The Internet has long been heralded as a medium that will finally unite and enlighten the world. "The Nuremberg Files," a Website maintained by militant anti-abortion extremists, is far more likely to evoke images of the Spanish Inquisition rather than the glistening techno-Utopia dreamed of by many.
The site catalogues information on doctors who perform abortions as well as their friends and families and others who believe in reproductive freedom. Included in the retrievable information are the names of the doctors, as well as their physical descriptions, addresses, phone and license plate numbers in entries that resemble FBI wanted posters. Some entries even contain the names of the doctors' children. "Surveillance photos" of the doctors' cars or homes are also available for some.
In October, the site gained publicity when Barnett Slepian, a Buffalo, N.Y. doctor who was listed on the site, was shot as he stood in his kitchen. After hearing of his death, the site crossed out Slepian's name as they do with all individuals who are listed and murdered. Also, if an individual listed is wounded, their name on the site is shaded in gray. The authors urge their supporters to help them expand the list by giving them more names and information.
When the American Medical Association condemned the page, the maintainors of the site responded with a press release stating that "violence against the unborn cannot be ignored without this nation experiencing a crescendo of violence ... against every person in this nation who collaborates with the legalization of such slaughter."
The blatant hypocrisy of some members of the "pro-life" movement is despicable. Obviously, it is perfectly acceptable for individuals to civilly protest something they believe to be morally reprehensible.
Encouraging violence against people who allow women to exercise their constitutional rights drives far beyond the frontiers of bad taste. Anyone with a shred of human decency should realize the right to life is universal and extends to all people, including those who choose to respect a legal right that was validated by the Supreme Court almost 26 years ago.
Parallels to the Holocaust drawn by the authors are equally ludicrous. The site's authors charge those listed with various "crimes" including "genocide," "torture" and "crimes against humanity." No individual who is truly a guardian of the right to life should be so insolent as to trivialize the Holocaust and the images it conjures for the sake of dramatic effect.
The rash of cold-blooded killing of abortion doctors and clinic workers around the country in recent years - and the subsequent applause of some in the pro-life movement - is a clear indication that a sizable minority believes murder is an acceptable means to further respect for the right to life.
It is one thing to be emotionally involved in a moral debate, but it is another entirely to kill or encourage the killing of people on the other side. Free speech is protected by the First Amendment, and "The Nuremberg Files" has the right to shock and repulse. However, it contemptibly reflects a mentality that characterized some of the darkest and most intolerant days in human history. Terrorism is completely unjustified in all circumstances.
01-12-99
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