Kermit Gosnell, a Philadelphia physician who performed abortions, has died in prison at the age of 85. Gosnell became nationally known after a criminal investigation uncovered that babies who survived late-term abortion procedures at his clinic were being killed afterward.
In 2011, a jury convicted Gosnell of first-degree murder in the deaths of three infants who had been born alive during illegal late-term abortions. Prosecutors said he ended the babies’ lives by severing their spinal cords with scissors after birth. Investigators and witnesses later described his clinic as unsanitary and chaotic, conditions that led some to label it a “house of horrors.”
During the trial and the years leading up to it, some critics argued that national media outlets were slow to give the case widespread attention.
Gosnell was sentenced to three consecutive life terms in prison without the possibility of parole, along with an additional 30 years for federal drug violations. He served his sentence at the State Correctional Institution at Huntingdon in Pennsylvania.
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Reports of his death were first shared publicly by journalist Ann McElhinney, who followed the case closely, interviewed Gosnell in prison, and co-wrote a book about the investigation and trial. She said Gosnell had been in declining health in recent years. The specific cause of death has not yet been released.
McElhinney said Gosnell was believed to have been responsible for the deaths of many infants over several decades while operating his clinic. She also recalled one case highlighted during the trial involving an infant referred to as “Baby Boy A.” According to testimony presented in court, the child survived the abortion procedure and lived for about an hour before being killed. The case became one of the most widely discussed examples presented during Gosnell’s prosecution.
The convictions and lengthy prison sentence were viewed by prosecutors and supporters of the investigation as a measure of justice for the victims identified during the case. Gosnell remained incarcerated until his death.
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