Convicted Philadelphia Abortion Doctor Kermit Gosnell Dies at 85

Kermit Gosnell, the Philadelphia abortion doctor serving life in prison for murdering three babies, has died at age 85. His West Philadelphia clinic was dubbed a "house of horrors" after investigators discovered unsanitary conditions and evidence of illegal late-term procedures.

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Kermit Gosnell, the Philadelphia abortion provider serving a life sentence for murdering three newborn babies, passed away earlier this month at a Pennsylvania medical facility, according to state corrections officials who announced his death Monday.

The 85-year-old doctor’s unsanitary West Philadelphia facility earned the notorious nickname “house of horrors.” Workers who previously served at the clinic testified that Gosnell regularly conducted unlawful abortions beyond Pennsylvania’s 24-week legal threshold, delivered infants who showed signs of life including movement and crying, and eliminated these newborns by severing their spinal cords in what he called “snipping.”

Maria Bivens, a spokesperson for the Department of Corrections, confirmed Gosnell died March 1 at a medical facility outside the correctional system. He had been serving his sentence at State Correctional Institution-Smithfield, located approximately 60 miles south of Pittsburgh. Officials did not reveal the cause of his death.

The doctor had presented himself as a champion for impoverished and vulnerable women seeking reproductive services. Beyond the three first-degree murder convictions, Gosnell was also found guilty of numerous additional offenses, including breaking Pennsylvania’s reproductive health regulations.

The horrific conditions inside his medical practice came to light during a 2010 investigation into illegal prescription drug distribution. Law enforcement officials found a facility reeking of foul odors, containing containers filled with fetal remains and preserved body parts, alongside blood-stained equipment and unsanitary medical tools.

Pennsylvania regulatory agencies had neglected to perform required inspections at reproductive health clinics statewide for a 15-year period leading up to the raid on Gosnell’s operation. Following the public outcry over the scandal, the state dismissed two senior health department leaders and enacted stricter oversight requirements for such facilities.

During his 2013 criminal trial, Gosnell chose not to take the witness stand, while his legal counsel maintained that no infants had been born alive and that any observed movement represented natural post-mortem reflexes.