--- title: Dr. Tiller Co-worker: Planned Parenthood Shooting a Reminder description: People like me who work at abortion clinics shouldn’t fear for their lives canonical: https://time.com/4131603/planned-parenthood-reminder/ author: TIME article:opinion: true article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2015-12-01T21:43:28.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-08-04T08:06:18.115Z article:section: Ideas og:title: Dr. George Tiller Coworker: Planned Parenthood Shooting Is a Scary Reminder og:description: People like me who work at abortion clinics shouldn’t fear for their lives og:url: https://time.com/4131603/planned-parenthood-reminder/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blte9ba687ada93f38d/6988730f196cf40227039374/planned-parenthood-shooting7.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 4890 og:image:height: 2751 og:image:alt: Bethany Winder og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Dr. George Tiller Coworker: Planned Parenthood Shooting Is a Scary Reminder twitter:description: People like me who work at abortion clinics shouldn’t fear for their lives twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blte9ba687ada93f38d/6988730f196cf40227039374/planned-parenthood-shooting7.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # Dr. George Tiller Co-Worker: Planned Parenthood Shooting Is a Scary Reminder > Sponsored content. 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It explains how TIME's journalism is made, from the first pitch through the editorial decisions behind a finished story or cover. #### How can I read about how TIME chooses its covers? Inside TIME is the newsletter where TIME's Editor-in-Chief explains cover selection and the editorial reasoning behind major stories. It is free at time.com/newsletters. #### Who is the editor of TIME? Sam Jacobs is TIME's Editor-in-Chief. He writes Inside TIME, a twice-weekly newsletter about the newsroom's reporting and editorial decisions. #### Is Inside TIME free? Yes. Inside TIME is a free newsletter, available at time.com/newsletters. A paid TIME subscription is separate and available at time.com/subscribe-agent. ## Video: Possible Motives Circulate In Planned Parenthood Shooting [Watch (HLS stream): Possible Motives Circulate In Planned Parenthood Shooting](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/tFTFhtxL.m3u8) (2:07)  _Published 2015-11-29. In the aftermath of the Colorado Springs Planned Parenthood shooting, authorities and media are speculating about a motive for the attack._ by [Julie A. Burkhart](https://time.com/author/julie-a-burkhart/) ## Julie A. Burkhart Dec 1, 2015 9:43 PM UTC  Bethany Winder, a nurse who lives in Colorado Springs, Colo., plants a sign in support of Planned Parenthood just south of its clinic as police investigators gather evidence near the scene of Friday's shooting at the clinic on Nov. 29, 2015. Bethany Winder, a nurse who lives in Colorado Springs, Colo., plants a sign in support of Planned Parenthood just south of its clinic as police investigators gather evidence near the scene of Friday's shooting at the clinic on Nov. 29, 2015. David Zalubowski—AP by [Julie A. Burkhart](https://time.com/author/julie-a-burkhart/) ## Julie A. Burkhart Dec 1, 2015 9:43 PM UTC Once again, [violence](http://time.com/4128390/planned-parenthood-shooting-colorado-springs/) has taken hold at a clinic that provides women’s health care, including abortion care, in this country. My heart goes out to the Colorado Springs Planned Parenthood and the families of the three people who lost their lives last week to this extreme, senseless act of violence. While the gunman’s motives are yet to be revealed, he reportedly said “[no more baby parts](http://www.reuters.com/article/2015/11/30/us-colorado-shooter-idUSKBN0TH05O20151130)” once in custody, and the location of the shooting is a reminder enough of the threat facing many who offer abortions. When will the hostility toward abortion providers and clinic staff subside? This question has been asked for far too many years. No one should fear for their life when providing or accessing health-care services. In the United States, we believe in free speech and stand firmly behind our First Amendment rights. Active discussion and dissent are important elements to our freedom. But I am troubled by the unchecked language that is used to demonize those who work in abortion care and ostracize those who wish to utilize abortion services. Too often, acts of violence and harassment go hand-in-hand with this type of language. I wish that I could say I had never been touched by such violence. For seven years, I worked with Dr. George Tiller, one of the few physicians in the U.S. who provided late termination of pregnancy, and who was hounded relentlessly for providing medical care to his patients. He trusted women to make their own decisions about their health and their future. Dr. Tiller’s admirable perseverance cost him his life when an anti-abortion extremist gunned him down in his church. Yet, the story of his assassination began well before that day. The anti-choice community had been pursuing Dr. Tiller for years, using sensationalized language in order to demonize him. Staff members from his clinic also faced intense intimidation tactics at work and at their homes, in endless attempts to shame them out of their jobs. Following Dr. Tiller’s death, women in Wichita, Kansas, and the surrounding area were left without abortion services. I opened the Trust Women South Wind Women’s Center to re-establish access to full-spectrum reproductive care for the community. It didn’t take long for protestors to re-emerge, congregating numerous times outside of my family’s home. One sign they carried read: “Where is your church?” and another said: “Prepare to meet thy God.” These signs were clear references to Dr. Tiller and meant as death threats toward me and my family. Again, no health provider or patient should face such unthinkable scare tactics. The fact of the matter is that women will continue to have abortions, whether there are qualified providers or not; whether abortion is legal or not. Women will go to great lengths to either be pregnant or to not be pregnant. No one else can dictate the heart of a woman. But, what we can control is what we provide to women and their families in our society. Abortion has been labeled a political wedge issue, causing a vast divide in our country. Today, political persuasion strictly defines one’s belief system and creates a polarizing culture. In such a climate of intolerance, it is difficult to see the humanity in those who are different from ourselves. The truth is that there are areas where we should all agree to put the health and well-being of women and families first. In states with punitive laws regarding abortion care, there is also a lack of funding and resources for women and children who are uninsured or underinsured. This means limited health services and poorer health outcomes. When people have access to contraceptive care and education, they can better control their reproduction and their future. While the extremists are picketing clinics and harassing physicians, staff and women with threats or acts of violence, these important issues—quality, affordable health care and access to contraception—are shoved aside. In exchange, we’re left with a sensationalized and politicized “debate” on abortion that all too often results in heinous acts of violence. We can’t bring back the lives lost in this tragic attack. What we can do is consider our words and engage in thoughtful debates that demonstrate respect, rather than intolerance, for those whose beliefs differ from our own. Only then will the violence stop. _Julie A. Burkhart is the founder and CEO of Trust Women Foundation and Trust Women South Wind Women’s Center._ ## Transcript Authorities say the motive for Friday's Colorado Springs Planned Parenthood shooting which killed three and injured nine others is still unclear. But multiple outlets siting an anonymous law enforcement official report the suspect 57- year- old Robert Lewis Dear, Talked about politics, and said no more baby parts, while speaking to investigators. That could be a reference to an anti- abortion group's controversial and highly edited videos, claiming Planned Parenthood sells baby parts after an abortion. the videos released earlier this year, led to a House hearing about Planned Parenthood's government funding. Officials have carefully noted that [ UNKNOWN ] remarks were just a few he made to investigators and stressed that it's too early to say if the attack was politically motivated. Despite the lack of a confirmed motive Some are suggesting anti- abortion sentiment is a possible reason for the attack. Vicki Cowart president and CEO of Planned Parenthood of the Rocky Mountain said in a statement Saturday. That there's been an increase of hateful rhetoric against Planned Parenthood. And said eyewitness accounts confirmed the shooting. was motivated by opposition to safe and legal abortion. Colorado Springs mayor John Suthers told the Wall Street Journal, obviously people are going to infer, and probably not illogically, that the location had something to do with his motivation, and that may well turn out be the reality. [ MUSIC ] Since the late '70s, there have been hundreds of crimes against abortion clinics, mainly vandalism and arson according to the National Abortion Federation. Since June this year, four Planned Parenthood locations were set on fire. After these recent arsons, one pro- abortion Rights group release a petition to have the department of justice consider a tax on clinics as an act of domestic terrorism. The group updated the petition to include information about the Colorado Springs shooting and they had over 52, 000 signatures as of Sunday. The anti- abortion group who released the controversial Planned Parenthood video decried the shooting in a statement. 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