Killing Abortionists: A Symposium

Fifteen prolife heavy-weights weighed in on this symposium published by First Things in December, 1994. We provide the brief contribution of the good Princeton Professor here on the fair assumption that it is a chef-d’oeuvre in mockery of those who mindlessly condemn the rescue of the innocents in the name of violence. See the other contributors here: http://www.firstthings.com/article/2007/01/killing-abortionists-a-symposium-31#Sider

Robert P. George, Pro-choice

I am personally opposed to killing abortionists. However, inasmuch as my personal opposition to this practice is rooted in a sectarian (Catholic) religious belief in the sanctity of human life, I am unwilling to impose it on others who may, as a matter of conscience, take a different view. Of course, I am entirely in favor of policies aimed at removing the root causes of violence against abortionists. Indeed, I would go so far as to support mandatory one-week waiting periods, and even nonjudgmental counseling, for people who are contemplating the choice of killing an abortionist. I believe in policies that reduce the urgent need some people feel to kill abortionists while, at the same time, respecting the rights of conscience of my fellow citizens who believe that the killing of abortionists is sometimes a tragic necessity-not a good, but a lesser evil. In short, I am moderately pro-choice.

Robert P. George is Professor of Politics at Princeton University and author, most recently, of Making Men Moral: Civil Liberties and Public Morality.