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Kermit Gosnell, a Philadelphia abortion doctor who was convicted in 2013 of killing three babies who were born alive in a case that made nationwide headlines, has died. He was 85.
Pennsylvania Department of Corrections spokesperson Maria Bivens said Gosnell died March 1 at a hospital outside the prison system. He had most recently been incarcerated at the State Correctional Institution-Smithfield, about 60 miles south of Pittsburgh. A cause of death was not disclosed.
In addition to involuntary manslaughter for the drug overdose death of a patient who had had an abortion at his West Philadelphia clinic known as the "house of horrors," Gosnell was serving a life sentence for first-degree murder of the newborns.
The Gosnell case became a focal point in the national abortion debate nearly ten years before the US Supreme Court reversed Roe v. Wade.
Former staff members testified that the doctor, who claimed to be an aid to impoverished and desperate women, frequently carried out illegal abortions beyond Pennsylvania's 24-week limit; that he delivered babies who were still breathing, moving, or whimpering; and that he and his assistants killed the newborns by "snipping" their spines, as he put it.
Conditions at Gosnell's clinic, revealed during a 2010 drug trafficking investigation, showed it to be unsanitary and filled with fetal remains. A 2011 grand jury report labeled
it a "baby charnel house," estimating hundreds of newborn murders, many of which were unprosecutable due to file destruction by Gosnell. He was serving a life sentence at the time of his death.
The 281-page document criticized Gosnell for not being board-certified, neglecting patients, and displaying unprofessional behavior, including making inappropriate jokes about his procedures. He exhibited condescension toward patients, mistreated staff, and targeted vulnerable women. The grand jury also pointed out the failure of Commonwealth authorities to inspect abortion clinics for 15 years due to political motivations.
Kermit Gosnell's defense lawyer, Jack McMahon, reported that inspections of abortion clinics were deemed a barrier for women seeking abortions following the 1995 administration change in Pennsylvania. Consequently, some state health officials were dismissed, leading to stricter clinic regulations. Gosnell ultimately faced murder charges and pled guilty to 12 federal drug offenses, including illegal distribution of pain medications, resulting in an additional 30 years in prison for writing fraudulent prescriptions and selling over 1.4 million doses of drugs.
