I Faced It All, And I Stood Tall, And Did It My Way

Scott Roeder, the man accused of murdering abortion provider Dr. George Tiller last year, took to the stand today in his trial in Kansas and admitted to his crime, citing no regrets whatsoever.

"There was nothing being done and the legal process had been exhausted, and these babies were dying every day," Roeder said. "I felt that if someone did not do something, he was going to continue."

Roeder is charged with one count of first-degree murder. Tiller ran a women's clinic at which he performed abortions, including the controversial late-term procedure.

During Roeder's testimony Thursday, Tiller's widow, Jeanne, and other family members sat in the gallery. Initially stoic, they began to dab at tears as Roeder described putting a gun to Tiller's head.

Asked if he regretted what he did, Roeder said, "No, I don't." Upon learning that Tiller's clinic was shut down after his death, he said he felt "a sense of relief."

Dressed in a dark suit, white shirt and a red patterned tie, Roeder calmly testified that he thought about different ways to kill the doctor -- driving a car into his, perhaps, or shooting him with a rifle. His main concern, he said, was that he might harm others.

Under cross-examination, he told Sedgwick County District Attorney Nola Foulston he also considered cutting Tiller's hands off with a sword, but decided that would not be effective, as Tiller would still be able to train others.

No regrets, confident that his God will approve of what he did in His name, not even trying to deny the crime of murder in the the first degree.

Here's the kicker:

Asked if there are any circumstances in which he believes abortion is acceptable, Roeder said he thought it could be if the mother's life was in "absolute" danger. "I struggle with that decision," he said, "because I believe that ultimately, it is up to our heavenly father. But if there was a time, that would be it."

When defense attorneys asked about his belief regarding abortion in the case of rape, Roeder said, "I do not believe that is justified. You are taking the life of the innocent. You're punishing the innocent life for the sin of the father. Two wrongs don't make a right."

Asked about incest, he said his beliefs were the same. "It isn't our duty to take life, it's our heavenly father's," he said.

And Scott Roeder's duty is to take that life too.  I would hope that whatever deity does exist out there will correct Scott there when he gets to where he's finally going.  And anyone who says America should be worried about Muslim fanatics killing people, well, Scott's not exactly a Muslim now, is he?