ASK DR. BAUGHAN                                                    September 29, 2000

A NEW HAMPSHIRE TRAGEDY

I watched a television documentary the other night that deeply troubled me.  It was on PBS and was entitled, “Live Free or Die.”  The show chronicled the experience of obstetrician-gynecologist Dr. Wayne Goldner, who performed gynecologic surgery, delivered babies, taught sex education in the high school . . . and performed abortions.  He had been practicing and living in Bedford, New Hampshire for many years.  Then persons against abortion began organizing efforts against his teaching and abortions.  This sounds like a familiar social conflict in the U.S. today:  “Pro-life vs Pro-choice”  “Free Speech vs Free Choice” or whatever catch-words you choose.

Demonstrators picketed his office.  They did so peacefully.  No tragedy here.  Citizens expressing their right to freedom of speech and freedom of assembly.

Demonstrators picketed his home.  This gets more uncomfortable, but as long as they demonstrated non-violently on public property, we protect their rights to do so.

Then they appeal to the school board to stop letting him volunteer to teach in the high school.  They argue that both explicitly in his content by mentioning abortion, as well as by the fact that he performs abortions, he is influencing students to choose abortions.  Segments of his talks to students are showed and present his position that he emphasizes assertiveness skills to allow teens to be able to “Say No” to pressures to have sex when they are not ready, to prevent sexually transmitted disease and unplanned pregnancies.  This all so far looks like healthy democracy in action - public dialogue on a difficult issue.

Then anonymous threats of unspecified violence are received if Dr. Goldner is allowed to continue teaching.  Out of concern for student safety, the school board recommends to the superintendent that the doctor not be allowed to teach anymore.  The superintendent agrees.  The doctor appeals, and the school board supports the decision.

Here is the tragedy.  Fear of violence was brought into a community.  It was not generated by Dr. Goldner.  Whether the nicely dressed upper middle class speakers against abortion had any connection to those who threatened violence, they used that threat, not reason or moral persuasion, to achieve their goals.  The school board and superintendent based their decisions on fear of violence.  What did the students learn?  They learned that in a democratic society, you can achieve your  goals by the threat of violence toward children.  They learned that their parents would rather “Live in Fear than Be Free.”

What options did they have?  Is it easy for me to say, “Put your children at risk of violent crackpots”?  No.  But if I want my children to know how to respond to violent intimidation, I must take risks for myself and for them.  I must be willing to be the human shield and the willing witness for my children and for Dr. Goldner.  I must be willing (like Patrick Henry) to “defend to the death his right to speak” when that right is threatened with violence, whether or not I agree with his point of view.  We must  oppose violence advocated or condoned by any political extremists, or democracy is dead