Walk on the Wild Side

The recent execution of Paul Hill, who murdered Dr. John Britton and his bodyguard in Pensacola, FL in 1994, was a grim reminder to anti-abortion activists that crime does not pay. Hill, a former Presbyterian minister, shot the two men and wounded a woman in an ambush attack. He appealed to some fringe groups of the anti-abortion movement to follow his lead in condoning violence against abortion clinic doctors and other personnel. Some have expressed concern that Hill’s execution will make him a martyr and result in more violence. Hopefully, the action taken in Florida will be a deterrent for fanatics. Abortion is, and always will be, a very emotional issue for both supporters and non-supporters. Many women who have unwanted pregnancies are very young, and not prepared for parenthood. An alternative to abortion is adoption. There are hundreds of approved adoptive parents across the country that are waiting for a child. In addition, there are many relatives of these young mothers who are responsible adults capable of providing a good home. It is unfortunate that so many select abortion as their choice. Vigilantes such as Paul Hill are nothing but criminals in the eyes of the law. As a man of the cloth, he certainly knew what he did was a sin and a crime. There are no excuses when you murder someone in cold blood, no exceptions. It might be understandable if the persons he killed had taken the life of someone close to him, but it is still illegal. Mr. Hill paid the ultimate price for his actions, but I fear there are more like him that are just as dangerous and unstable.