Why It’s Wrong to Kill an Abortion Doctor

Date June 2, 2009 Posted by Amy Hall

If abortion is the killing of an innocent human being as pro-lifers say, is it right to kill an abortion doctor–a guilty human being who has been and will be involved in these killings?  I think most pro-lifers intuitively have a strong, negative reaction to this question, even if they can’t articulate precisely why such an action would be wrong, given the moral crime and what’s at stake.  Does this question reveal a contradiction in pro-life thinking?  No.  There is solid, consistent reasoning that explains why this negative reaction is the correct one for pro-lifers.  While I do hope that someday the government will recognize the heinousness of abortion and prosecute abortion providers in the same way that it currently prosecutes anyone other than an abortion provider who kills an unborn child, it would not be morally right or just for me to carry out this punishment on my own.

There are only two reasons why a person might think himself justified in killing an abortion doctor, and both reasons fail morally:

1.  Justice for past killings
2.  Prevention of future killings

Justice:  In Romans 12-13, Paul explains to us God’s system of justice by addressing our place as individuals and the role of government.  First, he says in 12:19:

Never take your own revenge, beloved, but leave room for the wrath of God, for it is written, “Vengeance is Mine, I will repay,” says the Lord.

We learn two things from this.  First, God cares about justice.  People who do seriously wrong things will be seriously, rightfully punished.  God will undeniably see to this in every case.  He does not sweep any wrong thing under the rug.  Second, this verse makes it clear that, as individuals, we are not allowed to mete out justice to anyone.  It’s important to remember, however, that there is nothing wrong with desiring to see justice done.  In fact, according to this verse, the very reason we are able to rest and not seek vengeance on our own is because we can trust God to justly punish.

But Paul doesn’t leave us there.  He goes on immediately in 13:1-7 to explain the institution God created and endowed with the authority to act in His place on earth to bring about justice–government:

Every person is to be in subjection to the governing authorities…. Do you want to have no fear of authority?  Do what is good and you will have praise from the same; for it is a minister of God to you for good.  But if you do what is evil, be afraid; for it does not bear the sword for nothing; for it is a minister of God, an avenger who brings wrath on the one who practices evil.

When God repays, He does this through government (empowered to act in His place), in the afterlife, or on the cross.  These are the ways justice is rightfully accomplished.  Therefore, even if our government fails to prosecute as it should, we still do not have the right to act on our own to punish because we haven’t been given the authority to do so.  The rule of law would not survive thousands of vigilantes.  All of this is why God has commanded us to let go of vengeance, even if the government fails in a particular case to “bring wrath on the one who practices evil.”  If we rebel against this command, we are rebelling against God Himself.  Therefore, it is clearly wrong for any individual to kill an abortion doctor for the sake of justice.

Prevention:  The argument that killing an abortion doctor will save the lives of the babies he intended to kill also morally fails.  It fails for the simple reason that this will not save lives in the long run.  In fact, it could very well increase the number of lives lost by setting back progress that has already been made.  The abortion doctor is not, himself, the source of abortion; killing him will not end abortion.  The appointments he had scheduled will be taken on by other providers.  But in the meantime, hatred against the pro-life movement will be stirred up because of the lawlessness of the act, heels will dig in out of defiance, more restrictions will be placed on pro-life groups, and persuasion will be much more difficult.  In order to make significant progress in saving lives, we must change the view of the people of this nation and thereby change the laws through the democratic process.  That is the way this country works.  Since unauthorized violence by individuals is completely counterproductive to the goal of persuasion, killing an abortion doctor is morally wrong because it impedes (if not destroys) the work being done to save lives.

The appropriate solution for justice and prevention is this:  We must leave justice for each individual abortion doctor in the hands of God as we work through the means of rational persuasion to change the system so that the government will prosecute such things in the future, preventing countless deaths.

[Please note that this is not meant to be an exhaustive discussion of either the reasons why such an action is wrong or the ways that abortions might be prevented.]

Related posts:

  1. 24 Ethics
  2. Obama On Abortion At Saddleback
  3. The Trauma of Abortion
  4. Relativism, Power, and the Need for a Standard – Part Two
  5. Playing Politics With Same-Sex Marriage And Undermining A Free Society
  6. Punishment is Necessary for Justice

Category Posted in Amy's Posts, Ethics, Politics

3 Responses to “Why It’s Wrong to Kill an Abortion Doctor”

  1. CT said:

    June 4th, 2009 at 5:21 pm

    Amy, I’d like to explore your reasoning–especially as regards “prevention”. Consider the following case.

    Suppose that an employee at a fertility clinic knows that the director of the clinic intends to destroy a dozen frozen embryos. The employee pleads with the director not to destroy these embryos, but the director insists that their destruction is legal as well as necessary for saving needed funds (funds that will be used to repair the parking lot). The employee promises to raise the “needed funds” by alternate means, but the director dismisses this idea as misguided. Growing desperate, the employee realizes that the only way to save the twelve embryos is to eliminate the director (the co-director who would replace her is “pro-life”). The only clear way to eliminate the director, however, is to assault her in a way that could foreseeably lead to her permanent injury or death. Is it morally permissible for the employee to thus assault the director?

  2. CT said:

    June 6th, 2009 at 12:40 pm

    Some thoughtful words from Frank Schaeffer:

    My late father and I share the blame (with many others) for the murder of Dr. George Tiller the abortion doctor gunned down on Sunday. Until I got out of the religious right (in the mid-1980s) and repented of my former hate-filled rhetoric I was both a leader of the so-called pro-life movement and a part of a Republican Party hate machine masquerading as the moral conscience of America….The same hate machine I was part of is still attacking all abortionists as “murderers.” And today once again the “pro-life” leaders are busy ducking their personal responsibility for people acting on their words. The people who stir up the fringe never take responsibility. But I’d like to say on this day after a man was murdered in cold blood for preforming abortions that I — and the people I worked with in the religious right, the Republican Party, the pro-life movement and the Roman Catholic Church, all contributed to this killing by our foolish and incendiary words. I am very sorry.

  3. Amy Hall said:

    June 8th, 2009 at 1:46 pm

    The same two points above apply.

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