“Our thoughts and prayers are with the family of Dr. George Tiller, who was murdered at his church in Kansas yesterday.

Dr. Tiller demonstrated remarkable courage by refusing to be intimidated by bullets, arson and years of harassment, instead providing the reproductive health services that women urgently needed. The women who sought his care often had no other place to turn, and he did not let them down. He will be remembered as a man of real courage and deep compassion.

This terrible tragedy is a chilling reminder of what can happen when the debate over women’s reproductive health is conducted without responsible bounds and without recognition that people of conscience can hold different views. We hope everyone on every side of this debate will join us in condemning the unspeakable murder of Dr. Tiller, and in urging vigorous prosecution of his killer.

We hope that other doctors and other health care providers will refuse to be intimidated and instead provide the abortion and other reproductive health services that women need.”