Top 7 Most Shocking Reveals in the Gosnell Book (part 2)

We’ve previously written about the Top 6 Most Shocking Reveals in the Gosnell Book. But those six were by no means the only shockers to be found. Read on to see our next installment on the worst of the worst. WARNING: EXPLICIT LANGUAGE AND CONTENT FOLLOWS.

1. Normally they leap on it like flies on shit (pg 94)

A witness using a protected name “Jalil” had no choice but to call the Philadelphia homicide unit after he found out that Gosnell killed his estranged wife’s twins at the eighth month of pregnancy. This action was illegal and considered homicide even by Pennsylvania’s lax abortion standards. However as the quote otherwise suggests, the police usually follow through with an arrest or even a legitimate investigation in the case of murder. Jalil even possessed a credit card bill in the thousands of dollars from Gosnell for the service. Another important aspect of this case is that not only would have been easy to convict Gosnell and at least remove his license to perform abortion, it would have saved the lives of the two patients who would later die in the clinic. It would also refute the state’s claims that no one had filed a murder complaint.

2. Baby D – born in the toilet -who struggled and moved its arms as she killed it (pg 105)

The victims of the violence at the clinic did not get names. They were often referred to as “Baby Boy A,”or in this case, “Baby D.” This was a baby killed by Sherry West, a 55 year old clinic worker who had lost her prior healthcare job due to both physical (Hepatitis C) and mental illness (anxiety, depression). She wanted the job at Gosnell’s clinic because it was off the books and would allow her to continue to claim disability from the VA. Gosnell never bothered to protect his patients from West, who never wore gloves or took other precautions from spreading her highly contagious disease. She would use the lacking and illegal training Gosnell gave her to kill Baby D by cutting the neck with scissors. She would later plead guilty to the third degree murder of Mrs. Mongar. West would later tell the court on why she worked for Gosnell, “I was concerned about my disability benefits being cut off if I was making too much money” (pg 106). She only received 5-10 years for this action and 9 other serious counts.

3.Even criminals believe baby killing is heinous (pg 114)

The group incarcerated after the Gosnell raid was forced to be held in protective custody at first. This included the doctor, his wife, and a host of clinic workers. They were not allowed into the general population as the authorities feared the other prisoners would kill them. A clinic worker noted that on the first day, they were called “baby killers” (pg 114) from the onset.

4. “Literally…it would rain fetuses” (pg 135)

These were the words spoken by Steve Massof, the unlicensed medical school graduate Gosnell used to assist with his abortions, both legal and late term. The authors of the book referred to his testimony as “particularly horrific because it was the most candid.” The jurors agreed and called it disturbing and included the ease to which he delivered it as equally appalling. In this particular reveal, he was referring to when he would come into the clinic and find “fetuses all over the place and blood” (pg 135).

5. It was one of the only times staff could remember that place ever being cleaned (pg 157)

After the death of patient Karnamaya Mongar, Gosnell’s staff knew they would be due for a visit. Gosnell himself ordered the clinic to be cleaned thoroughly, even springing for new chairs and a coat of paint. This was unusual for the instrument-reusing Gosnell. He shouldn’t have bothered. Authorities from the fed, state, or even non-profits who claim to want nothing more than safe abortions never visited.

6. She found the baby at her workstation, in the Tupperware container (pg 168)

Adrienne Moton often called the clinic before her shift to see how many abortions were on schedule. This was done to predict what kind of day she would have. A worker told her about Baby Abrams, a boy who actually curled into the fetal position after being delivered before he was stabbed to death. Moton was furious at finding the body on her desk, and no one knows if it was done as a prank, to show her how big the boy was, or some other reason. Both workers would take pictures of the boy, which would be critical in Gosnell’s conviction.

7. “I held her” (pg 174)

Shanice Manning came to Gosnell’s clinic for an abortion that Gosnell would ultimately admit in a note was an abortion past the legal limit. The abortion was to happen in several visits, but Manning had pains before the last one. She was taken to a hospital where her baby was delivered stillborn. Manning was allowed to hold the baby once and would tell the court “if I would have known how far along (I was), I would have kept my baby” (pg 173).

And that’s just our second entry in this disturbing series. My apologies if anything has been incorrectly cited. It is my fault, not that of the author. To read for yourself, get the book here.

Part Three coming soon…

Lilia Fabry is the author of Ordinance 93, a novel set in a world where having a baby without permission is against the law and the first four people to break it. She also writes about everything from reaction injection molding to low fat recipes while indulging her need for creative outlets including novels and screenplays. Find out more on Twitter.