Mission Accomplished

Success.

Make no mistake about it. The radical wing of the pro-live movement has scored a coup, a major success. The Associated Press reports

The family of slain abortion provider George Tiller said Tuesday that his Wichita clinic will be "permanently closed," effective immediately.

In a statement released by Tiller's attorneys, his family said it is ceasing operation of Women's Health Care Services Inc. and any involvement by family members in any other similar clinic.

It worked out perfectly. Despite connections to far-right groups, Roeder, as far as we know, planned and executed the murder of Dr. Tiller himself. These groups can remain at arms length from the murder and the murderer himself while the immediate purpose of the slaying has been accomplished. And the ultimate objective? The AP article continues

Dr. Warren Hern, one of the few remaining doctors in the country who performs late-term abortions, said the closure of the clinic was an "outrage" and he feels the loss for Dr. Tiller's family and the patients he served.

"How tragic, how tragic," Hern said when contacted by phone at his Boulder, Colo., clinic. "This is what they want, they've been wanting this for 35 years."

Asked whether he felt efforts should be made to keep the clinic open, he said: "This was Dr. Tiller's clinic. How much can you resist this kind of violence? What doctor, what reasonable doctor would work there? Where does it stop?"

Where, indeed.