Killing of anti-abortion protester has both sides questioning violence
| Chicago
The murder of an anti-abortion protester outside Detroit Friday is forcing both sides of the abortion issue to address their traditional roles in the long-standing debate.
James Pouillon, a local man known in the community for his 20-year street protests aimed at ending abortion, was shot and killed outside a high school in suburban Owosso early Friday morning while staging his usual protest involving large photos of mutilated fetuses.
Within hours police named a suspect: Harlan James Drake. Mr. Drake killed two people that day, but the death of Mr. Pouillon is drawing attention because it is the first abortion-related murder since the May shooting death of Dr. George Tiller, a Wichita, Kan. physician who performed abortions, in the foyer of a Reformation Lutheran Church. A staunch anti-abortion advocate was charged.
Since news of the shootings broke Friday, national organizations representing both the anti-abortion and abortion rights movements released statements to frame the murder against data -- either aborted fetuses or assassinated medical personnel -- they say is essential in understanding how their side deals with violence or the threat of violence every day.
Shaun Kenney, executive director of the in Washington, one of the nation鈥檚 largest pro-life organizations, called Pouillon a 鈥渢rue pro-life hero鈥� and said his murder on Sept. 11 was 鈥渁 terrible irony鈥� for bringing 鈥渢o mind the 50 million innocent lives lost to abortion.鈥�
On Saturday, Nancy Keenan, president of , condemned the murder and said the pro-choice side knows 鈥渁ll too well the chilling effect that shootings and other forms of violent intimidation have on people who have strongly held beliefs about this most personal issue.鈥� The organization reports that eight abortion clinic workers in the US have been murdered since 1993.
Because the majority of violence surrounding the abortion issue usually involves threats or acts against clinics, resulting in federal and state protection laws, the murder of an anti-abortion advocate is reversing the traditional roles of both sides and, in that process, perhaps even forcing both to look at it with a new perspective.
Already, there are small signs that common ground is being found regarding the use of violence, no matter where it鈥檚 directed.
Keenan called Pouillon鈥檚 murder 鈥渟enseless violence鈥� and offered condolences to the families involved. Kenney said it wanted to 鈥渞enew鈥� its 鈥渃all for peace and prayer as the only remedies for the culture of violence.鈥�
Doug Levesque, the pastor of Immanuel Baptist Church outside Owosso, says he is already sensing 鈥渁 solidarity of spirit鈥� among people in the city, population 15,000, who share different points of view on abortion.
鈥淚 think people are [saying] 鈥榯his is just craziness鈥�. There are so many other things we can do. We can argue, we can rally. It鈥檚 not worth shooting each other over,鈥� he says.
Mr. Levesque says Pouillon attended his church 鈥渘umerous times鈥� over the past few years and was known as a 鈥渃austic鈥� abortion protester who 鈥渨ould have been thrilled鈥� to learn that his murder was considered the antithesis of the Tiller case.
After the Tiller case, Levesque says he wrote op-ed pieces to the local newspaper condemning the use of violence in the abortion debate, even though he personally agreed that Tiller鈥檚 efforts resulted in 鈥渃old-blooded murder.鈥� He said Pouillon felt the same.
鈥淛im would say Dr. Tiller killed 60,000 babies but Jim would never say, 鈥榣et鈥檚 kill somebody鈥�,鈥� says Levesque. 鈥淚 think the pro-choicers are the same way when they say 鈥榳e support women鈥檚 right but it鈥檚 not worth senseless violence鈥�. Even Jim didn鈥檛 deserve that.鈥�
Since the shootings, he says he is sensing people around Owosso are making efforts to 鈥渓ook into each others eyes鈥� and find 鈥渁 connection鈥� rather than decamp. It can only happen 鈥渂y living together.鈥�
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