Katie Couric's Notebook: Dr. Tiller
The assassination of Dr. George Tiller in his Kansas church on Sunday was a realization of a threat he faced on a daily basis.
Tiller was one of just a few doctors in this country who perform late-term abortions. That made him a prime target for harassment and violence from abortion opponents.
At least three other providers have been killed since 1993, including Dr. Barnett Slepian, who was shot by a sniper in his home in upstate New York. Providers also have reported dozens of death threats, assaults and acts of vandalism.
Attorney General Eric Holder has sent U.S. marshals to protect some clinics and individuals, but there are still many practitioners living in a constant state of fear, and patients who face intimidation when seeking their services.
No matter what your moral position may be on abortion, Tiller was first and foremost a doctor and acting within the law. That should not have cost him his life.
That's a page from my notebook.
