Without the rule of law, we cease to be America. That is why murdering abortion doctors not only goes against the core of what pro lifers proclaim about themselves, it strikes at the very heart of liberty. And now, a judge has ruled properly that the killer of the odious George Tiller cannot use “necessity” as a defense. From the story:
A judge ruled Tuesday that Kansas law does not allow a so-called necessity defense in the trial of a man charged with killing one of the nation’s few late-term abortion providers. The decision was another blow to lawyers for 51-year-old Scott Roeder, who has confessed to shooting Dr. George Tiller on May 31 and says it was necessary to save “unborn children.” In his ruling, Judge Warren Wilbert cited a 1993 criminal trespassing case involving an abortion clinic. The Kansas Supreme Court found in that case that allowing a person’s personal beliefs to justify criminal activity to stop a law-abiding citizen from exercising his rights would “not only lead to chaos but would be tantamount to sanctioning anarchy.”
Quite right. We can’t just be against terrorism in causes with which we disagree, we must be against terrorism. Indeed, it might be more important to oppose violence in causes with which one has great sympathy.
Lincoln said, “Right makes might,” a truism that everyone involved in roiling public controversies should always keep in mind.
