[h=2]Gosnell medical assistant admits cutting the spines of 10 babies born alive[/h] by John Jalsevac
PHILADELPHIA, March 19, 2013 (LifeSiteNews.com) – The capital murder trial of abortionist Kermit Gosnell continued today, with one of his former medical assistants taking the stand to describe how she helped kill at least 10 babies who were born alive by slitting their spinal cords.
Gosnell is charged with murder in the case of seven babies who were allegedly born alive before the abortionist killed them by severing their spines – his preferred method of “aborting” late-term babies, according to his former staff.
Adrienne Moton
Staff have testified that “hundreds” of newborn babies were killed in this fashion at Gosnell’s Philadelphia clinic, which was dubbed a “House of Horrors” after investigators raided the facility in February 2010.
He is also facing one additional count of third degree murder for the death of Karnamaya Mongar, 41, who sought an abortion at his clinic and was given a lethal overdose of medication.
Former medical assistant Adrienne Moton, who herself pleaded guilty to third degree murder charges in October last year, reportedly sobbed her way through her testimony in court today.
She recounted how she took a photograph with her cellphone of one baby she admitted killing, called “Baby A.” That photo was displayed on a large screen in the courtroom. (That photo can be seen on page 102 of the grand jury report.)
Moton said that the baby, which she estimated to be 30 weeks gestation, was pink, and that she thought that he could have survived.
The mother of “Baby A” also testified, telling the courtroom about the painful three-day abortion she underwent at Gosnell’s clinic when she was 17 years-old.
“I never felt pain like that, ever,” the woman said, according to the Associated Press. “I couldn’t talk to anybody and tell anybody.”
According to the grand jury report that was released in July 2011, Gosnell charged $2,500 for the “abortion,” after discovering that the baby was further along than he originally thought.
The grand jury report includes the account of another of Gosnell’s employees, Kareema Cross, describing the moment of Baby A’s birth:
After the baby was expelled, Cross noticed that he was breathing, though not for long. After about 10 to 20 seconds, while the mother was asleep, “the doctor just slit the neck,” said Cross. Gosnell put the boy’s body in a shoebox. Cross described the baby as so big that his feet and arms hung out over the sides of the container. Cross said that she saw the baby move after his neck was cut, and after the doctor placed it in the shoebox. Gosnell told her, “it’s the baby’s reflexes. It’s not really moving.”
A neonatologist who testified on behalf of the grand jury said that Gosnell’s explanation for the baby’s movements was false, and that in all likelihood Gosnell failed immediately to kill the baby, and that his “few moments of life were spent in excruciating pain.”
The neonatologist also estimated the baby’s age as around 32 weeks gestation.
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Moton also testified in court that Gosnell joked about the size of Baby A, saying that he thought the baby was big enough to get up and walk to the bus stop.
The mother of Baby A was subsequently admitted to the hospital, where she was diagnosed with a severe infection and blood clots that had travelled to her lungs. According to her aunt, she nearly died, and took months to recover.
Investigators say that she was but one of numerous Gosnell’s clients who were injured during “abortions.”
Moton also recounted how in another case she slit the neck of a baby, known as Baby D, that was born alive in a toilet. That baby was estimated at 24.5 weeks gestation, the threshold for viability.
Moton, like many of those who assisted Gosnell at his facility, had no medical training. She was paid around $10 an hour, under the table, to perform tasks normally reserved for highly trained professionals.
She herself underwent two abortions at the hands of Gosnell.
Gosnell’s lawyer is arguing that the prosecution can’t prove that any of the seven babies he stands accused of murdering were born alive. He told the courtroom yesterday that the prosecution of his client is a racist-inspired “lynching.”
Prosecutor Joanne Pescatore said in her opening statements yesterday that under the law, if a baby is born alive, “you can’t kill it.”
"The baby is alive, you're a doctor, you have to do the minimum," she said. "If it moves, breathes, has a pulsating umbilical cord, you can't kill it. That's murder."
Pro-life activists have highlighted the irony that if Gosnell has been skilled enough to kill the babies before they were born, he would not now be facing murder charges.
- Tue Mar 19, 2013 18:10 EST
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- Tags: abortion, kermit gosnell
PHILADELPHIA, March 19, 2013 (LifeSiteNews.com) – The capital murder trial of abortionist Kermit Gosnell continued today, with one of his former medical assistants taking the stand to describe how she helped kill at least 10 babies who were born alive by slitting their spinal cords.
Gosnell is charged with murder in the case of seven babies who were allegedly born alive before the abortionist killed them by severing their spines – his preferred method of “aborting” late-term babies, according to his former staff.
Staff have testified that “hundreds” of newborn babies were killed in this fashion at Gosnell’s Philadelphia clinic, which was dubbed a “House of Horrors” after investigators raided the facility in February 2010.
He is also facing one additional count of third degree murder for the death of Karnamaya Mongar, 41, who sought an abortion at his clinic and was given a lethal overdose of medication.
Former medical assistant Adrienne Moton, who herself pleaded guilty to third degree murder charges in October last year, reportedly sobbed her way through her testimony in court today.
She recounted how she took a photograph with her cellphone of one baby she admitted killing, called “Baby A.” That photo was displayed on a large screen in the courtroom. (That photo can be seen on page 102 of the grand jury report.)
Moton said that the baby, which she estimated to be 30 weeks gestation, was pink, and that she thought that he could have survived.
The mother of “Baby A” also testified, telling the courtroom about the painful three-day abortion she underwent at Gosnell’s clinic when she was 17 years-old.
“I never felt pain like that, ever,” the woman said, according to the Associated Press. “I couldn’t talk to anybody and tell anybody.”
According to the grand jury report that was released in July 2011, Gosnell charged $2,500 for the “abortion,” after discovering that the baby was further along than he originally thought.
The grand jury report includes the account of another of Gosnell’s employees, Kareema Cross, describing the moment of Baby A’s birth:
After the baby was expelled, Cross noticed that he was breathing, though not for long. After about 10 to 20 seconds, while the mother was asleep, “the doctor just slit the neck,” said Cross. Gosnell put the boy’s body in a shoebox. Cross described the baby as so big that his feet and arms hung out over the sides of the container. Cross said that she saw the baby move after his neck was cut, and after the doctor placed it in the shoebox. Gosnell told her, “it’s the baby’s reflexes. It’s not really moving.”
A neonatologist who testified on behalf of the grand jury said that Gosnell’s explanation for the baby’s movements was false, and that in all likelihood Gosnell failed immediately to kill the baby, and that his “few moments of life were spent in excruciating pain.”
The neonatologist also estimated the baby’s age as around 32 weeks gestation.
Click "like" if you are PRO-LIFE!
Moton also testified in court that Gosnell joked about the size of Baby A, saying that he thought the baby was big enough to get up and walk to the bus stop.
The mother of Baby A was subsequently admitted to the hospital, where she was diagnosed with a severe infection and blood clots that had travelled to her lungs. According to her aunt, she nearly died, and took months to recover.
Investigators say that she was but one of numerous Gosnell’s clients who were injured during “abortions.”
Moton also recounted how in another case she slit the neck of a baby, known as Baby D, that was born alive in a toilet. That baby was estimated at 24.5 weeks gestation, the threshold for viability.
Moton, like many of those who assisted Gosnell at his facility, had no medical training. She was paid around $10 an hour, under the table, to perform tasks normally reserved for highly trained professionals.
She herself underwent two abortions at the hands of Gosnell.
Gosnell’s lawyer is arguing that the prosecution can’t prove that any of the seven babies he stands accused of murdering were born alive. He told the courtroom yesterday that the prosecution of his client is a racist-inspired “lynching.”
Prosecutor Joanne Pescatore said in her opening statements yesterday that under the law, if a baby is born alive, “you can’t kill it.”
"The baby is alive, you're a doctor, you have to do the minimum," she said. "If it moves, breathes, has a pulsating umbilical cord, you can't kill it. That's murder."
Pro-life activists have highlighted the irony that if Gosnell has been skilled enough to kill the babies before they were born, he would not now be facing murder charges.
