|
Ipas is troubled and deeply saddened by the senseless murder of Dr. George Tiller on Sunday, May 31. Dr. Tiller dedicated his life to ensuring that women in the United States had access to compassionate, high quality reproductive health care from his clinic, Women’s Health Care Services, in Wichita, KS.
Dr. Tiller was one of a small number of providers in the United States willing to perform abortions during the later stages of pregnancy. Women faced with complications that could put their lives or their pregnancies at risk have traveled thousands of miles in order to receive appropriate health care that was not available to them at home.
“Women who need to end a pregnancy, particularly during the later stages, need care and understanding, but too often what they find is judgment and denial,” said Ipas President and CEO Elizabeth Maguire. “Despite the threats to his practice and his person, Dr. Tiller made sure that women’s needs were addressed first and foremost.”
Around the world, 19 million women will risk their lives to end an unwanted pregnancy with an unsafe abortion. Nearly 67,000 women will die and millions more will be injured. For many, the pregnancies themselves may put their lives or health at risk, but as a result of restrictive laws or a lack of providers, they do not have access to safe abortion care.
“At Ipas we work all over the world with providers like Dr. Tiller who are willing to put their personal lives and careers on the line to ensure that women have safe abortion care,” said Maguire. “We will honor Dr. Tiller’s memory by continuing to train and support these providers.”
For more information, contact media@ipas.org