Tiller the Killer killed in Kansas

Notorious Kansas late-term abortionist, George Tiller aka "Tiller the Killer," has been shot and killed:

Media outlets are reporting that late-term abortion doctor George Tiller has been shot and killed at his church in Wichita, Kan.

Anonymous police sources told The Wichita Eagle and other media that the 67-year-old doctor was killed Sunday morning at Reformation Lutheran Church. . . .

Tiller has been among the few U.S. physicians performing late-term abortions. His clinic has repeatedly been the site of protests for about two decades and he was shot and wounded by a protester in 1993.

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This kind of story must come with this disclaimer: I do not condone, nor will I ever condone, "pro-life" individuals acting against abortion activists with violence - much less lethal force. In this I stand with the mainstream of the pro-life movement. This kind of vigilantism is inconsistent with a pro-life philosophy that opposes the unjustified taking of human life. As anti-abortion as such a person may be, he cannot consistently call himself pro-life. Moreover, it is inconsistent with my convictions as a Christian: God has given the civil government the authority and tools to administer justice. He has not given them to the church or to private individuals. Such people are typically said to be taking the law into their own hands, but by disobeying the commandments of God and the law of the state, they are really engaged in lawlessness. I hope the authorities in Wichita find and make an example of the perpetrator, so that like-minded individuals will also fear.

That being said, I shed not a single tear for the demise of Tiller. This man provided thousands of abortions, and is especially known for carrying out late-term ones, even only a day before the due date. He made his livelihood dealing out violence and death against unborn human lives he thought were worthless. It therefore comes as no surprise that someone out there, in turn, believed Tiller's life was worthless. Those who live by the sword shall die by the sword, as Jesus said. If vigilante violence is the means God used to remove him from this world, that is his prerogative. Whatever justice George Tiller has escaped in this life for his the shedding of innocent blood, he shall not escape in the next.

Good riddance.

Update (3:45 pm): Police have arrested a suspect.

Update (June 1, 7:00 am:) The suspect is Scott Roeder, 51, of Kansas City. He has been charged with first-degree murder and is being held without bail in Wichita.