A Verdict Doesn’t End the Gosnell Story

The horrors that unfolded in the clinic of Dr. Kermit Gosnell have rightly shocked and appalled the nation. Such were the atrocities committed in his office that even abortion advocates have recoiled in horror. And today, a Philadelphia jury finally brought Dr. Gosnell to justice, finding him guilty of first degree murder.

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This monstrous individual–to call him a doctor is no longer fitting–got what he deserved.

But the Gosnell ordeal shouldn’t slip quietly from the national conscience. On the contrary, it should be a wakeup call.

There’s no need to recount his brutality; by now, we know the facts. And the fact that authorities ignored or overlooked his practice (which had a license!) for almost two decades raises the question: How many other Gosnells are out there?

If he slipped through the cracks for so long, are there others committing the same brutal acts, treating patients like animals and making millions while doing so? For whatever reason, there is either a flaw in the system or a dangerous reluctance among authorities to regulate abortion.  Is it a blind spot? Is it a desire to look the other way?  Regardless, now we know something must be done so this never happens again.

Last week, Republicans in the U.S. Senate stepped up to do what they could.  Senator Mike Lee of Utah introduced a resolution that states, “Congress and States should gather information about and correct abusive, unsanitary, and illegal abortion practices and the interstate referral of women and girls to facilities engaged in dangerous or illegal second- and third-trimester procedures.”

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Now is the time to step up and act. There will likely be abortion advocates who denounce these leaders. These are the voices that reject any talk of regulating abortion, but they have no ground to stand on here. There is no defending Kermit Gosnell or the broken system that enabled him.

Moreover, there is no excusing those in the media that failed to cover this trial. That, too, is part of the problem. There seems to be an unwillingness to cover a story that could bring into question whether the nation’s abortion laws are strong enough and fully enforced. That’s dangerous: if the public is unaware of the Kermit Gosnells, how can we prevent these appalling crimes?

Hearing about the horrors of the Gosnell abortion clinic is enough to make anyone want to turn away, but this is a story that must be told. That’s the only way we can work together to ensure there are no other Gosnells–and that there never will be.

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