Wichita — The convicted killer of a Kansas abortion provider has little sympathy for the family of his victim, comparing them to the relatives of a hit man in a recording posted online.
In his first public comments since his trial for the murder of Dr. George Tiller, Scott Roeder also criticized those who sought to keep the issue of abortion out of the proceedings altogether, saying it was like asserting that the trial for abolitionist John Brown was not about slavery.
“My beliefs were that the lives of unborn children were being taken by abortion,” Roeder said in the video posted on YouTube Monday. “How you can keep that out of the trial is beyond me, because that was the one entire motive for the action that was taken.”
His 10-minute conversation with abortion opponent Dave Leach is the first in a series recorded last week that will be posted online with Roeder’s blessing, Leach told The Associated Press on Tuesday.
Roeder, 51, was convicted Jan. 29 of first-degree murder for shooting Dr. George Tiller last May as the doctor served as an usher at his Wichita church. He also was convicted of two counts of aggravated assault for threatening two ushers who tried to stop him after the shooting. He will be sentenced March 9.
Roeder told Leach in the phone conversation that he would struggle to summon any sympathy for Tiller’s widow and four adult children.
“The fact that George Tiller was involved in the practice that he was, similar to that of a hit man, if you could have sympathy for a hit man’s family that is the sympathy I would have,” Roeder said. “But every day, George Tiller did not have any sympathy for his victims.”
Lee Thompson, attorney for the Tiller family, said he had not heard the recording and would not comment on it.
The recording illustrates an undercurrent of anger among fringe anti-abortion activists against the slain doctor’s family, with some saying Jeanne Tiller is as culpable as her husband for the abortions at his Wichita clinic.
Roeder told the AP in November it would have been better for Jeanne Tiller to pray and try to persuade her husband to stop performing abortions so he wouldn’t be at risk.
Hours after Roeder’s conviction, anti-abortion activist Donald Spitz criticized Tiller’s widow for showing up at the trial each day wearing expensive clothes that he said had been paid for with the blood of unborn children.
Leach said Roeder hoped the YouTube postings would allow him to clarify statements he made during the trial, and respond to charges leveled against him. On the stand, he said he was relieved after he shot Tiller.
“I wanted to expound on the fact that I was relieved the babies were, here in Wichita, no longer dying.”
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just_another_bozo_on_this_bus (anonymous) says…
“My beliefs were that the lives of unborn children were being taken by abortion,” Roeder said in the video posted on YouTube Monday. “How you can keep that out of the trial is beyond me, because that was the one entire motive for the action that was taken.”
-----------------------
No, the motive was the fact that you are a misogynist freak driven by fundamentalist superstition.
redmoonrising (anonymous) says…
This is ridiculous. Now I suppose one of those misguided zealots will go after the wife and claim it was justified. Where do they stop?
honeychild (Mel Briscoe) says…
newsflash to roeder: if someone really wants and/or needs an abortion, they can go 200 miles up I-35 to KC and get one... wichita is not the only place in the midwest to offer abortions. and if someone is hell-bent on getting one, they are going to literally go the extra mile for it.
jaywalker (anonymous) says…
"driven by fundamentalist superstition"
So.... do you think that if there were no religion no one would argue against abortion nor revert to such murderous acts?.
To the article: this guy and his ilk make me sick to my stomach. I'd appreciate a gag order were placed on him, he shouldn't be able to use any of this as some sort of pulpit.
artichokeheart (anonymous) says…
There is no proof that Roeder was assisted by anyone in the killing. Just because someone made a comment about Tiller's wife it does not mean someone will go after her. Roeder says he has no regrets so I'm guessing he is satisfied with the fact that Tiller is not performing abortions. Roeder will be in prison now so the public has nothing to worry about.
jafs (anonymous) says…
It seems that religious beliefs are the driving force behind these acts to me.
The problem I have with it is that the "compassion" seems to end with the birth of the child - most anti-abortion folks are pretty right-wing, and are generally against social programs, etc.
So you care a lot about the unborn child, and then not at all about it once it's born? Doesn't make a lot of sense to me.
I think it's more about feeling righteous than compassionate.
somedude20 (anonymous) says…
what bothers me the most is that he is not the only wack-job to think that way. is the mother of Tiller culpable amd can we kill his 3rd cousin since he is "kin"
"The name of Christ has caused more persecutions, wars, and miseries than any other name has caused."
- John E. Remsburg
honeychild (Mel Briscoe) says…
i watched a video of a dog getting put to sleep (by injection, and it looked as if he was not in any pain) and was bawling like a baby. so i don't think i could watch anything re: a murder (shooting, hanging, electrocution, whatever) or an abortion (especially late term) or an animal being killed w/out being greatly affected. i am pro-choice but i still wouldn't necessarily want to watch any of that.
srj (anonymous) says…
"There is no proof that Roeder was assisted by anyone in the killing. Just because someone made a comment about Tiller's wife it does not mean someone will go after her"
Just like Operation Rescue is not responsible for Tiller's death even after telling Roeder all about his security detail and schedule.
Anyway, what scares me if you know how many school shooters mention and are inspired by Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold? Might be the case here.
acg (anonymous) says…
Well now the sick freak gets to spend his days and nights in prison guarding his backside. And they'll get you eventually, buddy. It may not be your first night or even your first week. Because of the publicity from this case, I'm sure the guards will keep a close eye on you...for a while. And then, after things calm down, they'll slack off and your days will turn mundane and then one day you'll be in the laundry room or the shower room, or some other place where they have a little privacy and not many will be able to hear you scream. There will probably be three or four of them, and they won't be gentle. On that night, your real sentence begins. Myself, I'll be sleeping peacefully that night. Karma is a b*tch, ain't it?!
honeychild (Mel Briscoe) says…
aw! :( i'm sorry your son had to see that... but, i guess its a life lesson of sorts. my son worked at a kennel for a brief stint. glad he didn't have to see anything like that. he is such a sensitive guy i know that would've really messed w/ his mind.
LoveThsLife (anonymous) says…
"So you care a lot about the unborn child, and then not at all about it once it's born? Doesn't make a lot of sense to me."
I don't know Jaf's.
I guess having had a few friends who have had fertility problems and ended up spending a ton of money for failed IVF treatments and then all the costs for home studies etc. for adoption. I look at some abortions and think it's pointless.
Especially when you have so many couples desiring to be parents and willing to help the birth mom.
Why not just give the baby up for adoption to people who want to be parents?
LoveThsLife (anonymous) says…
I wasn't necessarily talking about late term abortions..just abortions in general beo.
tomatogrower (anonymous) says…
I can understand why he has no sympathy for the Tiller family, since he was never a family man himself. I mean, he made sure his son was not aborted, but then he wasn't man enough to support his son. He's a deadbeat dirtbag sperm donor. And now he has an excuse not to work and not take care of his family. He gets to hang out at the tax payers expense, and make videos for other deadbeats who are too busy trying to tell women what they can or cannot do, instead of taking care of their families or of children who have no families.
Tom, I'm glad your wife had healthy births. What choice would you have made if she had a half dead baby inside her. Would you make her wait another month to give birth to a baby that was going to die minutes after it was born, perhaps risking your wife's life in the process? Yes, there are people who have misused abortion, instead of being careful. There are also many women, married and not, who abort babies, because they can't afford to raise them. Have you priced day care lately? How much day care could have been provided for poor mothers with the 20 million dollars spent on ads?
honeychild (Mel Briscoe) says…
"I mean, he made sure his son was not aborted, but then he wasn't man enough to support his son. He's a deadbeat dirtbag sperm donor."
seriously???!! wow!!! in-f**king-credible!!!
snap_pop_no_crackle (anonymous) says…
I've no regrets that this dude will be behind bars for the rest of his life.
honeychild (Mel Briscoe) says…
what a waste of carbon.
MyName (anonymous) says…
Is it just me, or does anyone else here notice the parallel between the rhetoric of Scott Roeder and other religious zealots. The only difference between him and a suicide bombers is one prays to Jesus and claims to be "killing hitmen" while the other prays to Allah and claims to be "killing infidels".
honeychild (Mel Briscoe) says…
^^^ no, its not just you. religious extremists a/k/a whack jobs in the name of god come from all belief systems.
Mariposa (anonymous) says…
Mr. Roeder has the right to free speech and is protected under the Constitution.
Resorting to anger and name calling is not going to change anything.
Hoping that he gets repeatedly raped in prison is a hope that says that violence is acceptable under certain conditions. It is saying that while your act of violence was wrong, my violent act in retaliation is right.
Rape is not going to convince Mr. Roeder that he was wrong. It is going to reinforce his stance and if word gets out you can expect the extreme anti-abortionists to use it to recruit members.
Cooky_the_Cook (anonymous) says…
I'll watch the abortion video, Tom. I've got some popcorn and Pepsi ready to go.
jaywalker (anonymous) says…
"It is going to reinforce his stance and if word gets out you can expect the extreme anti-abortionists to use it to recruit members."
His getting raped in prison is going to reinforce his stance? That's so ridiculous there's really nothing left to say about it. However, I'd love to know how you think his getting raped would be a good recruitment tool.
"Come, join the fight, behave like us and you too can be violated repeatedly as you rot away in prison!"
Yeah, they'll be lining up in droves.
cait48 (anonymous) says…
"seriously???!! wow!!! in-f**king-credible!!!"
_________________________________________________
You didn't know that Mel? I posted on that at least once. Not only did he not pay child support he also refused to pay taxes. Google Lindsey Roeder (his ex-wife). There are a number of interviews she gave the press that might open your eyes to the man he really was.
As for Roeder and Leach, I sincerely hope this is a case of the Feds giving people enough rope to hang themselves. Whether Roeder was a "lone gunman" is debatable, however after the murder he has received considerable support from fringe groups who approved of what he did. Sooner or later they will cross the fine line of what constitutes First Amendment rights and what constitutes conspiracy.
75x55 (anonymous) says…
"Abortion doctor’s killer says he has no regrets"
surprise, surprise.
cait48 (anonymous) says…
Mariposa (Anonymous) says…
"Mr. Roeder has the right to free speech and is protected under the Constitution."
___________________________________________________
Actually, Mariposa, as a convicted major felon certain of his Constitutional rights are abridged including certain rights to "free speech'. His mail is opened and monitored, both incoming and outgoing, he cannot vote and he cannot own a gun.
honeychild (Mel Briscoe) says…
cait, like i said, a waste of carbon. he is the scum underneath scum.
Mariposa (anonymous) says…
Violence against Mr. Roeder is not the answer any more than the murder of Dr. Tiller was. Does thinking about this man being raped make you feel better?
I believe that his followers are going to be enraged and see him as a martyr who is willing to suffer for his beliefs and that someone out there may be willing to avenge him.
And, so it goes, on and on.
puddleglum (anonymous) says…
frozen dogs?
man, chill out.
myvoice (anonymous) says…
It is of grave concern to me that the Operation Rescue issue is not being examined. I am certain that the murderer is being justly procecuted, but it makes no sense not to see the people on the sidelines hoping to make it a crusade. It should not have been a factor in the sentencing, but what is being done to stop those who are trying to whip up support one way or another? Why would they even have information on where to find these individuals on their free time? It does not make me feel safer at all.
BrianR (anonymous) says…
Of course he has no regrets, he's a dangerous nut. Former Freeman, an anti-government group, professed "sovereign citizen" who is exempt from the law. This domestic terrorist was a disaster looking for some place to happen, terrible as it is, I guess we should be thankful only one life was lost.
To allow him a forum to spew is lunacy is irresponsible.
honeychild (Mel Briscoe) says…
puddlegum, in tom's defense (hmm.... did i actually use those 3 words? lol), he was only responding to my prior post. i don't think he was likening dead canines to anything re: tiller or roeder.
nice pun, btw.
tomatogrower (anonymous) says…
"Why would they even have information on where to find these individuals on their free time? It does not make me feel safer at all."
The radicals can't make it in real society. If they were working, taking care of their families, and doing what the rest of us do, they wouldn't have time to stalk people. In other words they have not life, so they are going to make other's lives miserable. That goes for foreign and domestic terrorists.
jaywalker (anonymous) says…
"Didn't think there were people out there willing to defend Roeder's actions but here you are"
You need help, porch, and I'm not talking one person, you need a team of professionals working 'round the clock. Wasn't a big fan of Mariposa's post and I poked fun accordingly. But only someone with extreme mental issues could reach the above conclusion.
You're playing the chicken on another string, perhaps you can man up here (I won't hold my breath): where exactly did Mariposa "defend Roeder's actions"?
BrianR (anonymous) says…
Operation Rescue, vile as they are, have nothing on the Army of God wackos, another terrorist group that needs to be watched closely.
Agnostick (anonymous) says…
interesting, BrianR... very interesting...
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Army_of_...)
gatekeeper (anonymous) says…
LoveThsLife (Anonymous) says…
“So you care a lot about the unborn child, and then not at all about it once it's born? Doesn't make a lot of sense to me.”
I don't know Jaf's.
I guess having had a few friends who have had fertility problems and ended up spending a ton of money for failed IVF treatments and then all the costs for home studies etc. for adoption. I look at some abortions and think it's pointless.
Especially when you have so many couples desiring to be parents and willing to help the birth mom.
Why not just give the baby up for adoption to people who want to be parents?
///////
I have a question for you? Why didn't your friends just adopt a child instead of blowing money on fertility treatments? I'm not talking baby, I'm saying one of the thousands of toddlers and young children that are desperate for homes? You want more babies brought into this world while other children are thrown around the foster care system? Your friends spent thousands on fertility treatments instead of helping an existing child in need? I don't understand the mindset that "I want a baby that's my blood, if I can't have it I'll adopt a baby as a last resort, but only after exhausting my finances and waiting forever. But, there are lots of kids needing homes but I'm too selfish and have to have a brand new baby."
Why don't we help those already here instead of creating more?
honeychild (Mel Briscoe) says…
^^^ great point, gate.
honeychild (Mel Briscoe) says…
porch, i actually agree w/ what you wrote but the sentence "There's a shortage of white, precious, intelligent, healthy, very young babies." is a bit confusing. how the hell do you tell if a baby is intelligent?
Agnostick (anonymous) says…
As one half of a married couple that struggled against infertility for 10 years...
This is a really, really, REALLY difficult one to armchair quarterback.. Yes, it's about the need to start a family of your own, but there's also this undercurrent that you're, well, "broken."
If someone was about to lose one or both their legs... would you tell that person, "Oh well, you can always get a wheelchair. Why, there are wheelchairs all over the place!"
If someone was about to lose one or both of their eyes... would you tell that person, "Oh well, you can always get a cane and a seeing-eye dog. Lots of dogs out there."
A lot of people are probably rolling their eyes right about now. That's difficult to do when you come home one afternoon and your wife has gotten another "call from the doctor" and spends the next several hours curled up in the fetal position (irony), crying their eyes out.
"Lots of kids out there. Why not just adopt."
Please, please believe me when I say this:
It's not always that simple.
And yes... a few years back, we were granted a miracle.
--Ag
honeychild (Mel Briscoe) says…
^^^ well said. and point well taken-- most of us have not been there.
however, i still stand by the whole notion of why keep advocating people having more babies (and the people i am referring to do NOT want to have these babies) just so other folks can adopt when those same folks don't (usually) do diddly squat for the kids who were born into unfortunate circumstances.
LoveThsLife (anonymous) says…
Wow..gatekeeper and Porch your ability to make such harsh judgments with so very little information astounds me.
Gate-
I have three sets of friends who have had to deal with infertility each had very different outcomes and different reasons for the going the route that they did.
And yes one set did choose to do IVF. They had tried adoption, but alas, the agency screwed up their paperwork. They chose to do IVF because they could. They are actually expecting a set of twins..so yay for them.
Another set was able to adopt, but not without going through a lot in the process. They ended up finding a little girl to adopt that was about 1 and 1/2 at the time..blind from birth and had a g-tube..among other health issues. She was in foster care. They are still dealing with the adoption process a year later.
Another friend ended up having some kind of hormonal issue and was able to fix it through medicine.
My issue is..there are a lot of couples out there who would like to adopt. Adoption is a very hard and a very expensive process...
Many couples are willing to pay the expenses for a birth mom. So instead of aborting an unwanted pregnancy..just give the baby to someone who wants it and would love and care for it????
A lot of couples are on adoption lists for years and years and it isn't because they chose to reject a child because it wasn't smart enough, or white or whatever.
Before judging infertile couples so harshly as being superficial I suggest you become more familiar with their plight.
honeychild (Mel Briscoe) says…
oh okay, so in other words, porch, you're talking about typically developed children-- not children w/ developmental disabilities.
honeychild (Mel Briscoe) says…
"Many couples are willing to pay the expenses for a birth mom. So instead of aborting an unwanted pregnancy..just give the baby to someone who wants it and would love and care for it???? "
lovelife, i know your post wasn't aimed at me but i wanted to comment anyway. not everyone who gets pregnant unexpectedly is dreading the "not wanting to raise the kid" issue. some women do not want to BE pregnant and go through the 9-10 month duration of that pregnancy. especially women who were in some way victimized.. and i'm not just referring to being raped, but what if you are married to an abusive a**hole who you are planning on leaving and the last thing you want is to carry a(nother) child by this man and be tied to him. i sound like i speak from experience and in a way i do. i didn't abort any of the children i had by my abusive ex-husband but i can only imagine the horrible feeling of obligation i would've felt had i found out i was pregnant shortly before or after i had left him. it almost makes me feel sick just imagining it and i haven't been w/ him for almost 14 years. so if there would've been an unwanted, unplanned, unexpected pregnancy complicating my departure from that turd, yeh-- i would've probably seriously considered abortion.
honeychild (Mel Briscoe) says…
porch, i know, right? that's what pisses me off.
i used to live on a busy street here in salina. busy as in, say, like 23rd street in lawrence. anyway, one time a local church was having an abortion protest, holding pro-life signs up. "god hate abortion" and stuff like that. well i wanted so badly to get a sign and stand out there too, saying "god hates poverty". i'm sure their high intellects wouldn't have understood my point but i get tired of that sanctimonious "pro life" rhetoric when they don't give a flying fig about the kids who are born in less than fortunate environments. it is one of the highest forms of hypocracy.
tomatogrower (anonymous) says…
Many people looking to adopt just want a healthy baby. If the child is older or was in an abused home, or is disabled, they don't want to deal with it. I say it's probably good that they couldn't have children. What would they have done if their child had major physical or mental problems?
puddleglum (anonymous) says…
honeychild,
you said in tom's defense....
now that's a good pun.
Mariposa (anonymous) says…
Let me make this perfectly clear. I do not support murder and I do not support rape. There are too many women who have been condemned as rape victims and made to feel like they deserved it. This situation is no different.
I would hope that at some point Mr. Roeder realizes that what he did was very wrong and caused a lot of pain to people. Do you honestly think he is going to feel remorse after he has been raped enough times? Or are you just after a justification for inflicting pain?
I have a friend at KU who became pregnant and decided to carry the baby to term. I convinced her to go to Catholic Social Services where they gave her a choice of parents. I was with her at the hospital when she had the baby as were the new parents. We both held the beautiful baby girl for a few minutes and then she handed her over to her new Mom and Dad.
There were tears all around. I am glad that I got to be part of that.
Yeoman2 (anonymous) says…
And asnwer me this?? Why does this newspaper and other media outlets keep giving this murdering bas**(rd air time and ink? He should be shut away forever or executed soon to send the message to all his fawning admirers and wannaabes. It is highly likely now that he will be a martyr and saint to his terrorist associates and held up as an example of how the "right to life" movement should pursue its goals and intents. I am sick of seeing his name in print or in reports and just wish this jerk would evaporate forever.
deathpenaltyliberal (anonymous) says…
"porch_person (Anonymous) says…
gatekeeper is right. There is no shortage of children to take care of in this country. There's a shortage of white, precious, healthy, very young babies.
White Christians don't want to adopt black or hispanic children because they're undesirable to that demographic. The white Christians would have to walk around with a child of a different skin color and that's too hard a gig for most Christians. And the older said child gets, the more lonely that child is. So much for the expressed “concern” for the children."
True.
jaywalker (anonymous) says…
Yeah, that's what I thought, porch. At the very least you should apologize to Mariposa for your baseless accusation.
BrianR (anonymous) says…
Ag, I found out about Army of God from a Southern Poverty Law Center list of domestic terror organizations. It is chilling that people like that walk among us.
This guy: http://www.youtube.com/user/RevSpitz1 is probably the leader although they claim to be a leaderless organization - I suppose that gives everyone plausible deniability when something illegal happens.
Agnostick (anonymous) says…
"What was your position.?"
"Well at first like everyone else I, I was a soldier."
"What is that?"
"A button you know senator, come on."
"No, I don't know. Tell me."
"Well -- when the boss says push a button on I guy -- I push a button. See senator."
"Mr. questadt..."
"You mean you kill people."
"I what?"
"You kill people at the -- uh -- at the behest of your superiors?"
"Yea -- that's right Counselor."
a_flock_of_jayhawks (anonymous) says…
myvoice (Anonymous) says…
"It is of grave concern to me that the Operation Rescue issue is not being examined."
The investigation is still ongoing at the federal level. They are also considering additional federal charges against SR and others and trying him in federal court.
jaywalker (anonymous) says…
"The exact number of transracial adoptees in this country is unknown, but the practice, which began in earnest in the 1970s, has been on the rise for at least 10 years. Twenty-six percent of black children adopted from foster care in 2004—about 4,200 kids—were adopted transracially, almost all by white parents, according to a New York Times analysis of data from the National Data Archive on Child Abuse and Neglect at Cornell University and the Department of Health and Human Services. That figure is up from 14 percent in 1998 and, according to adoption experts, it has continued to climb. The 2000 census, the first to collect information on adoptions, counted just over 16,000 white households with adopted black children. In the last 15 years, Americans have adopted more than 200,000 children from overseas, but that trend is cooling off, partly because international adoptions are so expensive."
Not so much, porch, death.
cait48 (anonymous) says…
a_flock_of_jayhawks (Anonymous) says…
The investigation is still ongoing at the federal level. They are also considering additional federal charges against SR and others and trying him in federal court.
I'm sorry, but you know this how? I truly hope you are correct and feel that many of these groups are scary beyond belief but I have seen nothing of this anywhere in the press, not that an ongoing investigation would be publicized. But that's the point.
LoveThsLife (anonymous) says…
"No one is judging the couples who can't have children."
um, porch..gatekeeper was.
In addition, you make a pretty sweeping generalization about people who are trying to adopt.
Calling some racist, saying others want one certain "type" of child.
You should know that in most cases those adopting are willing to jump through all types of hoops to have a child.
I never said I was the resident expert, however, I know that some of the statements in this section express a very limited understanding on the issue.
UNIKU (anonymous) says…
I'm so tired of christian freaks like this and the idiots who kidnapped the kids in Haiti because they claimed they were doing god's work. C'mon morons! How does this differ from Islamic extremists. Right wing christians and catholics need to get it through their brainwashed thick blindly-following cattle skulls that they aren't the chosen ones and lose the thinking that the rest of the world is somehow not as good, smart or worthy as them. Some of the nastiest, un-christian like people I have ever known were christians/catholics. Ever interact with an elderly grumpy knights of columbus nutjob? Keep your bible thumpin crap to yourself!
TopJayhawk (anonymous) says…
Mariposa.
You are right.
The left is guilty of the same hypocrisy as those they scorn.
cait48 (anonymous) says…
TopJayhawk (Anonymous) says…
Mariposa.
You are right.
The left is guilty of the same hypocrisy as those they scorn.
_________________________________________________
I'm confused. Mariposa said nothing about the right or the left. This stinks of a Tom Shewmon or Marion Hill red herring that's been sitting out in the sun for awhile.
That said, I find myself agreeing with Mariposa's feelings about prison rape. There was an episode of CSI:Miami on just yesterday (a rerun) about a kid arrested for a murder he didn't commit. While in jail he was repeatedly raped by another prisoner. He eventually kills his attacker, turning him into the murderer he wasn't when he first went there. Yes, it's TV and fiction, but it gave me a lot of food for thought. There's a lot of fiction out there that can do that.
LoveThsLife (anonymous) says…
No Porch..I never said I worked in a NICU..I said I worked in a long term pediatric care facility for children with severe to profound mental retardation....go research them..there are about 100 facilities like that in the United States..and they are not hospitals.
Here is a link to one such facility http://www.saintmaryshome.org/
In addition, it was interesting hearing you defend yourself after making such sweeping generalizations about people trying to adopt.
And I never was reluctant to discuss "developmental presentations" I am sure I have more experience working with kids who have had developmental disabilities than you..I am very aware that things happen. However, just because someone is born with down syndrome or congenital CMV or any number of other issues doesn't necessarily mean that they don't deserve to live.
And if you feel the need to lump me in with some extremist organization, because I view an issue differently thenyou..so be it...that's your problem not mine.
LoveThsLife (anonymous) says…
Wow Porch..your post demonstrated complete arrogance and extreme ignorance.
Most of your posts demonstrate those qualities.
You have no idea what you are talking about.
A long term pediatric care facility and a hospital are very different.
By the way Porch, I have never brought religion into it..you have.
have no idea what my beliefs are.
And who said I live in Virginia???
Who said that is where I worked..I gave you an example of a place that I worked a few years ago.
Get a grip.
By the way, all your "laughter" shows is that you are uneducated and do not know how to have a conversation with someone who views issues differently than you. It is a poor disguise for a lack of critical thinking skills.
LoveThsLife (anonymous) says…
The facility I worked at wasn't inside a hospital Porch.
It was an accredited nursing facility....it provided residential care for kids with severe to profound mental retardation.
Is it really that hard to understand the difference?
The facility I worked for employed nurses, physical therapists, occupational therapists, recreational therapists, special education teachers, a child psychologist, a licensed clinical social worker, mental retardation advocates (required by the state), after school activities coordinators..amongst other things.
Doctors from a local Pediatrics Practice would visit the facility a few times a week. Children would be driven to specialists at the local children's hospital by CNA's.
Medications were delivered via truck each day by a pharmacy specializing in servicing long term care facilities. (Nursing Homes etc.)
If kids needed to go to the hospital for an emergency they would be transported by ambulance to the local children's hospital.
I am not disclosing where I worked on this forum Porch. Sorry, but I'm not giving identifying information on-line.
I understand that you may not be familiar with the type of facility I am talking about.
There aren't that many in the US and they are usually on the smaller side.
I think the link to the one I gave you said they had something between 80-90 beds in their facility.
And what exactly is your experience in "the field" Porch? It would be interesting to hear.
jafs (anonymous) says…
Lovethislife,
I agree that adoption is a better alternative to abortion in most cases, and would love to see parents who didn't want their kids have them and give them to those that want kids but can't have them.
Provided, of course, that the birth mother can afford it, or the adoptive parents can provide help.
You do know, of course, though, that birth mothers can change their minds after getting all of the assistance and having the child, don't you? Seems like quite a risk for the potential adoptive parents to me.
And, the points raised above about the existing children who need families is a very good one. Our foster care system is filled with kids needing good adoptive families.
Also, it is clear than many people are looking for specific attributes when adopting, including similarity to their own racial makeup.
It would be wonderful if all those who wanted children adopted the kids who needed families now without regard to such "shopping".
jafs (anonymous) says…
Finally,
My original point, which seems to have been missed (happens a lot on here), was that conservative folks who claim to care about unborn children but then seem not to care at all about them once they're born aren't really coming from a compassionate place.
They're coming from a righteous place, expressing moral outrage and indignation.
Real compassion doesn't stop once a child is born.
Agnostick (anonymous) says…
jafs ftw!
Kinda reminds me of an old Dave Barry quote:
"A person who is nice to you, but rude to the waiter... is not a nice person."