Abortion Dr. Charged with murder

[The Straight Story]

PHILADELPHIA (CBS) – Eyewitness News has learned that a West Philadelphia doctor, his wife and eight other suspects are now under arrest following a grand jury Investigation.

Sources say Dr. Kermit Gosnell faces eight counts of murder in the death of a woman following a botched abortion at his office at 38th and Lancaster Avenues, along with the deaths of seven other babies who, prosecutors allege, were born alive following illegal late-term abortions.

Four of the suspects, some improperly licensed, also face multiple counts of murder for allegedly killing the newborns.

All of the suspects are now behind bars after warrants were served overnight.

Dr. Gosnell, who has practiced in the West Philadelphia neighborhood for decades, is also the target of a federal grand jury investigation into illegally prescribing prescription drugs.

http://philadelphia.cbslocal.com/2011/01/19/philly-doctor-facing-8-counts-of-murder/

[slackmaster]

1. I believe the proper term is Obstetrician/Gynecologist

I'm giving this an Unrec because of an unnecessary mangling of the headline into inflammatory language.

[The Straight Story]

2. Original title: Philly abortion doctor charged with 8 murders, including 7 babies killed with scisso

http://www.breakingnews.com/

[slackmaster]

6. Don't take it personally, TSS.

My Unrec was based on what the author did, not what you did.

[uppityperson]

12. I unrec'd, then finished reading, wish I'd rec'd it instead

The headline is accurate. He needed to be stopped. What he was doing (back alley type abortions) is wrong and against all I am working for.

[Iggo]

3. Oops...I spoke too soon.

[uppityperson]

10. Article says he wan't an OB/GYN. He employed unqualified staff, was fithly

I unrecced also, then read the article. This guy was an "abortion doctor" who needed to be stopped. He gives qualified moral ob/gyn's a bad name and gives the anti-choice people something to rail against. This is the sort of guy who we pro-choice people are fighting against by trying to keep the choice of a legal hygienic medical abortion legal.

[badtoworse]

13. Pro-choice people shouldn't be outraged as well?

It sounds to me like this was infanticide, not abortion.

[uppityperson]

14. Sounds like you didn't read what I wrote.

[badtoworse]

15. I did read your post

You wrote: "This is the sort of guy who we pro-choice people are fighting against by trying to keep the choice of a legal hygienic medical abortion legal."

Perhaps I misinterpreted, but framing it the way you did leaves doubt (at least to me) that pro-choice people would have been OK with what was done if it had been performed in a legal, hygienic clinic. Pro-choice and pro-life people disagree about where the line between abortion and infanticide should be drawn, but based upon what was reported, I think all would agree that he was over that line. If that is true, there should be outrage on both sides of the issue.

[uppityperson]

17. Do you mean if an illegal unhygienic back alley type abortion were done in a

legal hygienic clinic? Do you mean if this were so, would I be ok with it? Um, no. Obviously not.

If my dog were a cat, I wouldn't have to buy dog food any more.

[badtoworse]

19. Would you characterize what was done as abortion or murder?

[uppityperson]

22. Yes. How about you?

[slackmaster]

18. In this case I think the better headline would have started with "Fake Ob/Gyn" or something

The guy is a fraud.

[Nye Bevan]

4. Please note: it is possible to be pro-choice and still think that this looks like murder (nt)

No need for anyone to attempt to burnish their pro-choice credentials by insisting that this guy is innocent.

[DCKit]

7. I think so. But there's a lot more to the story, undoubtedly.

A major concern I would have: What is the availability/access in the area to women's health services? With proper care, many of these cases may have had other outcomes, if only far less controversial, early-term abortions.

Personally, I understand the need for a limited number of late-term abortions, but it still horrifies me. However, how many could be prevented with proper women's health and pre-natal care? There aren't enough Ob-Gyns to go around anymore, thanks to the fundy wingnuts.

Regardless, the Pro-Life (until you're born) crowd is going to make a lot of hay off this.

[BumRushDaShow]

8. This city is so dark blue

that the city charter has a provision to set aside 2 at-large seats in City Council for repukes because otherwise, there would be none. Any fundy wingnuts around here are a set of rim counties away.

The issue of "availability" of services is not a local problem but a nationwide problem driven by profits. More and more hospitals in the area are dropping their maternity wards... in fact, more and more are actually closing and/or merging entire hospitals.

IMHO, it's a lack of insurance problem and a way to fund (salary) essential medical services and facility overhead. The top Children's Hospital in the country is here in Philly yet as a non-profit, it goes through major stress with fund-raising every year.

[May Hamm]

20. I agree

We will be rid of these 'doctors' only when prenatal health care and family planning are available to everyone. Late term interruption of pregnancy is an extremely sad situation. What a terrible decision to have to make. But sometimes life is a more terrible choice for the fetus. I will never believe that even one happen because a woman says "Nah, I don't want it after all, kill it."

[alp227]

24. agreed. Quack Gosnell's actions are illegal plain n simple.

NOT how real medicine defines abortion. Put Quack Gosnell in the slammer with inmates like from that CSI: NY episode about the prison riot. Oh, why wouldn't Bill O'Reilly harass Gosnell with "Baby Killer Kermit" instead of obsessively stalking Tiller?

[fasttense]

5. What exactly is an abortion doctor?????

Just because a doctor provides a legal medical procedure does not make the doctor an abortion doctor.

It seems this doctor is performing what we use to call back-alley abortions. You know, supposed doctors using coat-hangers etc. They went away when abortions were readily available but they're back. Thanks to the unrestrained murdering of qualified doctors and the promotion of their murders by Fox, we now have back-alley abortions yet again.

[uppityperson]

11. Indeed, I'd call him a "back alley abortion" doctor too.

And I agree, the anti-choicers will hold him as typical rather than as what we are trying to make sure isn't.

[uppityperson]

9. Glad they stopped him. He wasn't an ob/gyn, was doing unhygienic improper abortions, etc. Read more.

“I am aware that abortion is a hot-button topic,” said Philadelphia District Attorney Seth Williams. “But as district attorney, my job is to carry out the law. A doctor who knowingly and systematically mistreats female patients to the point that one of them dies in his so-called care, commits murder under the law. A doctor who cuts into the necks severing the spinal cords of living, breathing babies, who would survive with proper medical attention, is committing murder under the law.”
(clip)
Four of the suspects, some improperly licensed, also face multiple counts of murder for allegedly killing the newborns. All of the suspects are now behind bars after warrants were served overnight.
(clip)
Gosnell, a family practioner, was never certified as an OB/GYN. He is accused of reusing unsanitary instruments and performing procedures in filthy rooms. Some of the rooms had litter boxes and animals present at the time of the operations, according to investigators.
Investigators also said Gosnell allowed unlicensed employees, including a 15-year-old high school student, to perform operations and administer anesthesia.

[sufrommich]

16. What he did was wrong.There is no need to defend some

idiot performing back alley,illegal abortions in this day and age.

[dembotoz]

21. expect to see more like this if we loose roe v wade

coat hangers anyone

[May Hamm]

23. I don't like this

My opinion is that most of the DA's accusations are going to turn out to be total baloney. First of all, they allowed Gosnell to practice almost until he is too old to stand up. We are now to expected to believe that after letting him perform infanticide for decades they are arresting him to protect society. It's not credible. The DA spotted a way to make grand, vote getting headlines without actually interfering with the availability of abortions because this doctor had already lost his license and wasn't going to be doing it much longer anyway.

Second - Scissors. It's always scissors. With all the medical tools at at hand prosecutors always insist that doctors grab scissors and start stabbing a living, breathing infant in the back of the neck. Bull. Scissors make the charges more inflammatory. People love to be outraged and prosecutors know all the words to use.

Six months from now we'll read the doctor had a heart attack and the others had their charges lowered to practicing medicine without a license.