You'd think that after a much-publicized trial, murder convictions and plenty of time to consider what has come to fruition, Dr. Kermit Gosnell, the now-infamous Philadelphia-based abortion doctor, would be pleading for forgiveness. But, according to one journalist, he's actually doubling-down, blaming religion and politics for his conviction and claiming innocence. He even wrote a poem decrying the way in which he's been treated under the law.
Despite being convicted of three counts of murder and one count of involuntary manslaughter and more than 200 counts of violating the state's Abortion Control Act, Gosnell believes he should be a free man, Philadelphia Magazine reported.
Speaking out for the first time since the conclusion of his trial in May, Gosnell told writer Steve Volk that he is "spiritually innocent" and that he was simply providing a necessary service to both women and the community.
In this May 1, 2013 file photo, letters are missing from the directory of Dr. Kermit Gosnell's former facility, the Women's Medical Society, in Philadelphia. Gosnell, a Philadelphia abortion doctor convicted of killing three babies who were born alive in his grimy clinic agreed Tuesday May 14, 2013 to give up his right to an appeal and faces life in prison but will be spared a death sentence. (AP)
While Gosnell seemingly believes that abortion isn't ideal, the doctor, who was found guilty of snipping the spines of babies after they were born, told Volk that it is a societal necessity. If that won't rile his critics, the doctor's claim that he has no regrets will be sure to anger pro-life advocates.
"In an ideal world we’d have no need for abortion. But bringing a child into the world when it cannot be provided for, that there are not sufficient systems to support, is a greater sin," Gosnell said. "I considered myself to be in a war against poverty, and I feel comfortable with the things I did and the decisions I made."
To this day, Gosnell maintains that he was not guilty and should have been treated under the law as such, telling Volk that he was convicted because of religious and political sensitivities.
Dr. Kermit Gosnell is escorted to a waiting police van upon leaving the Criminal Justice Center in Philadelphia, Monday, May 13, 2013, after being convicted of first-degree murder in the deaths of three babies who were delivered alive and then killed with scissors at his clinic. (AP)
The new comments come as Volk prepares to release an extensive article and e-book about the court case, both titled, "Gosnell's Babies." In collecting information over the summer, the Philadelphia Magazine writer exchanged numerous e-mails, phone calls and letters with Gosnell.
Among the information that was transmitted back and forth was a poem that Gosnell purportedly wrote back in April. In it, he seemingly heralds abortion, noting that unwanted babies often fall into lives of ruin:
Abortion ProvidersAre Labeled Killers!
Horrendous, Exploitive
Barbaric, Inhumane
Not Physicians, Oathed To Heal
Lest We Forget,
What Chance Have Those?
Those Without The Support
Of Their Parents
Their Families
Their Communities
Their Societies …
So Many
Without Sufficient Support
Stumble Into Drugs
Into Crime
Into Mental Illness
Into Institutions … And …
Languish in Jails …
TheBlaze extensively covered the Gosnell case earlier this year, spending time in the court room and observing and reporting on the case's many troubling and graphic details. The doctor's public comments to Volk constitute the first time that he has spoken out since being sentenced to life behind bars. They will do very little to fix the image that has been portrayed of a doctor who presumably cared little for the well-being of some of society's most vulnerable.
(H/T: Big Government)
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