CARNAL NATION

Via P.Z. Meyers at Pharyngula, we found ourselves on this item that provides a little glimmer of hope in the aftermath of Dr. George Tiller's assassination. When Tiller's family decided to close his clinic—the only one in Kansas to provide late-term abortions, and one of only three in America—it was an unqualified victory for the anti-choice forces who had dogged him for years. The president of Operation Rescue openly gloated over Tiller's corpse by saying that Operation Rescue might buy the building for their own purposes. That victory is a little muted, now. Dr. LeRoy Carhart, a Nebraska doctor, says that he will perform late-term abortions in his own state and in Kansas.

For obvious reasons, Carhart is being sketchy on the details, especially with regard to whether he plans to work from an existing facility or open an entirely new one himself.  His is beginning to train the staff at his clinic in Bellevue, Nebraska, to perform late-term abortions, and may include some of the staff from Tiller's clinic. Carhart's announcement has created outrage among anti-choicers, and not just from the fringe lunatics who have been openly celebrating Dr. Tiller's murder. On being told of Dr. Carhart's plans, Nebraska Attorney General Jon Bruning said I'm disgusted and I'm saddened, and I hate it that he's here in Nebraska and I hate it that he's in America. I mean, this guy is one sick individual." We call it heroic, especially in the face of Dr. Tiller's fate, and hope that Bruning won't let his personal feelings or allegiances get in the way of protecting Dr. Carhart and his staff from a similar one.