Violent Words, Violent Acts

The man who killed Dr. George Tiller revealed the ugly underbelly of the effort to make abortion illegal again.

For years people in the antiabortion movement have been successful in centering the argument around the concept of "life." They've tried to make "choice" a bad word.

"Life" gets respect, they say, but conscience--a woman or doctor's own struggle to find and do the right thing--gets no respect.

This shooting was about control, however, not about life. It reveals the deeper issues motivating this not-really-pro-life movement.

The antiabortion folk spend a lot of time talking about "murder" and "baby killing," and this talk attracts people who need to gain a sense of righteousness and power by fighting another group labeled as evil. Escalation from verbal to physical assault can be very tempting.

If after this killing, leaders of the reproductive control movement want to regain the country's respect, they're going to have to give up the word "murder" for a legal medical procedure to end a pregnancy.

My dictionary defines murder as "the unlawful premeditated killing of one human being by another." A legal decision made by a doctor, a woman and perhaps her partner, family, or friends, often in prayer and concern over a difficult situation, is not murder.

Whether in the home, on the streets, or in the schools, violent behavior starts with demonizing and dehumanizing the other.

"Because severe violence is typically the product of a process of escalation," writes Roy F. Baumeister in the 1999 edition of his book Evil: Inside Human Violence and Cruelty, "it is essential to understand what contributes to such escalation... Recent studies indicate that the usual sequence is an escalation from verbal to physical aggression."

Randall Terry, founder of Operation Rescue, has said he fears that the US government might "use Tiller's killing to intimidate pro-lifers into surrendering our most effective rhetoric and actions" (Women's eNews, June 2).

Yes, someone might ask them to stop intimidating doctors, clinic workers, and women.

"Those who have inflamed emotions and dehumanized their opponents around the issue of abortion should take pause before they continue such dangerous rhetoric," warns Michael B. Keegan, president of People for the American Way, in an official statement.

Don't blame us, retorts the current president of Operation Rescue, Troy Newman. "We are pro-life, and this act was antithetical to what we believe."

Should we accept the claim that inflamed speech has nothing to do with the murder of Dr. Tiller? Or do words lead to violence?

Since beliefs and religion are such a big part of this mess, let's ask, "What would Jesus do?"

In fact, Jesus addressed this very issue in his Sermon on the Mount (the Gospel according to Matthew, chapter 5).

You've heard that our ancestors were told, "No killing" and "Every murderer will be subject to judgment." But I tell you that everyone who is angry with sister or brother is subject to judgment... anyone who vilifies them with name-calling will be subject to the fires of Gehenna." (The Inclusive Bible, 2007).

Jesus takes name-calling seriously. Hmmm.

We too need to recognize the power of words. In our conversations, we need to stop using the term "pro-life" to dignify the anti-abortion movement. It's their term for control of reproduction through government and religion. Note: major newspapers this week are not using the term except in quotes.

Let's use words like "conscience" and "individual" more often.

And let's put that bumper sticker on more cars: "Prayerfully Pro-Choice."