Tonight I went and watched Gosnell The Trial of America's Biggest Serial Killer. The movie made me cry. I know big tough guy like me who never cries at movies has a soft spot for babies. It made me want to vomit. It made me sad. It made me angry and it made me ask the question "How many more serial killers like Gosnell are out there still?"
Here is the thing Dr. Gosnell more than 40 years ago Dr. Gosnell and a "Dr. Karman were responsible for an event that has come to be called "The mother's day massacre." In 1972 Dr. Gosnell was performing human experimentation on women to test a device that was developed by a psychologist named Harvey Walters that masquerading as a Dr. under the false identity Dr. Karman. Basically the device was a ball containing spring loaded razor blades that was inserted into the uterus. The razors would then spring out. 9 women were seriously injured by Dr. Gosnell's experiment. One of the women required a hysterectomy. No charges were ever brought against Dr. Gosnell because he fled the state before any could be pursued.
Gosnell left the state of Pennsylvania for a few years then came back. This is what he had to say about having fled the state. "If the State Board of Medicine hadn’t brought any charges against you, all right, and you were away long enough, you could come back and your license was still considered to be in good standing."
For 30 years Dr. Gosnell operated a licensed abortion clinic in Pennsylvania where he performed thousands of abortions. Because abortion is such a hot button issue Dr. Gosnell was able to take advantage of the situation that it created. You see a lot of people looked the other way when it came to the activities of this clinic for fear of appearing to be challenging women's right to choose. This allowed a true monster of a man to hide in plain sight. Dr. Gosnell wasn't just an abortion Dr. he was a prolific serial killer with some very sick desires. From the movie you find out that the medical board, the health department, other doctors in his neighborhood, his neighbors, the news media, law enforcement, and even his own employees looked the other way for years for fear of challenging the enshrined power of Roe vs. Wade.
It even came out that the Governor of Pennsylvania had given special instructions to the health department that they were not allowed to do routine inspections of abortion clinics. The health department had not done an inspection of Dr. Gosnell's clinic in over 17 years. With all of this looking the other way it makes me wonder how many other abortion clinics across America have doctors just like Gosnell running them? Is he an anomaly or is he just the tip of the iceberg hidden beneath the bloody water?
Wether you are prochoice or you are pro-life this should concern you. The idea that America has created an environment where monsters can do their grisly work without fear of ever being investigated for the sick crimes should alarm you. This isn't just a matter of one man who murdered babies after they were already given live birth, killed and injured mothers through negligence, and performed bizarre experiments on human beings. This is about an environment where people like him are deemed untouchable and they are able to operate places just like his where women are being hurt and killed and babies are being murdered and no one cares. It saddens me that America has become so callous.
No matter what your stance on abortion we should all demand transparency from these clinics. They need to be subject to regular health inspections and audits by the proper authorities to ensure that they are running their clinics within the confines of the law. We cannot continue to ignore the things happening in abortion clinics. It is a matter of public safety, and it is a matter of justice. Do not give monsters like Gosnell a place to hide and kill with impunity.
The Synopsis of the movie and 10 facts about Dr. Gosnell are provided by the website www.gosnellmovie.com is this.
Based on the true story of Dr. Kermit Gosnell the movie takes audiences behind the scenes of the investigation and trial of the man who has been dubbed the “Biggest Serial Killer in America.”
10 Facts About Gosnell: The Trial of America’s Biggest Serial Killer
Dr. Kermit Gosnell was convicted in May of 2013 on three counts of murder for the death of three infant children and involuntary manslaughter of Karnamaya Mongar. In a thirty year killing spree he is thought to have killed hundreds, perhaps thousands. ABC News described him as “America's most prolific serial killer”.
He is currently serving life in prison with no possibility for parole.
The film is based on the New York Times bestselling book Gosnell: The Untold Story of America’s Most Prolific Serial Killer written by Ann McElhinney and Phelim McAleer. The book attracted controversy after the New York times initially refused to list it as a best seller despite it being the number 3 best seller on Amazon and Publishers Weekly.
The film’s producers Ann McElhinney and Phelim McAleer (a husband and wife journalist team) interviewed Gosnell in prison for research for the book and film. During the interview and subsequent phone calls Gosnell has maintained his innocence. During the prison interview Gosnell also frequently touched McElhinney's leg, sang a French love song to her and discussed menstruation. He is in turn charming, manipulative, arrogant and a compulsive liar
The investigation and raid by the FBI, DEA and local police on Dr. Gosnell’s clinic in February of 2010, was originally for the illegal sale of prescription drugs. Following the raid and the discovery of his “House of Horrors” the investigation expanded to include murder.
The investigation revealed a state government that covered up deaths in order to protect abortion. The hands off approach and coverup was started by a Republican administration and continued by Democrats.
Producer & Journalist Phelim McAleer stumbled across the Gosnell trial on a day off while he was in Philadelphia promoting another film. McAleer who is a veteran crime reporter attended the trial for several days and said it was the most dramatic and shocking evidence he had ever heard but what was most shocking was the empty press benches behind him. Eventually the mainstream media was shamed into covering the story by a massive social media campaign.
The film was shot in Oklahoma City and Guthrie, Oklahoma over 21 days.
Former District Attorney Christine Wechsler, who worked the investigation and prepared the case against Dr Gosnell was a consultant and on set to help with some of the background information. She has a cameo in the film and can be seen as a background extra in the Grand Jury scene.
Detective James Woods was part of the original investigation team and is widely credited for being the detective responsible for realizing what was going on behind the closed doors of the abortion clinic. He served as a consultant to the writing of the film and was on set during production giving notes for authenticity. He also has a cameo in the film. Detective Woods’ character is played by Dean Cain in the film.
10.The film broke Crowdfunding records by raising $2.3m from almost 30,000 supporters. At the time it was Indiegogo's most successful movie campaign and the most successful non-celebrity movie on any crowdfunding platform. www.indiegogo.com/projects/gosnell-movie#/
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