensed just one of its three abortion clinics, after speculation that it could become the only state with no abortion providers. The clinics had little time to meet new regulations—dictating everything from equipment to room size—that were issued in June and approved yesterday, the New York Times reports. Planned Parenthood of Kansas and Mid-Missouri, the largest clinic in the state, won the license. More»

GOP Rep: Let's Fund Anti-Abortion Activists

Cliff Stearns' bill would help crisis pregnancy centers

(NEWSER) - Congressional Republicans have made it clear that they don't want to fund Planned Parenthood , but at least one thinks the federal government should be funding anti-abortion activists, Mother Jones reports. Florida Rep. Cliff Stearns introduced a measure that would provide federal funds to crisis pregnancy centers, clinics—often run by religious groups—that attempt to steer women away from abortion. Stearns has written of his opposition to federal funding of Planned Parenthood in the past, citing a need to "reduce or eliminate" federal expenditures "that do not meet the needs of the American people." More»

Google Search for 'Murder' Turns Up Abortion Entry

Anti-choice pranksters manipulate the results

(NEWSER) - Some tech-savvy opponents of abortion have manipulated Google's search results to send a message. As of this morning, the search for the word "murder" turns up the Wikipedia entry for abortion in the No. 2 slot, notes Jezebel . No word from Google yet, which has been working to make these so-called Google bombs harder to pull off. More»

Ohio Considers 'Heartbeat' Abortion Law

Move could outlaw procedure in as little as 18 days

(NEWSER) - Ohio lawmakers will introduce a bill today that would make it illegal to perform an abortion in the state once a fetus develops a heartbeat—something that can happen within 18 days of conception. The bill, which would be the harshest abortion restriction in the country, already has support from 42 of the state’s 99 House members, according to WKYC . But even pro-life lawyers doubt the bill, if passed, could survive a court challenge. More»

NEWS FROM OUR PARTNERS

What is Newser?

Face it: there's too much news. At Newser, we choose the most thought-provoking and entertaining stories from hundreds of US and international sources and reduce them to a headline, picture, and two paragraphs. And we do it 24/7—you can come back morning, noon, night (and in between) for something new that matters. Read less, know more.

Learn more »

Partnering with: Slate

View Newser on the mobile website

Tiller 'Knew Something Was Coming'