That being said, has anyone heard of Kermit Gosnell? Media has been accused of sweeping his tale of horror under the rug, as to not conflict with pro-choice policies. He was an abortion doctor (who was not licensed in obstetrics or gynecology) in Philadelphia, who operated a terrifying clinic, performing procedures in a filth-filled environment. He is currently facing murder charges for the deaths of 7 infants (though it's believed he murdered literally hundreds of babies during the 17 years the Women's Medical Society was open for business) and one Nepalese woman.
This is a sticky issue, because of the strong opinions on the topic of abortion. Some may even say Kermit Gosnell shouldn't be charged with murder, as he was performing a legal, medical procedure. His system was to give expectant mothers drugs to induce labor, often arriving after the baby had already been born, in which case he "snipped" it, also known as stabbing a pair of scissors into the baby's neck and severing it's spinal cord.
In addition to the horrible procedures that went on in the miserable place, it was a disgusting, unsanitary facility, due to Philly officials ceasing to inspect abortion clinics in 1993, in part to not "put up additional barriers" for women wanting the procedure. Women were infected with venereal diseases due to unclean instruments, one even died from an overdose of Demerol. The facility was raided in 2010, and their findings were detailed in reports:
There was blood on the floor. A stench of urine filled the air. A flea-infested cat was wandering through the facility, and there were cat feces on the stairs. Semi-conscious 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.
Of course, this is not expected to be a pleasant experience. It's not as if any woman, anywhere, wants to have an abortion. Sometimes it happens. But the least they could expect would be a sanitary facility, as most were low income or so far pregnant they couldn't go anywhere else. He allegedly charged $3,000 for late term abortions, with clinic revenue being over $1.8 million yearly, mostly in cash.
Additionally, Gosnell was writing illegal prescriptions on the side, being one of the top three prescribers of Oxycontin in the state of Pennsylvania. This guy was clearly a doctor gone bad. He had all this medical training and knowledge, but the draw of money and exploiting the people who needed his services made this a no good deal. Had he kept himself on the up and up, he wouldn't be having such issues. However, that would have cost him much of that money he was making, as he was likely taking it all home. Many times, he reused disposable medical equipment and failed to keep trained staff on hand.
What should become of this man? Can his brutal method be considered murder, since he was performing the requested medical procedure? The women went to him for abortions, to have their babies killed, and that's what he did. It is a horrible image. Why has there been no media coverage of this until now? This man was arrested in 2011.
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Photo credit: openhaven.com
http://gather.com/kermit-gosnell-trial-17-years-of-horror/
