|
|
|
|
Abortionist Kermit Gosnell:
"Known among activists for his willingness to take risks that
others wouldn't"
Part One of Three By Dave Andrusko Last Friday, I wrote a TN&V which consisted principally of shocking quotes from the 261-page Philadelphia Grand Jury report that had culminated in eight counts of murder levied against abortionist Kermit Gosnell.
It's very important to understand that the seven babies whose murders Gosnell and members of his staff are charged with committing are only the ones for which evidence still exists. "The grand jury said while it believes Gosnell killed most of the babies he aborted after 24 weeks, it could not recommend murder charges for all of the cases," according to the Philadelphia Inquirer. "'In order to constitute murder, the act must involve a baby who was born alive,' the grand jury said, adding that it was stymied by files that were falsified or removed and possibly destroyed." But even battle-tested pro-lifers are puzzled: how could Gosnell and members of Women's Medical Society clinic staff be so callous as to routinely sever the spines of babies--and why did the state of Pennsylvania sit on its hands? Subsequent quotes from news stories may offer a partial explanation. [1] "Gosnell, at his arraignment Thursday, said he did not understand why he was being charged with eight counts of murder. 'I understand the one count, because a patient died [41-year-old Karnamaya Mongar, a refugee from Bhutan], but I didn't understand the seven counts,' he told a magistrate. The magistrate explained the other counts involved babies who prosecutors say were born alive, and she denied him bail." (Associated Press). According to all the stories I read, Gosnell was genuinely puzzled why it would be murder to do what he is charged with doing to babies who are still alive. Perhaps that's because of the self-image Gosnell had cultivated. "Defense lawyer William J. Brennan, who represented Gosnell during the investigation, said Gosnell 'feels he has provided a general care medical facility in a fairly impoverished area for four decades.'" Then, one of the great lines of all time: "That's his belief," Brennan told the Inquirer, "and he's entitled to it." However, this is the same clinic which one former "patient" described as "like walking into a nightmare." "Everyone was sedated, no one was making sense," Sherry Thomas told the Inquirer. "People were slumped over and waiting in line like they were going into a soup kitchen." The Grand Jury report concurred. "Semiconscious women scheduled for abortions were moaning in the waiting room or the recovery room, where they sat on dirty recliners covered with blood-stained blankets." The report also said when agents raided it, there was blood on the floor, the unmistakable stench of urine, and cat feces on the floor. [2] "Indeed, state regulators--and to a lesser extent those in the city - repeatedly failed to stop Gosnell. The Pennsylvania Department of Health opted not to investigate complaints, including the death of Mongar, according to the grand jury's report. 'People die,' Christine Dutton, the department's chief counsel, told the grand jury, arguing there was no reason to think Mongar's death was suspicious." (Philadelphia Inquirer). I guess because "people die," it was business as usual for attorneys for the state medical licensing board to review five cases against Gosnell between 2002 and 2009, and close three without investigation. Ditto for the last two, which were investigated, which were "closed without action-- including the death of a 22-year-old whose family sued Gosnell and received a $400,000 settlement," according to the Inquirer. In addition to media indifference, abortion clinic atrocities have never received the exposure they deserve for these two reasons-- the absence of records and lax enforcement [or active unwillingness to explore obvious signs of violation]--which clearly go hand-in-hand. If abortionists know they are not going to be held accountable, there is a temptation to go further and further. In Gosnell's case he apparently did not need to be pushed to probe every boundary--and then race by them. Gosnell "became known among activists for his willingness to take risks that others wouldn't," according to the Inquirer. "In 1972, he played a prominent role in a scandal over an experimental abortion tool called 'the super coil,' designed for use in the second trimester. California psychologist and activist Harvey Karman had developed the coil. Gosnell tested it on 15 poor women who had taken a bus from Chicago on Mother's Day weekend because they couldn't get abortions elsewhere. Federal and city health officials later found that nine of the women had suffered serious complications, including a punctured uterus. One needed a hysterectomy." With that push-the-envelope/destroy-the-envelope mentality a lot of what the Grand Jury reports says about the 69-year-old Gosnell is easier to fathom. The sole encouraging news, beyond the arrests, is that a spokesman for pro-life Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Corbett said Friday that the governor "was appalled at the inaction on the part of the Health Department and the Department of State," the two agencies that were responsible for overseeing the clinic. According to the Inquirer, "Mr. Corbett has ordered an investigation into what happened, [spokesman Kevin] Harley said, and was awaiting recommendations. He said he did not know whether any of the officials named in the report would be fired." Please send your feedback on Today's News & Views and National Right to Life News Today to daveandrusko@gmail.com. |
