Kermit Gosnell - How Can This Happen?

[Dog Walker]

The best prevention of all abortions and especially the kind of place that Gosnell ran is good, early sex education and easy access to inexpensive birth control.  Works real well in other places.

Where it doesn't work well in places like Russia, the abortion rate is much higher than ours and one of the primary methods of birth control.  Ugly.

[MusicMan]

What is not being mentioned is that thousands, perhaps hundreds of thousands, of women seek out the type of service this doctor provided. Across the country, perhaps millions.

Only a fool would believe that outlawing abortions would end them.

Better sex education programs and pregnancy prevention is the answer to reducing unwanted pregnancies, not outlawing abortions.

[NotNow]

I am not opposed to sex education (at an appropriate age) or properly dispensed birth control.  But I will not support this repugnant practice.   The 24th or 26th week is way too late, obviously.  The practice needs to be completely reviewed and should be very closely regulated, with very tight restrictions at best.  I have no medical training, but it is morally wrong IMHO.

[Bridges]

But I will not support this repugnant practice.   The 24th or 26th week is way too late, obviously.  The practice needs to be completely reviewed and should be very closely regulated, with very tight restrictions at best.

Nor should you support it.  The practice is illegal.  Gosnell broke the law, and others looking away allowed him to break the law.  This isn't something that is legal and needs to be looked into.  A man committed horrible crimes in violation of a law. 

Abortion is one of the most restricted and regulated medical procedures in the United States. 

[NotNow]

Abortions are allowed up to 26 weeks and beyond simply based on the doctor's "opinion" in some states.  These practices are happening right now.  How is it "restricted" or "regulated" outside of doctors opinion or self policing?

I don't claim to have the answers. I am just sickened by this practice.  It is my belief that MILLIONS are being murdered for "convenience". 

[Bridges]

Abortions are allowed up to 26 weeks and beyond simply based on the doctor's "opinion" in some states.  These practices are happening right now.  How is it "restricted" or "regulated" outside of doctors opinion or self policing?

I don't claim to have the answers. I am just sickened by this practice.  It is my belief that MILLIONS are being murdered for "convenience". 

Pennsylvania has a 24 week ban.  13 States have 24 week bans or earlier.  Mandatory counseling, Mandatory ultrasounds, Wait periods, personhood amendments, homicide laws.  Beyond that, abortion providers are few and far between, late term abortion providers even more so (see George Tiller)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abortion_in_the_United_States_by_state

I know that abortion is a hot button and raises a lot of emotions on both sides.  But it isn't through irrational emotions that we'll solve anything. 

[NotNow]

I'm not irrational.  I'm disgusted.  And embarrassed that this "procedure" is performed more than a million times each year in my country.  There needs to be MUCH more restriction and MUCH more regulation...at least.

[NotNow]

That's a silly question.  Which has nothing to do with the quoted statement.

There is no activity requirement for me to have an opinion on this subject.  If you want to limit subject responses to only those who have participated in the activity in question, let me know.  Your post numbers will slow way down.

[NotNow]

I'm pretty disgusted, in several things.  This practice is barbaric.   As I stated earlier, I don't claim to have any answers, but what is taking place in this country just feels wrong to me.  I have never experienced this practice, and as far as I know neither have my children.  I hope we never do. 

I will say that I am a strong advocate of adoption, and I would recommend it over this barbaric practice to any woman whose life is not endangered by the pregnancy.

[ronchamblin]

Although I in general approve of certain abortions, especially when the mother's life is at stake, I cannot understand why some or many states allow abortions at such a late date as 24 weeks, a date at which the fetus surely has assumed a considerable number of the life defining attributes, such as consciousness, which will allow it to suffer, just as it could suffer right at birth.   

Hell, 24 weeks is six months!!  Surely, if abortions are to be, a three month limit would be more appropriate, thereby ensuring that abortions would occur before the magic, and apparently unknown, point of an emerging life, a point after which suffering could be experienced by a living individual.

And surely three months is enough time for any woman to discover her pregnancy, and then to take action if desired.

The idea of suffering is the important thing to me.  Most of us do not wish to endure the thought of allowing other individuals to suffer.  Placing the limit at three months, instead of the commonly used six month limit, allows more in the population to approve of abortions. 

Imagine if the limit was set at eight months.  And then compare the thought of it being set at two months.  Why approach the obviously inappropriate limit of eight months?  Why approach a time when consciousness, and therefore the ability to suffer, begins to emerge?  To be safe .. to avoid suffering, good sense causes one to allow abortions, if they are to be, only during the very early stage, which would be at three months or less.     

Of course, the best solution, as some have stated, is the prevention of unwanted pregnancies in the first place, by education and contraception.     

[BridgeTroll]

But I will not support this repugnant practice.   The 24th or 26th week is way too late, obviously.  The practice needs to be completely reviewed and should be very closely regulated, with very tight restrictions at best.

Nor should you support it.  The practice is illegal.  Gosnell broke the law, and others looking away allowed him to break the law.  This isn't something that is legal and needs to be looked into.  A man committed horrible crimes in violation of a law. 

Abortion is one of the most restricted and regulated medical procedures in the United States. 

And yet this guy is probably just the tip of the iceberg...  While these "clinics" are "regulated" and inspected... so was Gosnells.  Violations were overlooked or "forgiven for decades by bureaucrats who believed a womans right to "choose" overrides the barbarity of this practice...

[Dog Walker]

Gosnells's clinic had not been inspected for fifteen years!  So much for regulation.  "But there is too much regulation of businesses".  So now you see the results of the Randian vision.

[NotNow]

Perhaps we are seeing he result of abortion on demand.  So much for morality.

[Dog Walker]

No, we are seeing the results of no sex education and limited access to birth control and early abortis ion for poor women.

Prevention is better than abortion and abortion is better than unwanted births.  What this man was  doing is a result of our broken education and healthcare systems.

[NotNow]

DW, how can you justify those statements?  No sex ed?  Last I heard about $10 Billion dollars annually was going into sex ed.  Limited access to birth control?  Really?  We hand our condoms like candy. 

Prevention is better than abortion but I am not convinced that abortion is better than unwanted births.   And what this man was doing was killing newborn children.