Giving In? Giving Up?

In the aftermath of Dr. George R. Tiller's murder at the hands of an anti-abortion extremist, I cannot hep but find it incredibly disheartening that Tiller's family is now choosing to close down the clinic.  Although there are certainly many reasons beyond my own understanding and comprehension, and I really have no place to judge their decision, I still can't help but feel that the action of shutting down the clinic sends one very clear message to radical anti-abortionists like Tiller's suspected assassin, Scott P. Roeder--that their wishes can and will be fulfilled through violent means.

Although it so far appears that Roeder planned and worked independently, a NY Times article provides statements from members of Operation Rescue, the anti-abortion group that generally targeted Dr. Tiller's clinic and was working towards its closing (through legal, not murderous means) in which they expressed their joy at the clinic's closing, and announcing their plans to move on from Wichita to other parts of the country.  

While Operation Rescue is certainly not directly responsible for Tiller's murder, the joy they express over the closing of his clinic (and subsequently his murder) and their plans to move on to the next abortion clinic is only motivating the next fanatic to put up a rifle, kill another doctor and hopefully shut down another clinic.  It's just a means to an end, right?  

I don't pretend to have the slightest idea of why Tiller's family is choosing to close down the clinic, but I hope that the decision was not one made out of fear.  Such a decision sends out the message to countless other extremists that they can get what they want by harming others. How many others will see what has happened and pick up their own weapons, knowing that by taking someone else's life they will scare others into submission.  Could this be part of the reason a white supremacist walked into the US Holocaust Memorial in DC today and opened fire, killing an innocent security guard?  What other lunatics, up until now teetering on the line between dangerous thought and deadly actions will now have the inspiration they needed to push them over that fragile edge?  

I never understood why politicians and military personnel employ the unwavering strategy of non-negotiation with terrorists.  Now I have a much better idea of why that is.  It's because they're crazy, they're lunatics, and there is no negotiations for what they want.  It's not right to win any fight by fear, and this situation is certainly no exception.  Giving in or giving up is not the right answer.