Truth about Gosnell underscores reality of abortion



By REP. DIANE BLACK 

Kermit Gosnell, an abortion “doctor” from Philadelphia, is currently on trial for the murder of a female patient and for killing seven newborn infants born as a result of botched, late-term abortions. Additionally, Gosnell faces criminal charges for performing late-term abortions in violation of Pennsylvania state law as well as charges for hiring a 15 year old high school student to work alongside him and be exposed to the horrors of his practice. 

The trial has revealed heart wrenching details about this “house of horrors” clinic, including how investigators found unborn children’s body parts stored in animal food containers in his clinic and former employees have painfully recounted their horrific experiences working with Gosnell, such as the site of a baby born alive after a botched abortion was disposed in a toilet and lay there gasping for air until Gosnell snipped its spinal cord ending the baby’s life. The pro-abortion lobby has told the public for years that legalizing abortion would put back alley abortion clinics out of business and ensure access to “safe” abortions for women. Gosnell’s actions undermine their argument and reinforce the inescapable reality that abortions are never safe for the baby or the mother.

But regardless of one’s view on abortion, an overwhelming majority of Americans agree that a baby born alive should be fully protected under the law with no exception. Is the big abortion industry in step with the main stream as the administration wants the public to believe? Far from it. A legal representative for Planned Parenthood, the largest abortion provider in America and an organization with the unabashed support of President Obama, recently offered a diametrically opposing view arguing at a Florida state Senate hearing that an infant who survives an abortion is not entitled to legal protection and said on behalf of Planned Parenthood, “We believe that any decision that's made should be left up to the woman, her family, and the physician.”

When President Obama was recently asked about Gosnell’s murderous acts, his words were also telling; “I can't comment on it,” he said. While it is deeply disturbing that the president has no comment regarding the murder of eight Americans by their own physician, it is not surprising considering the fact that the president, an ardent support of abortion on demand and Planned Parenthood, is the same former state Senator who opposed the Born Alive Infant Protection Act three times while serving in the state legislature. Sadly, not unlike our president, the main stream media also largely has had little to no comment or coverage on the Gosnell trial.

I recently joined with 71 of my fellow Congressmen in sending a letter to the presidents of ABC, NBC, and CBS condemning their persistent anti-life bias in the mainstream media and demanding an explanation. A letter alone is not enough, however. While I am hopeful that Gosnell will soon be convicted and pay for his crimes, clinics like his continue to operate across America. That’s why I authored legislation in Congress to defund Planned Parenthood and other so-called “family planning” organizations that provide abortions. Additionally, I have introduced a separate bill to enforce conscience protections for health care providers who refuse to perform abortions and offer full exemption from the Health and Human Services (HHS) employee healthcare mandate that forces coverage for abortion inducing drugs.

Ultimately, Gosnell’s trial stands as a stark reminder that abortion is neither a safe, nor positive choice for women. Abortion is not a means to female empowerment, but rather a devastating injustice that always takes the life of the defenseless and leaves behind physical and emotion scares that mothers and fathers will spend their lives overcoming. Knowing in my head and my heart the truth about abortion, I press on in this fight for life with the hope that one day we will live in a country where each and every life – both the born and unborn – will be valued and protected.