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Slain doctor sensed a threat

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The Tampa Tribune

Published: June 8, 2009

KANSAS CITY, Kan. - Two weeks before abortion doctor George Tiller was gunned down in his church, he called colleague Susan Hill in North Carolina.

Tiller wanted her to send pictures of people who had recently been threatening Hill and her staff. He said he was seeing new anti-abortion protesters outside his clinic. "I said, 'I don't know, George. I think there's something coming,'" recalled Hill, who operates clinics in four states. "He said, 'I do, too.'"

In the days since Tiller's death, abortion rights advocates across the country say they sensed an uptick in incidents and threats before the shooting. They worry about further incidents, especially with a president in the White House who supports abortion rights. That's when extremists can feel desperate, they say.

"I think when they're out of power, they feel much more threatened," said Nancy Keenan, the president of NARAL Pro-Choice America. "I hope we don't see history repeated."

McClatchy-Tribune

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