Roeder Convicted in Murder of Abortion Doctor
[Guest post by DRJ]
Jurors in Wichita, Kansas, took only 37 minutes to convict Scott Roeder for the murder of Dr. George Tiller:
“The jury deliberated for just 37 minutes before finding Scott Roeder, 51, of Kansas City, Mo., guilty of premeditated, first-degree murder for putting a gun to the forehead of Dr. George Tiller on May 31 and pulling the trigger.
Defense attorney Mark Rudy described his case as helpless and hopeless.
“I’ve never seen anyone lay himself out as much as Mr. Roeder did,” Rudy said after the verdict, referring to his client’s confessions.”
Roeder claimed he acted to protect the lives of unborn children who were in “immediate danger” because of Tiller. His attorneys hoped for a lesser charge of voluntary manslaughter for Roeder, “a defense that would have required them to show that Roeder had an unreasonable but honest belief that deadly force was justified.” The Judge ruled the manslaughter charge could not be submitted to the jury because Roeder failed to show Tiller constituted an imminent threat.
Roeder could receive a mandatory sentence of life in prison with the possibility of parole after 25 years. The prosecutor may also seek a so-called “Hard 50” sentence that would require Roeder “serve at least 50 years before he can be considered for parole.”
— DRJ
too bad they can’t just put a bullet in his head.
turn about would be fair play in my book.
redc1c4 (fb8750) — 1/29/2010 @ 3:47 pmGood verdict.
nk (db4a41) — 1/29/2010 @ 3:47 pmand, btw, how the hell do you get parole on a “life” sentence? you get life, they should put you in and leave you there…. otherwise, just be honest and give them the number of years they’re gonna serve.
redc1c4 (fb8750) — 1/29/2010 @ 3:48 pmParole is for indeterminate sentences and there’s nothing more indeterminate than life.
nk (db4a41) — 1/29/2010 @ 3:53 pmCoffee must have been already poured in the Jury Room when they got there. Hard to imagine any other verdict.
htom (412a17) — 1/29/2010 @ 5:24 pmThousands of aborted fetuses could not be reached for comment.
Unfortunately, Roeder took the wrong path. Tiller was being exposed as the murderer he was and it was only a matter of time. Tiller is now partying with Teddy and we have to deal with his murderer.
PatriotRider (1729de) — 1/29/2010 @ 6:15 pmBy odd coincidence, 37 minutes is also how long it took the jury to return a verdict of “Not Guilty” on nineteen counts against Dr. Tiller last year.
thomas ellensburg (4dce1a) — 1/29/2010 @ 7:26 pmDear Patriot Rider,
Since it is self-evident you are either illiterate, or just plain dumb, let me point out that abortion is not -legally speaking- a homicide in this country. Just in case you missed the last four decades after Roe v. Wade, that is.
Someone who performs abortions is therefore not a murder. On the other hand, that’s only relevant if one is concerned about the rule of law and other trivial details.
Casey (36edb6) — 1/29/2010 @ 8:50 pmCasey,
abortion is a homocide in a lot of people’s opinions. Patriot Rider wasn’t making a legal argument when he noted his views on it.
There’s the moral view, which to many is that abortion is murder, and there’s the legal view.
It leads to a real problem for some, because if abortion is really murder, then it might seem like abortionists must be forcefully stopped.
My view is that this disagreement is being argued in the political sphere, and with that kind of discussion in a democratic environment we simply don’t argue with violence. It would just be insane if every passionate moralist who perceived an injustice would start killing people, so we all benefit from not going that route.
But that doesn’t mean many aren’t still considering an abortionist to be a murderer. We just recognize that it’s an outrage to actually kill abortionists (or anyone).
Dustin (b54cdc) — 1/29/2010 @ 8:57 pmCasey is absolutely right. Someone that performs abortions (do they say “ta-da!” at the end of the ‘performance’?) is NOT a murderer.
But that person IS a killer.
I wonder if the distinction helps them sleep at night. ???
Icy Texan (08fd70) — 1/30/2010 @ 4:44 amBut that person IS a killer.
Absolutely, if your definition of “killer” is a person who performs a safe and effective medical procedure to significantly decrease the morbidity and mortality of a female patient.
ema (39307a) — 1/30/2010 @ 10:13 amJust the facts and noting but the facts. A fetus is a living, breathing human being, and abortion kills him.
DavidL (f0a5d6) — 1/30/2010 @ 12:22 pmComment by ema — 1/30/2010 @ 10:13 am
You forgot the justification for 99.99% of Tiller’s Third-trimester proceedures:
AD - RtR/OS! (90486b) — 1/30/2010 @ 12:33 pmMental anguish!
A fetus is a living, breathing human being, and abortion kills him.
Actually, no. While in utero it’s the placenta that breaths, circulates, excretes, etc., not the fetus. You need delivery in order for the fetus to acquire those capabilities.
You forgot the justification for 99.99% of Tiller’s Third-trimester proceedures:
Mental anguish!
First, how many, if any, of the ~ 250 to 300 late-term abortions/yr D. Tiller performed were 3rd trimester and why is that relevant? [Elective late-term abortions are illegal in Kansas.]
Second, how do you know what the indication for those therapeutic abortions was? Did you consult on the patients?
Third, psychiatric problems are an established indication for pregnancy termination.
ema (39307a) — 1/30/2010 @ 6:23 pmEqual rights for unborn women!
Dana (1e5ad4) — 1/30/2010 @ 6:32 pmAs well as, the right to life for unborn women! (The inconsistency of justifiers is astounding.)
Aside from the abortion issue, the verdict was right.
Dana (1e5ad4) — 1/30/2010 @ 6:36 pmElective late-term abortions are illegal in Kansas.
Which is why Tiller used the hook of “Mental Health of the Mother” to justify vertually all of the proceedures he performed.
AD - RtR/OS! (90486b) — 1/30/2010 @ 7:24 pmYou might not like that statistic, but it is out there, and it is abhorrent.
And, ISTM that Tiller was the only MD in KS that performed 3rd-Trimester Abortions, and that they’re having a tough time finding a replacement.
Even Doctors (occasionaly) have a conscience – militant feminists (?FemiNazis?), rarely; it’s just a life-style choice, an un-needed body part.
Oh-oh…forgot the accepted terminology…
AD - RtR/OS! (90486b) — 1/30/2010 @ 7:37 pm…
body part…tissue mass.Which is why Tiller used the hook of “Mental Health of the Mother” to justify vertually all of the proceedures he performed.
How do you know what the indications were and how can you evaluate if they conformed to the standard of care? Where you privy to the assessment of the primary Ob/Gyns who referred the patients to Dr. Tiller, and that of Dr. Tiller and his consult Ob/Gyn?
You might not like that statistic, but it is out there, and it is abhorrent.
First, the fact that you assert something does not make it a statistic.
Second, what exactly is abhorrent about a referral practice (by definition, a practice with a concentration of a certain type of patients due to specialized care)?
And, ISTM that Tiller was the only MD in KS that performed 3rd-Trimester Abortions, and that they’re having a tough time finding a replacement. Even Doctors (occasionaly) have a conscience….
If I recall correctly, in addition to the several hospital-affiliated places in Kansas were the procedure is performed, Dr. Carhart said he will continue to provide necessary Ob/Gyn care to patients in the Wichita, Kansas area.
In any case, not to argue with your point that doctors, Ob/Gyns in particular, have a conscience and strive to provide the best care for their patients, but I do think an argument can be made that domestic terrorism tends to affect practice patterns.
Oh-oh…forgot the accepted terminology…
…body part…tissue mass.
Heh, that would never do, too amorphous. The term is products of conception.
ema (39307a) — 1/30/2010 @ 9:41 pmema,
I think it’s reasonable to wonder why Dr. Tiller reportedly performed more late-term abortions than the typical OB/GYN. Is the procedure so complicated that few practitioners are qualified to perform it? Not from what I’ve read. Thus, I think you have to consider whether Dr. Tiller was more willing than other OB/GYNs to diagnose a medical need.
DRJ (84a0c3) — 1/30/2010 @ 10:05 pmIt looks to me as if the jury was correct in convicting Scott Roeder of murder because he unlawfully took the life of another with willful intent.
The United States Supreme Court in its Roe vs. Wade decision decided that the Constitution allows abortion at the point that the fetus becomes viable “to live outside the mother’s womb, albeit with artificial aid.”
And that pretty much is it and all of the tears and angels-on-the-heads-of-a-pin arguments don’t matter, whether you agree or disagree.
The law of the land says that abortion is a fundamental right under the Constitution.
Vote.
Ag80 (1592cc) — 1/30/2010 @ 11:10 pmRoeder was convicted. Good.
I do not and will not mourn Tiller – he was a killer of prodigious depth and utterly immoral to boot.
I really don’t give a good damn about women whose mental state seems to lead them to think they require the death of their near term baby. Deliver the baby early and give it to parents who will love the baby and raise it. WTF?
Vivian Louise (643333) — 1/31/2010 @ 7:13 amDRJ,
Good point. Because Dr. Tiller was a specialist his patient population was skewed because of all the referrals.
The surgical techniques used for late-term termination are quite different from those used for first-trimester ones. Also, therapeutic abortions tend to be more technically challenging (you have anatomical anomalies, medically compromised patients, etc.) vs. elective ones (mostly young, healthy patients, normal anatomy).
Most Ob/Gyns are familiar with the techniques but don’t have enough surgical experience to be as proficient as a specialist like Dr. Tiller.
ema (39307a) — 2/2/2010 @ 8:10 am