Philadelphia abortionist Kermit Gosnell contends that he was “a soldier in a war against poverty” when he conducted hundreds of illegal of abortions at the clinic that became known as his “house of horrors.” Despite convictions on charges of first-degree murder, involuntary manslaughter, and performing illegal late-term abortions earlier this year, Gosnell said he feels a sense of “spiritual innocence” for his crimes.
“I feel comfortable with the things I did and the decisions I made,” Gosnell told Philadelphia magazine. He blames his conviction on religious bias in the city’s district attorney’s office: The DA’s history of involvement in the Catholic church, Gosnell argued, created a “strong Catholic presence” in the homicide division that investigated his crimes and led to his prosecution.
While the abortionist conceded that in an ideal world there would be no need for abortion, he told the magazine that it would be a “greater sin” to bring a child into the world that could not be fully provided for. He also shared one of several poems he has written, in which he laments the public’s negative perception of abortion providers:
Abortion Providers
Are 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 …
Gosnell’s case drew nationwide attention when gruesome details of his practices emerged. An expanded version of the magazined article, titled “Gosnell’s Babies,” has also been released as an e-book.