Abortionist charged in 8 murders, 7 born babies killed with scissors to the neck

A doctor who gave abortions to minorities, immigrants and poor women in what the Philadelphia district attorney called a "house of horrors" clinic was charged with eight counts of murder Wednesday for the deaths of a patient and seven babies who the DA said were born alive and killed with scissors.

Dr. Kermit Gosnell, 69, made millions of dollars over 30 years as he performed many illegal, late-term abortions, District Attorney Seth Williams said.

Steven E. Massof, of Mt. Lebanon, was arrested Wednesday by Allegheny County district attorney's detectives. Williams said Massof worked for Gosnell and pretended to be a doctor and will be charged with murder, theft by deception and conspiracy and drug violations for illegally dispensing narcotics.

Gosnell "induced labor, forced the live birth of viable babies in the sixth, seventh, eighth month of pregnancy and then killed those babies by cutting into the back of the neck with scissors and severing their spinal cord," Williams said.


Massof's home in Mt. Lebanon

Patients were subjected to squalid conditions at Gosnell's Women's Medical Society, where Gosnell performed dozens of abortions a day, prosecutors said. He mostly worked overnight hours after his untrained staff administered drugs to induce labor during the day, they said.

Bags and bottles holding aborted fetuses "were scattered throughout the building," Williams said. "There were jars, lining shelves, with severed feet that he kept for no medical purpose."

Four of Gosnell's workers were charged with murder. Five other people -- including Massof -- were charged with controlled drug violations and other crimes. None of the employees had any medical training, and one was a high school student who performed intravenous anesthesia with potentially lethal narcotics, Williams said.

"Obviously, these allegations are very, very serious," said defense lawyer William J. Brennan, who represented Gosnell during the investigation. He noted that the doctor served patients in a low-income city neighborhood for decades.

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Prosecutors said Gosnell charged $325 for first-trimester abortions and $1,600 to $3,000 for abortions up to 30 weeks. Abortions are legal up to 24 weeks gestation in Pennsylvania, although most doctors won't perform them after 20 weeks, prosecutors said.

Few if any of the sedated women knew their babies were born alive and then killed, prosecutors said. Many were first-time mothers who were told they were 24 weeks pregnant, even if they were further along, authorities said.

"He does not know how to do an abortion. He's not board certified," Assistant District Attorney Joanne Pescatore said. "Once he got them there, he saw dollar signs and did abortions that other people wouldn't do."

Marc™ wrote:...too bad this will just be used as fodder for the rabid anti-abortionists.

Supernova wrote:That's the part that I really don't get, abortion IS legal in this country, so WHY was this place in business when this guy clearly couldn't bother getting anybody to work with who had actually gotten a medical degree, license, etc.?

CatEyes10736 wrote:Take the politics out of it and it turns into a horror movie.

Supernova wrote:That's the part that I really don't get, abortion IS legal in this country, so WHY was this place in business when this guy clearly couldn't bother getting anybody to work with who had actually gotten a medical degree, license, etc.?

thepossiblepolice wrote:So my point is, maybe it's not as easy as it seems for some people to get an abortion that they feel they need?

Forgiveness Man wrote:

thepossiblepolice wrote:So my point is, maybe it's not as easy as it seems for some people to get an abortion that they feel they need?

They didn't start out 9 months pregnant. And the women in this clinic all got what they came in for.

thepossiblepolice wrote:

Forgiveness Man wrote:They didn't start out 9 months pregnant. And the women in this clinic all got what they came in for.

I understand someone who is pro-life thinking that way. I still have compassion for the women though, who were led to believe that they were less far along than they were. Who probably thought it would be a painless procedure for their babies...Maybe I'm naive, but I can't imagine someone knowing that it was going to be done THAT way, and still going through with it. I also can't imagine a circumstance where I would have a late term abortion though, so it's hard for me to imagine them going through with that either.

Forgiveness Man wrote:^^^^I agree Supernova. If picketers scare you but soaking in blood doesn't, I think the thing you were really scared of isn't people with signs.

thepossiblepolice wrote:

I understand someone who is pro-life thinking that way. I still have compassion for the women though, who were led to believe that they were less far along than they were. Who probably thought it would be a painless procedure for their babies...Maybe I'm naive, but I can't imagine someone knowing that it was going to be done THAT way, and still going through with it. I also can't imagine a circumstance where I would have a late term abortion though, so it's hard for me to imagine them going through with that either.

I never said not to have compassion for the women. I have a lot of compassion for many of the women for many reasons.

What does puzzle me is why everyone here is really upset. I know why I am. I just am curious as to why everyone else here(cept for Supernova) is.

Forgiveness Man wrote:^^^^^Okay, thanks for the response. I agree with your reasons for the most part. The thing that makes this whole situation scary is that it isn't just an isolated incident.