Illustration: Lisa Nolan
There is much rejoicing tonight in pro-life circles over the conviction of Dr. Kermit Gosnell on first degree murder charges for his having cruelly severed the spines of babies born alive in his abortion house of horrors. I don’t begrudge folks their joy at justice for the little ones. I’m just not there.
Much as I am opposed to the death penalty, this 72 year-old serial killer should spend the rest of his life on death row fighting off the efforts of those in power over him to take his life. That might bring about some much needed insight into who and what he has become and what it is that he did. Apart from the babies killed in utero, his decades of infanticide, if evidence could show it, would make Gosnell the biggest serial killer in American history. There is less joy and more a sense of relief when a serial killer is neutralized by incarceration.
But this day only serves to highlight the psychosis of American jurisprudence. Were the same spinal cord severings carried out in utero, Gosnell would be regarded as a model abortionist, a man practicing legal medicine.
Location, location, location…
If that sounds glum, it is equally an opportunity moving forward. Having been convicted of first degree murder, Gosnell has perversely catapulted the argument away from justifying abortion on the grounds that we are not sure when life begins, and into its rightful home: personal predilection. If the murder of these babies is indeed regarded as first degree murder because of their location, then their abortions would have been no less an act of murder five minutes earlier when inside their mothers.
If Gosnell is put to death by the state it will not be for taking these babies’ lives at the developmental stages when they were killed. No, Gosnell will be put to death for not following medical protocol as dictated by law, namely failing to call 911 and to keep the baby alive because it couldn’t be murdered in a place prescribed by law.
That’s the true insanity and malignant evil in this case. Are we too far gone to recognize that it is our jurisprudence that is riddled with cancer? Giving abortionists the death penalty is not the answer, and I pray that Gosnell lives thirty years longer with all of his mental faculties intact, that he might repent and atone for his monstrous evil.
Curing the American character after 55 million murders is going to take a bit longer, if indeed we are not already too far gone.
Some deep truths here, but the death penalty is not the solution for Dr. Gosnell. We should pray for his repentance and conversion. The death penalty is only acceptable when there is no other alternative to protect the innocent from an unjust aggressor; a life sentence is such an alternative. Today in fact, the availability of secure prisons makes it possible for the state to render one who has committed an offense incapable of doing harm – without definitely taking away from him the possibility of redeeming himself – the cases in which the execution of the offender is an absolute necessity “are very rare, if not practically nonexistent.” Moreover, the Master taught, “You have heard that it was said to the men of old, ‘You shall not kill: and whoever kills shall be liable to judgment.’ But I say to you that every one who is angry with his brother shall be liable to judgment.”
Bruce, read it again. I don’t see where he was advocating for death penalty.
Great post!
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You are correct that if anyone deserved the death penalty then it should have been Gosnell. I posted your article on my blog too.