The methods used to protest were developed by the civil rights and women rights movements. The only thing that was of concern was that some persons, not related to the protests, used violent methods.

Otherwise, civil disobedience and other forms of protest are legit. They do them here in San Francisco all the time.

Dr. Tiller specialized in late term abortions. It is perfectly legitimate to protest it if you think it is an abomination.

I am unconvinced that the majority of late term abortions are performed for any medical reason, other than to terminate the pregnancy. As was admitted by Ron Fitzsimmons, executive director of the National Coalition of Abortion Providers, late term abortions is performed far more often on perfectly healthy women with perfectly healthy fetuses.

A nurse who witnessed three IDX procedures found them deeply disturbing, and described one performed on a 26½-week fetus with Down Syndrome in testimony before a Judiciary subcommittee, "[t]he baby’s little fingers were clasping and unclasping, and his little feet were kicking," right before the procedure.

You can go ahead and try to convince reasonable people that fetuses, like this one (http://a3.vox.com/6a0109d0e958d2000f011015f479ab860b-500pi) are not human beings...but the vast majority of Americans don't buy it.

It is only the doctrinaire ideologues who demand "abortion on demand" in any circumstances, who believe there is nothing wrong with late term abortion. For instance, I got this in my email the other day:

"Radical Women (Bay Area), Linci Comi (West Coast Feminist Health Project), Revolution Books, A.N.S.W.E.R.-SF Bay Area, BACORR (Bay Area Coalition for Our Reproductive Rights)...stand for abortion on demand and without apology..."

Not only should there be an apology, but they should be ashamed of themselves.

As I recall, Catholic doctrine is that children are born innocent, but not cleansed of original sin. So they go to "limbo," referring to the "edge" of Hell, which should not be confused with purgatory. Although I think Catholic doctrine may have recently been changed. As for the more colorful Christian faiths, I have no idea what they preach.

"...How is this materially different from the "truly tragic cases" that form the bulk of second and third trimester cases? Such as Dr. Tiller's practice, which required detailed referrals and medical evidence?" - CP

"In 1987, the Alan Guttmacher Institute collected questionnaires from 1,900 women in the United States who came to clinics to have abortions. Of the 1,900 questioned, 420 had been pregnant for 16 or more weeks. These 420 women were asked to choose among a list of reasons they had not obtained the abortions earlier in their pregnancies. The results were as follows:[3]

71% Woman didn't recognize she was pregnant or misjudged gestation 48% Woman found it hard to make arrangements for abortion 33% Woman was afraid to tell her partner or parents 24% Woman took time to decide to have an abortion 8% Woman waited for her relationship to change 8% Someone pressured woman not to have abortion 6% Something changed after woman became pregnant 6% Woman didn't know timing is important 5% Woman didn't know she could get an abortion 2% A fetal problem was diagnosed late in pregnancy 11% Other"

[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Late-term_abortion#Reasons_for_later_abortion]

2% of late term abortions were the result of a fetal problem diagnosed late in the pregnancy. That study seems to be at odds with your "truly tragic cases" that form the bulk of second and third trimester cases?" comment.

Here is an interesting article about a baby born alive at an abortion clinic, then "aborted" after being born.

http://www.cnn.com/2009/US/02/06/florida.abortion/

Here is another interesting piece:

"Statistics on Tiller's post-viability abortions: Includes the story of Baby Sarah Brown who survived Tiller's abortion and was later adopted. She died at age five due to medical consequences of the attempted abortion. She was a perfectly normal and healthy infant until Tiller stabbed her in the face with poisonous chemicals. Contrary to the nonsense being promulgated that Tiller only did "therapeutic" late-term abortions (since when is killing the patient "therapy?"), he never refused to kill children who were normal and healthy if parents wanted it."

http://lesfemmes-thetruth.blogspot.com/2009/06/more-on-george-tiller-and-his-abortion.html

I am not defending the pamphlet. Nor am I defending those that argue that all abortion is murder. I am not anti-sex, as anyone that has read my other posts certainly know, or those that have ventured onto my blog. I believe contraception should be widely available.

What I do argue is that late term abortion is murder if there is no medical reason for the procedure, the "fetus" is recognizable as a human being outside fo the womb, and has developed to the point that the termination of life is agonzing for the fetus.

If it is a clump of cells, hey, go ahead and do it. I don't like it personally, but I see no legitimate public policy reason to stop it. I see plenty of reasons to prevent healthy women aborting healthy fetuses at a very late state for the reasons that aparently the majority of women seek late term abortions (as demonstrated by the previously quoted study.) And about that study, the Alan Guttmacher Institute is a pro-choice organization.