Woman who shot, wounded Kansas abortion doctor warns other providers will ‘be stopped’

Woman who shot KS abortion doc warns of violence

WICHITA, Kan. — The woman who shot and wounded Dr. George Tiller in 1993 has warned that abortion providers will “continue to be stopped,” despite a Kansas jury’s first-degree murder conviction of the doctor’s confessed killer.

Shelley Shannon, who is serving time in Minnesota for a series of clinic arsons, sent the message through the prison e-mail system’s Web page to anti-abortion activist Dave Leach in Des Moines, Iowa. The Associated Press obtained a copy of the e-mail Tuesday.

Scott Roeder was convicted last week for the May 31 fatal shooting of Tiller at his church. He was also found guilty of aggravated assault for threatening two church ushers with a gun as they tried to stop him after the shooting. He faces a minimum sentence of life imprisonment.

Roeder’s attorneys had argued he should be allowed to use a voluntary manslaughter defense because he believed he was saving unborn children that Tiller would kill. The judge refused.

In her e-mail, Shannon said the judge had been influenced by media and abortion rights activists who said that if Roeder had been allowed to use that defense more abortion doctors would be killed.

“Abortionists are killed because they are serial murderers of innocent children who must be stopped, and they will continue to be stopped, even though Scott didn’t get a fair trial,” she wrote. “May God bless Scott for his faithfulness and brave actions and stand.”

Roeder has also alluded there would be more violence against abortion providers.

“I know there are many other similar events planned around the country as long as abortion remains legal,” he told the AP just days after his arrest.

FBI spokeswoman Bridget Patton said Shannon’s e-mail was not specific enough to require investigation.

“Any direct threat against a specific doctor or specific clinic facility would be fully addressed and would basically put us on alert — but it would have to be a specific threat,” Patton said.

The Justice Department — which has an opened an enterprise investigation into a possible conspiracy to use violence to stop abortions in this country — declined to comment.