Case Files
How To Get Away With Murder Incitement: An Ongoing Social Mystery Series from KPI
Many citizens of Kansas and elsewhere couldn’t help being disconcerted by the May 31, 2009 murder of Dr. George Tiller. Yet the murder was almost predictable in light of Tiller’s status as a highly visible, frequently threatened, and previously assaulted abortion provider. Indeed, an intense nation-wide publicity campaign extending well over three decades had presented Tiller as an evil person unjustly evading the harsh punishment he richly deserved. What is most disconcerting isn’t the murder itself—the act of an extremist who very likely received little or no direct assistance from others—but rather the response of many of our fellow citizens who happen to oppose abortion. Their reactions allow one to believe they privately sympathize with the murder, and may even have encouraged it. The antiabortion movement has always had clear opportunities to pursue its goal of criminalizing abortion without using language that encourages private violence. They have consistently failed to take those opportunities. Yet in other respects the movement as a whole has been clever and inventive in its language and tactics. This presents a serious puzzle: how could an entire movement ever voluntarily expose itself to charges of moral complicity in murder?
Publications
How to Get Away With Murder Incitement Case File #3
September 23, 2016How To Get Away With Murder Incitement Case file #2
September 2, 2016How To Get Away With Murder Incitement Case File #1
May 26, 2016
How To Get Away With Murder Incitement: An Ongoing Social Mystery Series from KPI Many citizens of Kansas and elsewhere couldn’t help being disconcerted by the May 31, 2009 murder of Dr. George Tiller. Yet the murder was almost predictable in light of Tiller’s status as a highly visible, frequently threatened, and previously […]