Dr. Kermit Gosnell’s clinic had not been inspected in 17 years. Pennsylvania state officials ignored claims of patient abuse and substandard conditions. Hundreds of living, breathing, viable babies were executed by his hands. Countless women were maimed during abortions and overdosed with drugs.
Gosnell now sits on trial for capital murder, and some of the workers in his clinic face charges, too. The workers have admitted to the filthy conditions in the clinic and the shocking practices of killing live babies—at Gosnell’s instruction.
Why and how did this go on for so long?
The state of Pennsylvania ceased abortion clinic inspections in 1993 and disregarded any report of abuse at Gosnell’s clinic.
However, much to the chagrin of abortion supporters, the Gosnell horror story sheds light on the grotesque and sordid world of the abortion industry. Yes, some will claim that Gosnell’s clinic was an outlier and not representative of abortion providers, yet in Texas, that claim deflates pretty quickly.
Texas Right to Life previously reported on the horrendous conditions of Texas abortion centers; clearly, the shoddy conditions of abortion clinics are not so rare. If the abortion lobby truly cared about women – as is their mantra – they would support inspections and regulations that would protect women from the horrors at Gosnell’s and other clinics across the country.
Texas is trying to curtail these unfathomable situations in abortion clinics with the goal of protecting women. While Texas Right to Life grieves when women choose abortion, women undergoing abortion should have some confidence that the clinic meets the minimum safety standards and health regulations. Furthermore, these same women who are paying quite a sum for an abortion should not be at risk of dying from a procedure sold to them as “safe and rare.”
Senate Bill 1198 by Larry Taylor, R-Friendswood, and House Bill 2816 by Cindy Burkett, R-Garland, would improve safety standards and the regulations at abortion clinics that profit from abortion. The measure would require all abortion doctors to secure admitting privileges at a hospital within 30 miles of every abortion clinic where they commit abortion. Since abortion clinics do not all have the capacity and equipment to respond to emergencies in botched abortions, the 30-mile rule adds a layer of protection for already-vulnerable women choosing abortion.
One obstetrician/gynecologist shared her support of the bill in both the Senate and the House committees:
When I have spoken with my obstetric colleagues about this issue, regardless of how they feel about the legality of abortion, they have unanimously been in favor of this bill. In fact, most were surprised to find out that doctors who perform abortions were not required to have hospital privileges. There is no similar surgical procedure of the same complexity and the same possible risk that does not require hospital privileges. I would argue that to subject women to a lower standard of care is not in their best interest.
The 30-mile rule not only adds protections for women, but also holds abortion clinics to the same standards as other medical facilities. The abortion lobby claims that abortion is safer than childbirth, yet they revolt when the state tries to make this a reality.