eBay Refuses Auction to Benefit Abortion Doctor Slayer

Online auction house eBay has refused to run a "benefit auction" that was being organized to gather funds for Scott Roeder, the man accused of killing abortion doctor George Tiller in Wichita, Kansas, earlier this year. The announcement came the same day that Tiller’s family begged eBay to halt the auction.

Lee Thompson, an attorney for the Tiller family, in a letter sent to eBay on Tuesday and approved by Tiller’s widow, Jeanne Tiller, said:

“These materials contain hate messages, glorify violence against abortion doctors who provide constitutionally protected medical services, and instruct on means of violence, including bombing, of abortion clinics. We urge you to deny access to the resources of eBay for this reprehensible and vile ‘auction.’"

The auction was intended to raise money for the defense of Scott Roeder. He is charged with first-degree murder in abortion doctor George Tiller's death and is scheduled to go on trial in January.

Items being auctioned would have included an Army of God manual, a prison cookbook compiled by a Shelley Shannon, the Oregon woman who shot and wounded Tiller in 1993 and was later convicted in a series of abortion clinic arsons and bombings, and several autographed drawings submitted by Roeder.

One of those drawings was of David and Goliath that depicted David holding the head of Goliath and the name “Tiller” on Goliath’s forehead, with the words "child-murdering industry" written on the corpse.

According to the Kansas City Star, eBay said:

“Based on the details we know about the anticipated listings, we believe these would violate our policy regarding offensive material. EBay will not permit the items in question to be posted to the eBay site, and they will be removed if they are posted.”

Supporters of Roeder plan alternative methods of fund-raising, and claim eBay is violating their civil rights.