Kermit Gosnell's Nightmare Abortion Clinic Was A Multimillion-Dollar Business
Gosnell allegedly "snipped" the spinal cords of seven newborns after performing illegal late-term abortions. Prosecutors believe he killed many other fetuses in their third-trimester and destroyed related records.
Gosnell is also accused of running an absolutely filthy clinic — known as the Women's Medical Society — that had untrained staff give at least one patient a fatal dose of the painkiller Demerol.
Catering to women who were so pregnant they couldn't get abortions anywhere else, Gosnell's clinic became a "huge moneymaker" by charging $3,000 for a late-term abortions, according to a scathing, 281-page grand jury report that lays out the allegations against him.
The grand jury estimated Gosnell took in at least $1.8 million a year, mostly in cash, using figures provided by Women's Medical Society staff.
That amount doesn't include the money Gosnell allegedly took in from his "side business" writing illegal prescriptions. One law enforcement agent said Gosnell was one of Pennsylvania's top three prescribers of the addictive painkiller Oxycontin.
Gosnell likely got to keep most of that money, especially since one of his key staff members was a 15-year-old high school student he allegedly paid $8.50 an hour.
Another unlicensed doctor who worked at the clinic says he was paid $300 a week.
While his workers remained poor, Gosnell allegedly made millions. Prosecutors say he cut every corner he could — reusing disposable medical supplies again and failing to employ trained staff. Gosnell went for a jog or a swim during the day while women were laboring in his clinic, one worker told prosecutors.
On the surface, it might have seemed like Gosnell was "giving back" to the poor West Philly neighborhood where his clinic was located. Gosnell grew up in that neighborhood. He was also African-American and served a number of African-American clients.
But Gosnell's business was not about his patients' health, prosecutors allege. It seems he was running his gruesome operation in the heart of a poor neighborhood purely for profit.