Feminists For Choice

Today marks the 15 year anniversary of the assassination of Dr. John Bayard Britton, a Florida abortion provider, and Britton’s his body guard James Herman Barrett. Dr. Britton and Mr. Barrett were murdered by Paul Hill, an anti-choice fanatic. According to a 1994 story in the Washington Post:

Britton, who authorities said had received numerous death threats for his work at The Ladies Center abortion clinic, was wearing a bulletproof vest after having just been picked up at the airport by the Barretts, of Pensacola.

It was the third shooting at a U.S. abortion clinic since March 1993, when David Gunn was fatally shot in the back as he arrived for work as a physician at another Pensacola clinic.

Hill, 40, who described himself as a former Presbyterian minister, had publicly advocated “justifiable homicide” against doctors who perform abortions and had led demonstrations at the clinic every Friday for more than a year, police and abortion rights activists said.

According to Wikipedia:

On December 6, 1994, Hill was sentenced to death by lethal injection under Florida law.

In a statement before his execution, Hill said that he felt no remorse for his actions, and that he expected “a great reward in Heaven”. During his trial, the judge did not allow Hill to use an affirmative defense of justification. Hill said he viewed the acts as defensive rather than retributive. Hill left behind a manuscript manifesto which his backers promised him they would publish. That manifesto and his address to the jury that convicted him echoed the words of John Brown, who had attempted to incite a violent insurrection to end slavery in the United States. Hill was not apologetic for the killings, and in his last words he encouraged others who believe abortion is an illegitimate use of lethal force to “do what you have to do to stop it”.

Hill died by lethal injection in Florida State Prison on September 3, 2003.

For a copy of the “justifiable homicide” manifesto, click here

I certainly don’t support the death penalty, but I definitely think that Paul Hill deserved a life sentence for brutally murdering a doctor and his body guard. A doctor shouldn’t even have to have a body guard, let alone have to wear a bullet-proof vest. Barrett’s wife was also injured in the shooting. I don’t care who you are or what you believe, there is no such thing as “justifiable murder.”

(h/t to ClinicEscort for the links)

Photo Credit: St. Petersberg Times