in brief: abortion doctor found guilty of murder

* Trigger warning : some content contained in this article may be disturbing to some readers.*

A Philadelphia doctor has been sentenced to life imprisonment for the first-degree murders of two babies, and will receive a mandatory life sentence for the murder of a third. He will also be sentenced today for the involuntary manslaughter of a female patient amongst more than 200 other charges.

Dr Kermit Gosnell, who was convicted of the crimes on Monday, avoided a possible death penalty by waiving his right to appeal the convictions.

During his trial, witnesses, including former clinic employees, testified that Dr Gosnell regularly performed illegal late-term abortions past Pennsylvania’s 24-week limit. According to testimony given, the doctor often delivered babies alive and breathing, before he, or assistants, used surgical scissors to sever their spinal cords. Dr Gosnell denied that any of the babies were born alive.

The prosecution argued that the 2009 death of Karnamaya Mongar, who was given repeated doses of several drugs, including the pain-killer Demerol, amounted to murder. The defence successfully argued that her death was in part due to unforeseen complications and the charge was reduced to involuntary manslaughter.

The charges against Dr Gosnell came after his clinic, in an impoverished area of West Philadelphia, was raided in 2010 as part of an investigation into drug-trafficking. During the raid, authorities found bags and containers of aborted foetuses, including severed feet, as well as dirty medical equipment, blood-stained furniture, and a number of cats roaming the facility.

State authorities had failed to conduct routine inspections of Pennsylvania’s abortion clinics in the 15 years prior to the raid on Dr Gosnell’s practice. As a result of the scandal, two health officials were fired and abortion regulations in the state were tightened.

The case has added fuel to the abortion debate in the United States, with both sides seizing on the gruesome details.

Opponents of abortion argue that the trial has exposed the horrifying reality of abortion procedures. Michael Ciccocioppo, the executive director of the Pennsylvania Pro-Life Federation, said in a statement: ‘For the sake of all Gosnell’s victims, let us never forget the rampant disregard for life that was allowed to continue for decades in our state. We hope that in the future politics will not stand in the way of protecting the health and safety of women and newborns.’

Activists in favour of legal, accessible, and regulated abortion, argue that Dr Gosnell’s rogue clinic and the failure of health authorities to enforce compliance with the law, demonstrate the dangers of a blanket ban on abortion, which they argue will force women to seek illegal and unsafe procedures.

 

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