Did Anti-Abortion Extremists Auction Include Plagiarized Art? By Rob Tornoe

Did Anti-Abortion Extremists Auction Include Plagiarized Art?

By Rob Tornoe | November 3rd, 2009

eBay has made the decision to remove an auction created by supporters of Scott Roeder, who is charged with the murder of abortion doctor George Tiller.

Officials from eBay said they would “not allow listings that promote or glorify violence, hate, racial or religious intolerance, or items that encourage, promote, facilitate or instruct others to engage in illegal activity.”

One of the pieces of artwork supplied by Jason Dubrowski, friend and fellow inmate of Roeder, is strikingly similar to a political cartoon by cartoonist Gary McCoy, who is syndicated by Cagle Cartoons.

The piece in question features a scene full of graves labeled ‘aborted baby’ with a newspaper that has blown in with the headline, ‘Late-term abortion doctor killed. Pres. Obama “shocked and outraged.”‘

It is also signed by Roeder.

In a note on one of the eBay listings, Roeder seems to admit that Dubrowski stole the idea for the drawing:

“His name is Jason Dubrowski and is one of the best artists I’ve seen in here… The drawing of the field of babies tombstones with the newspaper headline comments of Obama was done after a Christian newsletter printed this illustration which a lady in Valley Center sent to me.”

Regina Dinwiddie, the organizer of the Roeder auction, was surprised by eBay’s decision to remove it.

“Actually I thought [eBay] was the last bastion of free enterprise in America, where normal people could put things up for sale,” she told Talking Points Memo. “I see they do have a political agenda.”

I guess it’s also American to steal someone’s artwork and make a profit from it.

Talking Points Memo has a collection of the various pieces of art that were being auctioned off.

UPDATE: Lindsey Roeder, the ex-wife of Scott Roeder, sent an email to artist Gary McCoy about the situation:

“My son and I have received 2 copies of the June 2, 2009 political cartoon that you drew. Scott
sent me a copy of the cartoon and then a few weeks later sent my son another copy of it. Perhaps they had your permission to use it and this is all moot. However, if you did not give them permission to use it then they plagiarized your work.

Sincerely,
Lindsey Roeder”

Gary did not give them permission to use his work, and says he would never be an advocate of such violence, saying that “any legitimate pro-lifer condemns the killing of abortion doctors just as we do that of innocent unborn babies.”