Testimonials from George Tiller's Patients

But what is it like to be one of the women George Tiller treated? Many women seeking late-term abortions over the last three decades were sent to the Kansas doctor who was murdered [2] on Sunday. As Brian Palmer explained on Slate [3], even hospitals and doctors legally capable of performing the procedure sent patients to Tiller out of fear of prosecution. Women were often referred to Tiller's clinic "because of his experience in treating the emotional and physical strain."

On XX Factor, we collected stories from friends who received third-trimester abortions at Tiller's clinic. One woman recounted her trip there when she was six months pregnant [4], after being told by the doctor that "This child could not make it into childhood."

There were about 10 of us, with our husbands. We stayed in a hotel with all-night security. They were parents from all over the country, and racially mixed. Some of them definitely could have been Republicans, and Christians. Some wanted to give the fetus a name, and bury it, but I didn't want that. Most of them had babies with Down's Syndrome. They wanted us to go through this together, and in therapy sessions they let us talk about it.

Another tells of visiting Tiller after learning that her unborn son had a blood disorder [5] that would almost certainly kill him by age 9.

While still reeling from the shock, we were told we could take our chances and let the baby be born, but that the state would be forced to intervene if we did not then take every measure to keep our son alive. Or, we could consider two late-term abortion clinics—one in Wichita, Kan., the other in Holland! Our initial thoughts were "how could we be in a major NYC hospital in the United States and be told these are our only choices?" To say it was surreal is an understatement.

A third writes about grieving a late-term abortion [6], after he and his wife learned at the last ultrasound that their soon-to-be-born daughter had developed hydrocephalus, meaning water on the brain.

Her head was huge with fluid, and therefore would not fit through the birth canal. Actually, it was called hydroencephaly, meaning that she essentially had no brain, because it had been substantially dissolved by the neural fluid from a spinal cord that had not properly closed.

Also on Slate and Double X:

William Saletan on whether it's wrong to kill an abortionist [7].

Emily Bazelon on the bravery of George Tiller. [8]

Brian Palmer on what made George Tiller so special. [9]

Photograph of Sandra Peters of Wichita by AFP/Getty Images.