Kermit Gosnell: Understanding the Trial Against the Abortion Doctor

The 411 on Gosnell's crimes, the trial and the victims.

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The 411 on the Trial  - With the Kermit Gosnell murder case slowly creeping into the media, we wanted to decipher fact from fiction, provide information on this heinous case and how this "doctor" deceived mostly women of color in Philadelphia who sought abortions at his reproductive health clinics. —Kellee Terrell (Photo: Dennis Brack /Landov)

What Is the Trial About? - Kermit Gosnell, the owner of the Women's Medical Society, has been charged with first-degree murder for allegedly killing seven babies and one female patient, Karnamaya Mongar. It’s believed that Gosnell performed illegal late term abortions, delivered live babies and soon after murdered them. Testimony states that Gosnell and his staff snipped the babies’ spinal cords with scissors, reported ABC.com.   (Photo: Tim Hale/GettyImages)

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What Is the Trial About? - Kermit Gosnell, the owner of the Women's Medical Society, has been charged with first-degree murder for allegedly killing seven babies and one female patient, Karnamaya Mongar. It’s believed that Gosnell performed illegal late term abortions, delivered live babies and soon after murdered them. Testimony states that Gosnell and his staff snipped the babies’ spinal cords with scissors, reported ABC.com.   (Photo: Tim Hale/GettyImages)

Profiling - Is abortion a form of racial profiling? A majority of members in Florida's House of Representatives think so. It passed a bill on April 18 that requires doctors to sign an affidavit before performing an abortion confirming the procedure is not based on the fetus' race or gender. A group of African-American lawmakers walked out of the debate and want an apology.  (Photo: EPA/AARON M. SPRECHER / ICON SMI /Landov)

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What Were His Other Offenses? - The grand jury report is a gruesome read that accuses Gosnell of incredibly heinous acts such as overdosing patients with potentially harmful drugs; giving women STDs with infected instruments; allowed for workers without medical certification to help perform abortions; performing abortions after hours; and medical malpractice and fraud, reported the Washington Post.  (Photo: EPA/AARON M. SPRECHER / ICON SMI /Landov)

Photo By Photo: EPA/AARON M. SPRECHER / ICON SMI /Landov

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What Is Gosnell’s Defense? - Gosnell lawyers have stated that these babies were not born alive therefore he could not have murdered them. They say that he is a licensed physician who is certified to perform abortions. Meanwhile, the grand jury report claims that he was illegally terminating babies into the mother’s third trimester. The state of Pennsylvania only allows for abortions to be performed up to 24 weeks.  (Photo: Janis Christie / Getty Images)

Photo By Janis Christie / Getty Images

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Who Is Kermit Gosnell? - Gosnell, 72, grew up in Philadelphia and earned a medical degree there from Thomas Jefferson University. He worked in New York and then moved back to Philadelphia to open his own clinic, reported USA Today. He performed abortions between the years 1979-2011, before being arrested.  (Photo: AP Photo/Philadelphia Police Department via Philadelphia District Attorney's Office, File)

Photo By AP Photo/Philadelphia Police Department via Philadelphia District Attorney's Office

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Who Were the Victims? - The victims mostly comprised of low-income African-American, Latina and Southeast Asian immigrant women who live in the Mantua neighborhood where the clinic resides, writes Colorlines. These women came to the Women's Medical Society because Gosnell offered abortion services for a considerably lower price than other clinics in the area, reported The Atlantic.   (Photo: AP Photo/Philadelphia District Attorney)

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Who Were the Victims? - The victims mostly comprised of low-income African-American, Latina and Southeast Asian immigrant women who live in the Mantua neighborhood where the clinic resides, writes Colorlines. These women came to the Women's Medical Society because Gosnell offered abortion services for a considerably lower price than other clinics in the area, reported The Atlantic.   (Photo: AP Photo/Philadelphia District Attorney)

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Who Else Is Being Charged? - Gosnell’s wife, along with eight other clinic employees, have pleaded guilty to a range of charges including assisting Gosnell in performing illegal third-term abortions, according to the Washington Post. Three workers pleaded guilty to helping kill babies by cutting their necks and spinal cords.   (Photo: TIMOTHY A. CLARY/AFP/Getty Images)

Photo By TIMOTHY A. CLARY/AFP/Getty Images

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Are Most Women’s Clinics Like This? - Absolutely not. Clinics such as Women's Medical Society are not the norm. There are plenty of trusted women’s clinics throughout the U.S. that perform safe and legal abortions. The key is ensuring affordable services to all women, especially low-income women and women of color.  (Photo: Scott Olson/Getty Images)

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Update: Judge Drops 3 Murder Charges - In a shocking twist, the judge drops three charges of murder against Dr. Kermit Gosnell, the Philadelphia abortion doctor, reported the Associated Press. The judge cited that there was not enough evidence to prove that the babies that died could have survived after they were delivered. Gosnell still faces 4 counts of murder and if found guilty he could face the death penalty. (Photo: Getty Images)