Slain doctor’s abortion clinic closes permanently

Published 5:00 am Wednesday, June 10, 2009

WICHITA, Kan. — George Tiller’s slaying has accomplished what anti-abortion activists had tried to do for decades: The doors to his clinic will shut forever.

The announcement Tuesday from Tiller’s family was a tainted victory for the nation’s anti-abortion movement. For years, it made Tiller the focus of protests, legislation and legal attacks. His death reignited a public debate over some abortion opponents’ tactics and left many wondering how it will transform the abortion battleground.

Now that Tiller and his clinic are gone, the epicenter of the anti-abortion movement is less clear. Kansas has long been a lightning rod in the hot-button social issue. In 2002, the leader of the anti-abortion group Operation Rescue even moved his organization to the city to wage an aggressive campaign, and Tiller’s clinic had been bombed in 1986 and he was shot in both arms in 1993.