The U.S. Marshals Service is providing ’round-the-clock security for Dr. Warren Hern, who runs the Boulder Abortion Clinic, in the wake of Kansas abortion doctor George Tiller’s slaying at his church on Sunday. Hern, the Daily Camera notes, is one of the few doctors around the country offering late-term abortions.

Interviewed from his bulletproof office yesterday, Hern admitted he was “frightened” and “also angry” that Tiller, a longtime friend to Hern–and like Hern, a high-profile target for anti-abortion protests–was slain, comparing some activists in the pro-life movement to “terrorists” that perpetrate “psychological rape” on women who receive abortions. 

The Colorado Independent was ahead of the media frenzy with their interview with Hern on Sunday. The Kansas City Star reports that several anti-abortion groups condemned the shooting, fearing efforts to “demonize” their movement for the actions of an “unbalanced” person. James Dobson, patriarch to Colorado Springs-based Focus on the Family, issued a similar statement yesterday.

Meanwhile, abortion rights groups see the slaying as an opportunity to push senators to clarify U.S. Supreme Court nominee Sonia Sotomayor’s views on abortion, according to ABC News. A Salon writer discusses the kinds of desperate and unique situations that require late-term abortions–and they may surprise you.