Trial to Begin for Philadelphia ‘House of Horrors’ Abortion Doctor

Kermit Gosnell/a freezer found at his clinic. Police photos.

Jury selection begins today in the trial of Kermit Gosnell, a Philadelphia womens’ doctor charged with eight murders in the deaths of a woman and seven viable babies.

According to a grand jury report that reads like a piece of terrifying fiction, Gosnell operated an unsanitary clinic where untrained staff performed complex medical procedures. Among the horrors alleged to have gone on at the Women’s Medical Society was the use of scissors to kill viable babies delivered alive during third-trimester abortions. Staff at the clinic, including a teenager, also allegedly used dangerous drug cocktails to sedate the patients. Some patients suffered injuries and infections as a result of procedures performed at the clinic by staff who had no medical license or training.

Gosnell’s wife, Pearl, pleaded guilty last year to performing an illegal late-term abortion and other charges. She is not expected to testify, but other members of Gosnell’s staff also charged in the case will deliver testimony against their former employer.

Read More: Kermit Gosnell and the Philadelphia Abortion Mill

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