Kermit Gosnell, Notorious Philadelphia Abortionist, Dies at 85
Kermit Gosnell, the Philadelphia abortion doctor sentenced in 2013 for the murder of three newborns, has passed away at the age of 85.
According to Maria Bivens, a spokesperson for the Pennsylvania Department of Corrections, he died on March 1 in a hospital outside of prison. At the time of his death, Gosnell was serving his sentence at Smithfield, a correctional facility located about 90 miles south of Pittsburgh. The cause of death remains undisclosed.
Gosnell was serving a life sentence after being convicted of first-degree murder for the death of a newborn and for the manslaughter of a patient who overdosed after an abortion at his clinic, infamously known as the “House of Horrors.”
His case ignited a contentious national debate over abortion, nearly a decade before Roe v. Wade was overturned.
Former staff members testified that Gosnell, who claimed to advocate for impoverished women, regularly performed illegal abortions past Pennsylvania’s 24-week limit. Witnesses described how he delivered babies that were still moving and breathing, and recounted instances where he and his team would cut the spines of newborns to end their lives.
The conditions within his clinic were unveiled during a 2010 investigation into prescription drug trafficking, which revealed a disturbing environment filled with bags and containers holding fetuses and body parts, along with unsanitary medical equipment.
Before the Gosnell clinic was raided, federal officials had not conducted regular inspections of abortion clinics for 15 years. Following the scandal, two of Pennsylvania’s leading health officials lost their jobs, and stricter regulations were implemented for clinics across the state.
Gosnell also pleaded guilty to 12 federal drug charges, including conspiracy to distribute painkillers and illegally distributing oxycodone, leading to an additional 30-year prison sentence.
To support his defense, Gosnell issued fraudulent prescriptions and distributed over 1.4 million doses of various medications, such as Percocet, OxyContin, and Xanax.
