The Assassination of Dr. Tiller

The Assassination of Dr. Tiller presents a compelling case for the pro- life movement's culpability in the assassination of Dr. George Tiller five years ago. It shows how extreme rhetoric by anti-abortionists inspired a disturbed man to commit murder.

The film's argument is persuasive, supported by interviews with both clinic staff, Wichita area anti-abortionists, and the ex-wife of Scott Roeder, Dr. Tiller's assassin. The anti-abortionists themselves seem all too happy to contribute to this indictment, with their smug attitudes and at times idiotic statements. One interviewee even goes so far as to say that Dr. Tiller would be alive if only a jury had accepted the trumped up charges they pressed against them. If nothing else, you'll understand why even many pro-lifers have distanced themselves from Randall Terry.

However, the show does not really cover any new ground. For example, Rolling Stone published an article examining much of the same material years before Dr. Tiller was murdered. Furthermore, it ignores some vital avenues of inquiry, such as the fact that one of the Operation Rescue officials in Wichita had been convicted of trying to bomb an abortion clinic in the Eighties. Still, this should be a widely seen documentary and will hopefully wake Americans to the fanatics in their midst.