Wichita, KS : The pro-life crusaders' spleen (16 images)

Dr. George Tiller, the medical director of a women's medical clinic and pro-choice advocate, was shot to death on May 31st in front of the church he was attending in Wichita, KS. This murder has become the climax of the ideological war on abortion, the main battlefield being Wichita, a conservative town in the heart of puritan America.

This feature projects a raw light on to anti-abortion activists, their motivations, and their ambiguous attitude toward violence, at a time when...
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Dr. George Tiller, the medical director of a women's medical clinic and pro-choice advocate, was shot to death on May 31st in front of the church he was attending in Wichita, KS. This murder has become the climax of the ideological war on abortion, the main battlefield being Wichita, a conservative town in the heart of puritan America.

This feature projects a raw light on to anti-abortion activists, their motivations, and their ambiguous attitude toward violence, at a time when abortion has become an incontrovertible issue in President Obama's administration.

Spotted by Americans wondering about their methods, these self-proclaimed "crusaders" such as Troy Newman, who is the head of Operation Rescue and an adept provocateur, are now left without an enemy to fight. Against them, pro-choice activists do whatever they can to support Dr. Tiller's legacy.

The purpose of this story is to provide a key to Obama's America. It is also about illustrating, through a dozen testimonies, the profound social tensions in a changing country.

(text by Jean-Cosme Delaloye)

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