New York Times story points to 'squalid' abortion clinic, lack of oversight

January 24, 2011

The New York Times has called attention to the “squalid” conditions at the abortion clinic run by Kermit Gosnell, the Philadelphia abortionist who now faces multiple criminal charges related to the deaths of patients under his care.

The clinic, which is now closed, “stands a grim reminder of how degrading it was for the women who went there and how long state officials ignored their complaints,” the Times reports. The story notes that Gosnell had been sued for malpractice at least 15 times, underlines the absence of regulatory enforcement, and quotes a damning grand-jury report: “We think the reason no one acted is because the women in question were poor and of color.”

The Times story is significant because the mainstream media are finally noticing the exploitation of women in legal abortion clinics, and suggesting a need for regulation of the facilities. Many of the laws against abortion in American states—which were summarily overturned in 1973 by the Roe v. Wade decision—were enacted under pressure from crusading journalists, at outlets including the New York Times, who had exposed the bloody nature of the abortion business in another era.

 

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Further information:

• Squalid Abortion Clinic Escaped State Oversight (New York Times)
• Philadelphia abortionist faces multiple murder counts (CWN, 1/19)