"Who is Kermit Gosnell?" is the question all Americans should be asking themselves. Kermit Gosnell is an abortion doctor with practices in Wilmington, Del.; Philadelphia; and Baton Rogue, La. Kermit Gosnell is currently on trial for first-degree murder, third-degree murder, illegal abortions and medical malpractice and a litany of other charges related to his disgraceful clinic.
Aptly named the "House of Horror," Kermit Gosnell's abortion clinic is now closed. In the span of 20 years, Gosnell performed gruesome and ghastly abortions inside his clinic with no regard for the unborn. His abortion clinic in Philadelphia is accused of murdering babies after induced labor. According to Philadelphia District Attorney Seth Williams, "the baby had been born on a cold steel table and abruptly murdered by taking scissors to the neck, severing the spinal cord." Simply put, Kermit Gosnell performed infanticide with no remorse.
In his clinic Kermit Gosnell and several of his staff not only performed abortions but also had extreme means of ensuring "fetal demise." According to the grand jury report, Gosnell would perform snippings, which is cutting the spinal cord, to ensure that the baby was fully aborted. Due to the dilapidated conditions of the clinic, accurate records were never kept but it is estimated that Gosnell and his staff killed hundred of babies. While he murdered hundreds of babies with the "snipping" technique, he is only on trial for eight murder charges. On April 23, 2012, according to the New York Times, a Philadelphia judge granted motions of acquittal for three of the charges of murder. No reason was given.
Kermit Gosnell is used to being charged for his heinous acts. Several reports have shown that state officials in Pennsylvania, New York and Delaware have failed to visit or inspect Gosnell's practices as far back as 1993. The states of Pennsylvania and New York disciplined Gosnell's practice of medicine. The grand jury report noted that the medical examiner of Delaware County alerted the Pennsylvania Department of Health that Gosnell had performed an illegal abortion on 14-year-old KarnamayaMongar who was 30 weeks pregnant; it also claimed the Pennsylvania Department of Health did not act when they became aware of Gosnell's involvement in the death of KarnamayaMongar. After the death of their daughter due to the botched abortion, the family brought a wrongful death suit against Gosnell. The civil suit is unfortunately still pending.
The harsh truth about what transpired in Gosnell's "House of Horror" over the past 20 years is that it all could have been avoided. We have to ask ourselves at what point personal responsibility becomes a factor in this equation. State officials and health inspectors should not feel like they are infringing on a woman's right to choose by simple checking if the facilities in which abortions are conducted meet proper public health standards. Interestingly enough, Gosnell's clinic was not exposed because of poorly-performed abortions and the murder of babies, but by the members the DEA and FBI about illegally prescribing Xanax and Oxytocin. The politics of abortion create atrocities like this where babies are murdered and women die as a result. Under no circumstance should Gosnell's House of Horror have remained open for more than 20 years with all these deplorable acts going on.
Likewise, those who support abortion would have us believe that it is a woman's right to choose and they chose to get abortions at this clinic. Whilst this argument has some merit and is somewhat credible, one has to consider what that choice results in. That choice led to the murder of innocent babies.
Kermit Gosnell made a living off preying on the weak and vulnerable. Mr. Gosnell adamantly believes his conduct was correct and that his practice was providing a viable service to Philadelphia. Mr. Gosnell takes pride in his heinous acts and justifies his actions by saying that none of the aborted fetuses were viable. His blatant disregard for human life should see him imprisoned with no parole. All life is sacred in nature and all life is precious to God.
Shaaya Ellis is a sophomore political science major with a classics minor. He can be contacted at sellis2@nd.edu
The views expressed in this column are those of the author and not necessarily those of The Observer.
