Tag Archives: Kermit Gosnell

Safety Concerns at Abortion Centers Rise During Pandemic

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Woman--sad

 

By Maria Gallagher, Legislative Director

Safety concerns at Pennsylvania abortion centers are rising as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.

A check of the Department of Health website shows no abortion facility inspection reports have been posted since Coronavirus swept through Pennsylvania.

Indeed, the last report posted is dated February 12th and shows the Philadelphia Women’s Center failing its inspection. At the time, health officials discovered that the troubled abortion center had not obtained parental consent for some chemical abortions for minor girls.

The facility also had no evidence of a patient safety committee nor an infection control committee. The lack of infection control oversight is especially egregious, considering the Coronavirus crisis that subsequently hit the Keystone State.

Pennsylvania’s Governor had the opportunity to stop abortions during the virus outbreak. In fact, one of the Wolf Administration’s orders during the pandemic suspended elective surgeries statewide.

But Governor Tom Wolf, an outspoken backer of Planned Parenthood, refused to enforce the order on abortion facilities, claiming abortion to be an “essential service.” Despite the entreaties of legislators in both the Pennsylvania House and Senate, the Governor never backed off his radical stand.

The apparent lack of oversight of abortion facilities during the pandemic is worrisome. After all, Pennsylvania gained national notoriety after the discovery of the brutal crimes of abortionist Kermit Gosnell. Gosnell is now serving a life sentence in prison after being convicted of the murders of three newborn babies. The West Philadelphia abortionist was also convicted of causing the death of a female immigrant patient, Karnamaya Mongar.

The health and safety of how many women have been comprised at PA abortion centers during the pandemic? We may never know for sure. But what is apparent is that the Wolf Administration is not serious about abortion center regulation–especially in these troubling times.

Have You Forgotten About Kermit Gosnell?

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Gosnell Center By Maria V. Gallagher, Legislative Director

This is a question I long to ask the current crop of Democratic candidates for President: Have you forgotten Kermit Gosnell?

Gosnell was the infamous abortionist and mass murderer who is suspected of killing hundreds of newborn babies. Prosecutors in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania could bring criminal charges in only a handful of cases because Gosnell destroyed so many records from his “House of Horrors” abortion facility.

Ultimately, Gosnell was convicted of the murder of three newborn babies and involuntary manslaughter in connection with the death of a female patient, Karnamaya Mongar. He is now safely off the streets, serving three consecutive life terms in prison.

I have yet to hear a Democratic Presidential candidate mention his name. He does not fit their false narrative: that abortionists come to the rescue of women (they don’t) and that infanticide is a hoax (Tell that to those who witnessed Gosnell’s evil deeds).

Gosnell’s crimes pulled the curtain back on an abortion industry the mainstream media simply do not want to investigate. The abortionist actually joked that one of the babies he killed was big enough to walk to the bus stop. Gosnell is the epitome of someone with simply no regard for innocent human life—inside or outside the mother’s womb.

The Born Alive Abortion Survivors Protection Act would ensure that medical care would be required for babies born during botched abortions. Democratic U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has denied the bill a vote some 80 times.

As you can imagine, many people in Pennsylvania—individuals who have felt the repercussions of Gosnell’s depravity—are outraged that the bill has not passed. So they are calling on their Congressional representatives to sign a discharge petition which would allow a vote on the bill.

They are also incensed that Democratic Presidential candidates would ignore the silent crimes of Gosnell’s victims. For, by supporting absolutely no limits on abortion and no protections for babies who survive abortion, these candidates are doing nothing to prevent future Gosnells from plying their grisly trade.

If we have learned nothing else from the epic Gosnell tragedy, it is that abortion can all too easily lead to infanticide. Without the law and public officials to protect them, untold numbers of babies may be at risk.

Reviewing the Kermit Gosnell Case

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Gosnell CenterBy Maria V. Gallagher, Legislative Director

I had the opportunity recently to watch “See No Evil: The Kermit Gosnell Case.” The documentary originally aired on Fox News some time ago, but it is now available on the channel’s new premium streaming service, Fox Nation.

As anchor Brett Baier adroitly asked: Was there anything “more horrific than Gosnell?”

Gosnell was the West Philadelphia abortionist who was ultimately convicted of murdering three newborn babies and causing the death of a female immigrant patient, Karnamaya Mongar. The grand jury believed that Gosnell had actually killed hundreds of newborns, but prosecutors could bring charges in only a handful of cases, because Gosnell destroyed so many records.

He killed his prey in a violently vile manner, severing their spinal cords with scissors. He was known to then throw his victims in the trash–although he also severed their feet, which he then kept in jars. These souvenirs of his killing sprees shocked even the most seasoned of detectives.

The documentary notes that Gosnell earned an astounding $2 million a year in cash from his grisly trade. He operated under the “benign neglect of authorities,” who failed to inspect his filthy facility for 17 years.

The 281-page grand jury report posited allegations of a host of abuses at the Women’s Medical Society–everything from spreading venereal disease through the use of tainted medical instruments to illegally performing late-term abortions.

Even upon a second viewing, “See No Evil” is shocking and deeply disturbing. We see victims whose cries were met with a brutal death. May we answer this senseless violence with the admonition: Never forget!

Gosnell: The Untold Story of America’s Most Prolific Serial Killer

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“…a filthy, flea-infested, excrement covered clinic with expired medicine, machinery and unsanitary instruments staffed by unlicensed, untrained employees.”

No, this isn’t a description of a local haunted house.  It is an inside view of the infamous “House of Horrors” abortion facility Kermit Gosnell ran in Philadelphia, as described in the new book “Gosnell: The Untold Story of America’s Most Prolific Serial Killer” by Ann McElhinney and Phelim McAleer.

The book does an informative job of walking the readers through the case itself, the grand jury hearing and subsequent trial, and introducing the villains and heroes involved.  It tells the story of Karnamaya Mongar, the woman Kermit Gosnell was convicted of killing…or as Gosnell referred to her “the Indian woman.”  It talks about the complicity of the state of Pennsylvania, media outlets, and the Philadelphia medical community in Gosnell’s crimes.  Finally, it gives chilling insight into Gosnell, as seen when the authors interviewed Gosnell in prison.

Partially in response to the horrific conditions found at Gosnell’s facility, in 2011 Pennsylvania passed a common sense bill further regulating abortion facilities.  The men and women of the Pennsylvania legislature should be commended for taking action to protect the health of safety of women-when so many other public officials did not.

Whole Woman’s Health v. Hellerstedt

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Supreme Court

The Supreme Court recently heard arguments in Whole Woman’s Health v. Hellerstedt.  In the first major abortion case in nearly a decade, the court will rule on the constitutionality of Texas law HB2 and determine whether commonsense reform intended to increase women’s health and safety is an undue burden on abortion facilities.  These Texas regulations came out of the trial of Philadelphia abortionist Kermit Gosnell and his “house of horrors”.  They simply require abortion facilities to have admitting privileges with a hospital within 30 miles and to meet some basic quality of care, facility cleanliness, and safety standards.

The real question is, if the big abortion lobby want abortions to be “safe” as they claim (never mind the fact an abortion is NEVER safe for the baby) why do they support clinics like Gosnell’s “house of horrors”.  According to a University of California study published in Obstetrics & Gynecology last year, complications to the mother are reported in approximately 2.1 % of the abortions that occur in the United States.  That’s despite the fact that only 27 of the 50 states require abortion facilities to report complications…and even in many of those states the reporting is lacking.  So even if we assume those numbers are correct, that means of the approximately 90 abortions that are performed just in Pennsylvania today, 2 women will have some kind of complication (not to mention all the others scarred for life mentally).  Clearly that number will only go up if states aren’t allowed to hold abortion facilities to the same standards as nail salons and tattoo parlors.  Is that really what abortion advocates want?

The question to be decided by the Supreme Court is whether or not these regulations create an “undue burden” on abortion facilities. The good news is that the Supreme Court upheld stricter requirements in 1983 saying they were important to “ensuring public health”.  Even more recently in Planned Parenthood v Casey in 1992 the court determined laws making abortion more difficult or more expensive do not necessarily create an undue burden.

With the passing of Justice Scalia, the court is currently split between 4 conservative justices and 4 liberal justices.  Justice Anthony Kennedy is generally the swing vote on abortion cases, and during arguments he appeared to be open to allowing the regulations to stand in the interest of women’s health.  It is vital we keep Justice Kennedy, and the entire court, in our prayers as they weigh the merits of this case.

Abortion Case Similar to Gosnell Is Breaking in Michigan

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A horrific abortion case eerily similar to Kermit Gosnell’s is being exposed in Michigan this week.

According to LifeNews.com:

michaelroth2“Local police have raided the upscale West Bloomfield, Michigan home of abortionist Michael Roth after acting on evidence that Roth may be performing illegal abortions — doing abortions either out of his home or in the private homes of his customers. In the course of the raid, police found what they believe are 14 containers that possibly contain the bodies of aborted babies along with other human tissue.

“The trunk of Roth’s car also contained medical equipment used for abortion procedures. Investigators confiscated medical ‘materials’ in bags and boxes at Roth’s home. Now, Roth is now under investigation by the Michigan Attorney General.”

These gruesome discoveries are reminiscent of what Pennsylvania officials discovered almost five years ago in Kermit Gosnell’s Philadelphia abortion center. Like Roth, Gosnell kept a grotesque collection of the aborted babies’ body parts on the shelves of his office and in the freezer.

It also is telling that authorities accidentally discovered these abortion horrors after investigating Roth and Gosnell for unrelated incidents.

In Roth’s case, police were investigating after “the doctor was driving … (and) hit a special needs child who was critically injured.” In the midst of the investigation, police found evidence that Roth was performing illegal abortions.

In Gosnell’s case, police raided his facility because of evidence that he was illegally selling prescription drugs.

Other similarities include botched abortions, injuries to women, unsanitary equipment, and drug-related violations of the law.

Tragically, Gosnell and Roth are not outliers. Abortionists like Steven Brigham, Doug Karpen, Ulrich Klopfer, and James Pendegraft are just a few others with similar reputations.

These are the back-alley butchers that Roe v. Wade was supposed to stop, according to abortion advocates’ narrative. But cases like these show that Roe v. Wade didn’t stop back alley butchers or protect vulnerable women. It simply opened the door to more horrors, including 58 million babies who were legally killed in abortions.

Pro-Lifers Honor 47 Victims of Gosnell Buried in Unmarked Plot in Philadelphia

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A tiny blue silk flower is the only marker that memorializes the gravesite of 47 babies who lost their lives at the hands of notorious Philadelphia abortionist Kermit Gosnell.

IMG_0092Pro-lifers recently discovered that the City of Philadelphia cremated and buried the babies more than a year ago in an unmarked plot at the Laurel Hill Cemetery in Philadelphia.

On Wednesday, some of our staff joined about 60 people at the gravesite for the first hmemorial service to honor and remember these tiny victims of Kermit Gosnell.

The short service began with a press conference and then a procession to the grave site.

The group placed white crosses and flowers on the unmarked ground where the babies were buried. The pro-life group Philly Alive also placed a temporary marker in the ground, which read, “May God welcome the souls of these children killed by Kermit Gosnell, and the souls of all children killed by abortion into the joy of Heaven.” However, the gravesite is owned by the city, so all the markers had to be pulled up again before we left.

Catherine Foster, an attorney for Alliance Defending Freedom, reminded the crowd: “These babies were like any other … precious little persons. How a person dies doesn’t make anyone less human.”

“Today, we can say that the City of Philadelphia has heard us,” Foster said. “They gave these babies a place to be buried.”

And what a significant place it is. Though the babies’ gravesite is currently unmarked (something pro-lifers hope to change in the near future), their bodies are resting in one of the most important cemeteries in the United States. According to cemetery information, important war heroes, influential politicians, visionary artists and inventors, and industrialists are buried in its grounds.

At the gravesite, the Rev. Patrick Mahoney, director of the Christian Defense Coalition, led the short service of songs and prayers. Mahoney encouraged the group to continue working to protect babies from abortion and not allow the Gosnell tragedy to be “swept under the carpet.”

The burial and memorial of the 47 babies is something that many pro-lifers have been attempting to do for years.

The babies’ bodies were taken from Gosnell’s disgusting abortion center after the state shut down his murderous practice. Gosnell kept the babies’ bodies in plastic containers on shelves and in the freezer.

After Gosnell’s trial, several pro-life and religious groups attempted to claim the babies’ bodies to give them a proper burial; but the Philadelphia Medical Examiner’s office denied their requests.

In June 2013, the Philadelphia Medical Examiner’s office revealed that it planned to cremate and bury the babies’ bodies, but did not say where they would be buried. Until now, no one knew.

Bill Doran, the superintendent of Laurel Hill Cemetery, said the babies were buried about a year ago in a respectful manner, including a prayer service attended by cemetery staff.

The Philadelphia organizers said they also hope to organize a second, large-scale memorial service for the babies in September.

Vote Shows Many Senators Had Serious Concerns about Cortes, Nominee from Gosnell Era

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By Maria Gallagher, Legislative Director
gallagher@paprolife.org

This week’s vote in the Pennsylvania Senate on the confirmation of a Wolf Administration nominee shows continuing concerns that the Keystone State will return to the lax enforcement of abortion law seen during the Kermit Gosnell era.

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Kermit Gosnell

Eighteen state Senators voted against confirmation for Pedro Cortes as Secretary of State. Cortes previously served in that capacity at a time when the Department of State took no action against notorious abortionist Kermit Gosnell. Gosnell is now serving time for killing three full-term babies and causing the death of a female patient. The grand jury believed that Gosnell was actually responsible for the deaths of hundreds of babies, but charges could only be filed in a handful of cases because he destroyed the records in the rest.

While 31 Senators voted for confirmation for Cortes, the sizeable number of negative votes demonstrates that a number of people in the state legislature have lingering worries about the Gosnell case.

In fact, more than 40 PA lawmakers in the PA House and Senate signed a letter to the governor raising concerns about Cortes. The letter stated, “To fully understand the gravity of the failures of the department throughout Secretary Cortes’ service, one needs to read directly from the grand jury’s damaging report.

According to the grand jury report: “Between 2002 and 2009, Board of Medicine attorneys reviewed five cases involving malpractice and other complaints against Gosnell. None of the assigned attorneys or their supervisors, suggested that the Board take action against the deviant doctor. In fact, despite serious allegations, three of the cases were closed without any investigation. The other two were investigated and then closed — without any action being taken.”

The letter from the lawmakers notes, “In his resume and biography Secretary Cortes takes credit for various achievements in dealing with occupational and professional licensure complaints and investigations during his tenure. Yet at the same time he takes no responsibility for the documented blatant failures of those same units under his leadership.”

The letter goes on to say, “…it is deeply troubling to us that you would nominate someone for such an important position as Secretary of the Commonwealth despite his deep ties to this national nightmare.”

The Wolf Administration has been put on notice — the old lax attitudes toward enforcement of abortion law will not be tolerated. We owe it to Gosnell’s victims to remain vigilant, to ensure that the PA Department of State cracks down on dangerous doctors who threaten the health and safety of women and children in the Commonwealth.

Remembering Gosnell’s Conviction – Even Though We Want to Forget

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Exactly two years ago, Kermit Gosnell was convicted of murdering three newborn babies and manslaughter in the death of a female patient in his Philadelphia abortion facility.

SadwomanOn this anniversary of his conviction, I must admit that I hate thinking about Gosnell. I wish I never had to speak or write his name. In all honesty, I wish I never had to write or think about abortion either. Sometimes the horror of 57 million legally-aborted babies seems too much to bear.

I don’t want to think about how Gosnell stabbed the necks of newborn infants who were moving and moaning, according to his staff.

I don’t want to think about the 24 late-term babies who Gosnell was convicted of aborting past our state limit. Or the hundreds more who he likely killed but prosecutors didn’t have enough evidence to convict him on.

I don’t want to think about Karnamaya Mongar who died because Gosnell put his pocketbook above the health and safety of his patients.

I don’t want to think about the women who lay suffering in pain and agony on his filthy, blood-stained furniture because Gosnell just didn’t care.

But I must. We must.

Gosnell got away with murder for decades because our society ignored this monster. We now know the consequences. And because we’ve realized, because we remember, our society is stepping up.

In the past three years alone, states passed a record 205 pro-life laws, according to the Guttmacher Institute. Since the Gosnell horrors came to light, six abortion centers closed in Pennsylvania. And abortions dropped to a historic low in Pennsylvania. Today, Pennsylvania leaders continue to work hard to hold abortion centers accountable and strive to protect women and children from abortionists like Gosnell. Likewise other states are beginning to demand more from abortion facilities — as they should!

We are making progress. We are saving lives — because we refuse to forget.

In the Wake of Gosnell Scandal, Lawmakers Have Serious Concerns about Nominee

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By Maria Gallagher, Legislative Director
gallagher@paprolife.org

More than 40 Pennsylvania lawmakers have signed a letter to Governor Tom Wolf which raises serious questions about Secretary of State nominee Pedro Cortes. Cogosnell40rtes previously served as Secretary of State during the Rendell Administration, a period of time in which the Department of State took no action against infamous abortionist Kermit Gosnell.

Gosnell was suspected of killing hundreds of full-term babies and causing the deaths of female patients in a West Philadelphia abortion facility, which was called a “House of Horrors” by prosecutors. Gosnell is now in prison after being convicted of killing three babies and causing the death of a woman. Prosecutors say they were unable to bring charges in the rest of the cases because Gosnell destroyed the evidence.

The letter from the legislators states, “To fully understand the gravity of the failures of the department throughout Secretary Cortes’ service, one needs to read directly from the grand jury’s damaging report.”

According to the grand jury report, “Between 2002 and 2009, Board of Medicine attorneys reviewed five cases involving malpractice and other complaints against Gosnell. None of the assigned attorneys or their supervisors, suggested that the Board take action against the deviant doctor. In fact, despite serious allegations, three of the cases were closed without any investigation. The other two were investigated and then closed — without any action being taken.”

The letter from the lawmakers notes, “In his resume and biography Secretary Cortes takes credit for various achievements in dealing with occupational and professional licensure complaints and investigations during his tenure. Yet at the same time he takes no responsibility for the documented blatant failures of those same units under his leadership.”

The letter goes on to say, “…it is deeply troubling to us that you would nominate someone for such an important position as Secretary of the Commonwealth despite his deep ties to this national nightmare.”

You can read the full letter and see the names of the legislators who signed it here.