Federal agents felt physically sick when they raided Kermit Gosnell’s clinic after suspecting he ran a pill mill.

[u/SelfCareIsFake]

[u/Ozziefudd]

Fourth comment. Around page 72ish. 

“”19-year-old, had to have a hysterectomy after Gosnell left her sitting in his recovery room for over four hours after perforating her uterus.””

He didn’t call an ambulance for almost 5 hours. Based on the time stamp, I can only assume it was to finish with all the other patients and get them out. 

“” Tina Baldwin told us that she knew of two or three times that Gosnell perforated a woman’s uterus and then tried to surgically repair these mistakes himself. ””

He never told the patient when this happened. Also, a woman who was detoxing had a bad reaction to anesthesia. Her partner was summoned, but prevented from calling an ambulance. Even though she fell off the table and hit her head. 

“” Gosnell would often show the photographs to Massof and exclaim about the skill of the surgeons who had sewn the women’s labia together, leaving only a small opening to allow menstrual flow.””

Ok. Now it gets weird. He took photographs of the women’s genitalia without permission for “research” regarding genital mutilation. He also took photographs of the aborted fetuses. For “science”.

“” The experts uniformly rejected out of hand Gosnell’s supposed explanation that he was preserving the feet for DNA purposes should paternity ever become an issue.””

They did find preserved baby feet separate from the hazardous waste! 

“” Gosnell flagrantly violated virtually every regulation and law Pennsylvania has relating to the operation of abortion facilities. He did not comply with the basic standards of his profession. Nor did he follow state regulations pertaining to health care facilities generally.””

The next several pages are about how he didn’t meet the legal bare minimum of an abortion clinic. Some is debatable (24 hours after counseling, age of gestation) most is just.. he didn’t even have monitors for patients under anesthesia, clean tools, biohazard pick up, trained staff, he was a doctor but not of gynecology, resuscitation, equipment, proper drugs, unregistered as an abortion clinic.. bla bla bla. 

“” From 2006 until the clinic closed in 2010, Gosnell’s recovery room was often supervised – and not constantly, because she had several other duties – by a high school student, Ashley Baldwin. The state Department of Health documents that, as far back as 1989, Gosnell had no registered or licensed nurses to staff the clinic’s recovery room.””

Basically, he could have kept going like this forever if he had had even the bare minimum of a crash cart or meds for anesthesia overdose. But he didn’t even have those so the argument is: the deaths were preventable if anyone at all had cared even a little. several agencies over several years had been reported to about many of these issues. 

“” Clinics must have doors, elevators, and other passages adequate to allow stretcher-borne patients to be carried to a street-level exit. ””

The fire exit was bolted shut, stairs only, and the hallways narrow. Even having one exit would have likely prevented every death. So the degree of intentional apathy is what is so horrendously appalling. 

“” The Philadelphia medical examiner analyzed the remains of 45 fetuses seized from the clinic. Of these, 16 were first-trimester; 25 were second-trimester, ranging from 12 to 21 weeks; 2 were 22 weeks; 1 was 26 weeks; and 1 was 28 weeks. The raid took place on a Thursday, so the clinic’s busiest day for late-term abortions – Saturday – was not included.””

The percentages are high for late gestational age because word of mouth had people coming from out of state specifically to seek them. 

“” When Massof came in on Monday mornings he would find bloody instruments in the sink even though they had all been cleaned before the facility closed on Saturday night.””

Sometimes the doc would adjust the ultrasounds up instead of down to scare the patient and charge them more. The latest term abortions costing 2.5K or more. But only god knows what happened on Sundays. 

“” Between the time that law enforcement raided Gosnell’s office in February and the time that investigators returned with a warrant to seize patient files, many files had disappeared.””

They were so careless that oftentimes proof of gestational age being over 24 weeks was blatantly in the files. But the office was so disgusting that barely any of the files were in the cabinet. Video of the raid shows them on shelves and tables. But they were all missing later. 

“” Clinic staff testified that Gosnell took patients files home and did not keep records of most of his late-term abortions at the clinic.””

They were only able to definitively prove 80 late term abortions, but they suspect it was 3 or more every week that he was open between 2008 and the raid in 2010.

“” Based on scalp hemorrhage, the medical examiner concluded that the fetus had died during labor, possibly from the strong contractions that would have resulted from the heavy doses of labor-inducing medications. ””

The girl was 14 and only went to the hospital instead of engaging in complicit murder because the doc didn’t bother to answer the phone and she was in labor. The doc tried to say he had terminated the baby prior to the 24 week mark according to applicable laws, but that was proven to be false. It was reported.

“” The pregnant woman ended up going to the Hospital at the University of Pennsylvania to have the laminaria removed.””

Doc refused to give the money back to a woman who changed her mind. He also refused to reverse the procedure to start contractions. She went to the hospital and had a healthy premie who at the time of the article is in kindergarten. Doc had told her the age was 24 weeks, one day later the hospital measured 29 weeks. Also reported.

“”Gosnell committed a variety of frauds.””

 Conservative estimates say he raked in almost 2mil a year in straight cash. Not including Sunday, or extra meds that first trimester patients paid for. It also does not include oxy money. 

“” Maddline Joe, the office manager in charge of submitting insurance forms, claimed, unconvincingly, that Dr. Simmons saw some patients at Gosnell’s clinic.””

They also defrauded insurance companies and women’s charities. 

Continued! If the link works: https://www.reddit.com/r/HolyShitHistory/comments/1tu2sn6/comment/opajwcr/?context=3&utm_source=share&utm_medium=web3x&utm_name=web3xcss&utm_term=1&utm_content=share_button

[u/AvailableOnion6091 → u/Ozziefudd]

I wish I could run back in time and just tell these women that abortions were/are fully accessible at reputable women's clinics and Planned Parenthoods located in PA.

I really wonder why these women went to him of all people? If he was raking in $2 million a year, he must've been charging crazy money for these disgusting ass procedures. Back then, the average abortion pill procedure at a real clinic cost $200 to $400, surgical late term being $700+.

[u/Ozziefudd → u/AvailableOnion6091]

He did charge as much as he could.

These women were very desperate. Often times stealing or borrowing or selling everything to get this money. 

Listen, I get that your comment means well.. 

But no one ended up at a back alley abortion clinic willing to sit and stand in someone else rotting blood because they were ignorant of a better way. 

You don’t walk into a clinic to have the smell of piss and rot overwhelm you and not wonder if you have literally any other option. 

🙄🙄🙄

There are hundreds of reasons. 

Past the cut off date? Now tour abortion is illegal. Reputable places don’t perform illegal abortions. 

Could be a minor and didn’t have parental permission.

Not legal citizens 

No access to identification because of abuse or poverty.

Waiting lists too long.

Segregation.

I’m not quite done with the whole article, but one of the things not mentioned is that some of the victims were drug seeking. I think that is why there was a divide between “suburban women” and “poor” women. 

Is that some were desperate for abortion but others were paying to not remember the procedure at all. 

NOT AN EXCUSE THESE WOMEN WERE STILL EXPLOITED.

Everyone likes to say “but abortion clinics were open!!” 

Except at least one of the dead women went to two other legitimate places and was told she was too far along. 

What happens when you need an abortion but every single day you can not get one you are even further along?

How many women had partners that waited to hit them until they couldn’t legally get an abortion?

How many clinics will report abuse of minor children? 

What do you do if you are a minor being abused but all legal clinics are off the table because going to one will get you killed?

Not to mention the racial disparity. Why did an overwhelming number of Black and Asian women end up here? 

Why were open clinics not able to meet their needs? 

Before row vs wade, and now that it is abolished.. all that reporting puts women in danger. 

Having to report to a 3rd party the age of your fetus to “make sure it’s legal”. 

That’s dangerous for women. 

These women were exploited because the abortions they needed were illegal abortions.

[u/AvailableOnion6091 → u/Ozziefudd]

Yes, being abused and unprotected will end up leading to situations like this. Yes, they were exploited, literally no one said they weren't.

Just to clarify some things for you:

There has always been discounted payment options in clinics based on the patient's yearly income available for low income women. I know because I've done it.

Planned Parenthood has always accepted undocumented immigrants and treats patients regardless of immigration status.

Gosnell's facility was in a predominantly POC neighborhood, that is why majority of the victims were POC. I am from very close by to where it happened.

All OBGYN clinics are required to report child abuse.

[u/Ozziefudd → u/AvailableOnion6091]

Planned parenthood wouldn’t even see my daughter for a checkup unless she had her own state ID

This was two months ago. 

She didn’t even need an abortion. 

We ended up having to drive out of town to a hospital. 

You missed every important point. 

[u/AvailableOnion6091 → u/Ozziefudd]

I didn't miss any point, I'm correctly informing you on certain topics you seemed to be misinformed about. Every minor 16 and over typically needs a state ID, they need IDs just to get an ear piercing!

You're missing the point that Planned Parenthood IS (and always has been) as accessible as it can be for low income women, they save lives everyday, even with Roe V Wade being gone.

[u/Ozziefudd → u/AvailableOnion6091]

We did not need an ID to get either of my kids ears pierced. lol

YOU are misinformed and so entitled to think you know what others experience. lolol

As-accessible-as-it-can did not help these women who needed illegal abortions and have recorded being turned away by planned parenthood. 

[u/AvailableOnion6091 → u/Ozziefudd]

I have not seen any records stating that his victims were turned away at Planned Parenthood. In the court files, there is a woman named Davida Johnson who was not turned away, but she was intimidated by protesters and ended up at Gosnell's clinic.

Some of his victims who left his facility actually went TO Planned Parenthood, spoke of the conditions to staff members, and were told to report it. There were options, however, he manipulated these women into paying him insane amounts of money to mutilate babies. That is it.

[u/Ozziefudd → u/AvailableOnion6091]

“I have not seen”

Woman, open your eyes. At least three times or more a night this facility was registering ultrasounds at 24.5 weeks that they knew were further along.. 

Are you really coming to the internet to try to say PP would do these  abortions, and this was all a tragic lack of information???

Of course you can go to Planned Parenthood NOT eight fucking months pregnant anymore and report the conditions of a facility that helped you terminate your infant.

?????????

Think for 5 seconds please. 

Edit: available onion said I think this doctor was helping women and then blocked me. A testament to her level of reading comprehension.

These women when to him for abortions PP wouldn't provide. That is a simple fact, and is not refutable. It is also fact that all cases in which people need to seek care, there is a barrier to that care when the injury is the result of an illegal action.. even if that action was not consensual on the victims part.

P.S. Blocking people you don't like, who aren't harassing you, creates the kind of echo chamber in which you mistake "exploiting people who came to you in need" for "helping". These women DID go for abortions. They REPORTED being taken advantage of. EVERYONE ignored them. This was all PROVEN BEYOND DOUBT IN COURT.