Kermit Gosnell

Education and early career Gosnell was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, on February 9, 1941, as the only child of a gas station operator and a government clerk. He was a student at the city's Central High School, from which he graduated in 1959. Gosnell initially attended the University of Pennsylvania, and then graduated from Dickinson College with a bachelor's degree. He received his medical degree at the Thomas Jefferson University in 1966. Gosnell told The Philadelphia Inquirer in October 1972: "As a physician, I am very concerned about the sanctity of life. But it is for this precise reason that I provide abortions for women who want and need them."

That same year, Gosnell also performed fifteen televised second-trimester abortions, using an experimental and dangerous "Super Coil" method invented by Harvey Karman in an event that was referred to as the "Mother's Day Massacre of 1972". The coils were inserted into the uterus, where they caused irritation leading to the expulsion of the fetus. However, complications from the procedure were reported by nine of the women, with three of these reporting severe complications. One woman had to undergo a hysterectomy. They had two children. Gosnell had four other children from his two previous marriages. Gosnell was accused of racism on the basis that he separated white women from black women, giving white women a slightly cleaner room for their abortion procedures.

Gosnell was also associated with clinics in Delaware and Louisiana. Atlantic Women's Services in Wilmington, Delaware, was Gosnell's place of work for one day each week. The owner of Atlantic Women's Services, Leroy Brinkley, also owned Delta Clinic of Baton Rouge, Louisiana, and facilitated the hiring of staff from there for Gosnell's operation in Philadelphia.

Known prior complaints 1989 and 1993 – Cited by Pennsylvania Department of Health for having no nurses in the recovery room. 1996 – Censured and fined in both Pennsylvania and New York for employing unlicensed personnel. Around 1997 – Pediatrician Dr. Donald Schwarz (the former head of adolescent services at the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia and, , Philadelphia's health commissioner) testified in the 2010 hearing that around 1996–1997, he had hand-delivered a letter of complaint about Gosnell's practice to the Secretary of Health's office and stopped referring patients to the clinic, but received no response. 2000 – Civil lawsuit filed on behalf of the children of Semika Shaw, who had called the clinic the day after an abortion to report heavy bleeding, and died three days later of a perforated uterus and a bloodstream infection. The case alleged that Gosnell had failed to tell her to return to the clinic or seek emergency medical care. The case was settled out of court in 2002 for $900,000. Around 2001 – Gosnell claimed to be providing children's vaccines under a program administered by the Health Department's Division of Disease Control, but was repeatedly suspended for failing to maintain logs and for storing vaccines in unsanitary and inappropriate refrigerators, and at improper temperatures. December 2001 – Ex-employee Marcella Choung gave what a grand jury would later call "a detailed written complaint" to the Pennsylvania Department of State, one which she followed up with an interview in March 2002. 2006 – Civil lawsuit filed by patient but dismissed as out of time. The complaint was that Gosnell had been unable to complete an abortion, but then apparently failed or refused to call paramedics or other clinical emergency personnel after the patient had needed help. The patient reported, "I really felt like he was going to let me die."

In total, 46 known lawsuits were filed against Gosnell over some 32 years of his career. Observers claimed that there was a complete failure by Pennsylvania regulators who had overlooked other repeated concerns brought to their attention, including lack of trained staff, "barbaric" conditions, and a high level of illegal late-term abortions. Clinic raid and investigation Gosnell's clinic, the Women's Medical Society, was raided on February 18, 2010, under a search warrant by investigators from the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and Pennsylvania State Police. The raid was the result of a months-long investigation by the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), the Philadelphia Police Department, and the state's Dangerous Drug-Offender Unit into suspected illegal drug prescription use at the practice. The investigation had also revealed the suspicious 2009 death of patient Karnamaya Mongar, a 41-year-old refugee from Bhutan, which had in turn brought to light further information about unsanitary operations, use of untrained staff (including teenagers), and use of powerful drugs without proper medical supervision and control. Thus, when the February 2010 raid took place, staff from Pennsylvania's departments of state and health also attended, as these issues were under their remit: Grand Jury exhibit of bags containing fetal remains in Gosnell's clinic. Grand Jury exhibit of unsanitary conditions inside Gosnell's clinic.

Facility conditions Grand jury exhibit of fetal feet that Gosnell stored in jars. Investigators observed extreme unsanitary conditions throughout the clinic, including pervasive non-sterile environments, blood-stained instruments and furniture, and contamination by animal feces, urine, and other waste. The facility contained a strong odor of urine, and a flea-infested cat was allowed to roam freely. Surgical rooms were described as filthy, with non-sterile instruments, rusty and outdated equipment, and oxygen supplies that were dusty and uninspected.

Fetal remains were found improperly stored throughout the facility, including in bags, milk jugs, juice cartons, and other containers, with some remains months old. Investigators discovered jars containing severed fetal feet, as well as large quantities of medical waste accumulated in the basement. In total, the remains of dozens of fetuses were recovered, including some considered potentially viable. In addition, significant safety hazards were identified, including blocked or padlocked emergency exits that could impede evacuation or emergency response. Many employees had little or no relevant medical training, yet were expected to carry out tasks beyond their competence and sometimes misrepresented themselves as licensed clinicians. Testimony indicated that training for certain responsibilities could consist of only brief, informal instruction, and that staff were required to act independently in medical situations. The clinic often operated in the absence of a supervising physician, with employees reporting that they were discouraged from seeking guidance and expected to manage complications on their own. Documentation of procedures, medications, and patient outcomes was often missing or inaccurate, including failures to record drug dosages or monitor patient condition. Staff were instructed to manipulate ultrasound measurements and reported gestational ages so that they would appear to fall within legal limits, regardless of the actual stage of pregnancy.

Abortion and infanticide Grand Jury Exhibit of the "neck snip" Gosnell used during late-term abortions. The grand jury reported that, during "abortion procedures," clinic staff routinely delivered living infants in the third trimester and then ensured their deaths after delivery. This was commonly done by severing the spinal cord with scissors, a practice staff referred to as “snipping” or the “neck snip.” According to the grand jury, many of these instances could not be individually prosecuted because records had been falsified, removed, or destroyed, though it stated that the number of such cases was in the “hundreds.”

Among the "few cases" where tangible evidence existed, the jury noted a boy aged 30 weeks at six pounds; a frozen body in a water container of "at least" 28 weeks; remains of at least one abortion of over 32 weeks for which an extra $1000 had been demanded; testimony of a baby heard to make noise; and a baby left "moving and breathing for at least 20 minutes" prior to "snipping". The jury heard testimony about "special" Sunday sessions, at which only Gosnell and his wife were present, which the jury suspected (and in some cases was able to corroborate) would include cases that were more advanced in time, or more disturbing.

Regulatory oversight Reports stated that state officials had failed to visit or inspect Gosnell's practices since 1993. The grand jury report noted that the medical examiner of Delaware County alerted the Pennsylvania Department of Health that Gosnell had performed an illegal abortion on a 14-year-old who was thirty weeks pregnant; it is also claimed the Pennsylvania Department of Health did not act when they became aware of Gosnell's involvement in the death of Karnamaya Mongar. Inspections (other than those triggered by complaints) had ceased under the governorship of Tom Ridge, a pro-choice Republican, as they were perceived to create a barrier to women seeking abortion services.

Other cases cited in the media Examples of other cases cited in the media include:

Girl age 15, accompanied by relative (1998): said to have told Gosnell she changed her mind about the abortion once inside the practice. Gosnell allegedly got upset, ripped off the patient's clothing and forcibly restrained her. The patient later stated that Gosnell told her: "This is the same care that I would give to my own daughter." She regained consciousness twelve hours later at her aunt's home, the abortion having been completed against her will. Woman age 28, five months pregnant (2001): Patient described the pain four days after abortion as being so bad she could barely walk. The patient described that upon returning to the clinic because of the pain, ultrasound showed fetal remains left inside her uterus, and that Gosnell suctioned these out without anesthesia. "I was just laying on the table and crying and I just asked the Lord to get me through it." and a plethora of findings was presented to a grand jury on May 4, 2010. Public discussion focused on claims of unsanitary conditions and other unacceptable conditions at the practices. Media reports stated that furniture and blankets were stained with blood, that freely roaming cats defecated wherever they pleased, and that non-sterilized equipment was used and reused on patients. According to the grand jury report, patients were given labor-inducing drugs by staff who had no medical training. Once labor began, the patient would be placed on a toilet. After the fetus fell into the toilet, it would be fished out so as not to clog the plumbing. In the recovery room, patients were seated on dirty recliners covered in blood-stained blankets. Prosecutors alleged that Gosnell had not been certified in either gynecology or obstetrics. The grand jury estimated that his practice "took in $10,000 to $15,000 a night" of additional income from his exceedingly high level of prescriptions.

Grand jury report The grand jury concluded that the clinic operated as a corrupt organization within the meaning of racketeering law, citing a pattern of unlawful practices including the use of unlicensed staff, falsification of records, illegal abortion procedures, regular cases of infanticide, and violations of medical and abortion laws. It described these findings as reflecting a systemic disregard for legal requirements and patient safety rather than isolated incidents.

The grand jury also recommended specific regulatory and legislative reforms, including mandatory annual inspections of abortion facilities, stricter enforcement of licensing requirements, and improved systems for reporting and investigating complaints. It called for better coordination between oversight agencies and more thorough review processes, including cross-checking physician records and prior complaints. Additional recommendations included requiring qualified physicians to supervise certain procedures, strengthening oversight of medical waste disposal, and enacting new laws to criminalize impersonation of medical professionals. It further recommended changes to existing laws, including extending the statute of limitations for late-term abortion offenses and eliminating time limits for infanticide, as well as broader legislative review to address gaps in regulatory authority and enforcement.

The grand jury recommended a range of criminal charges against Kermit Gosnell, his wife, and several associates, including Lynda Williams, Adrienne Moton, Steven Massof, and Eileen O'Neill, as well as others such as Sherry West and Tina Baldwin. Recommended charges included first-degree murder in cases where infants were alleged to have been born alive, conspiracy to commit murder in connection with numerous additional alleged incidents, and solicitation to commit murder. Additional charges included violations of the Abortion Control Act, illegal late-term abortions, and drug-related offenses tied to the clinic’s prescription practices. In connection with the death of Karnamaya Mongar, charges included third-degree murder and drug delivery resulting in death. Further counts included obstruction of justice, falsification and destruction of records, impersonation of medical professionals, abuse of corpses, and participation in a criminal enterprise.

Apprehension Gosnell was arrested on January 19, 2011, five days after the certification of the grand jury's report. He was charged with eight counts of murder. Prosecutors alleged that he killed seven babies born alive by severing their spinal cords with scissors, and that he was also responsible for the death in 2009 of Karnamaya Mongar. Gosnell's wife, Pearl, and eight other suspects were also arrested in connection with the case. The DEA, the FBI, and the Office of the Inspector General also sought a 23-count indictment charging Gosnell and seven members of his former staff with drug conspiracy relating to the practice's illegal prescriptions of highly addictive painkillers and sedatives outside of the usual course of professional practice and for no legitimate medical purpose.

The third-degree murder charge relates to Karnamaya Mongar. Mongar was a 41-year-old refugee from Bhutan, who had immigrated the same year (2009) she went to Gosnell's clinic. According to prosecutors, Gosnell's staff gave the 90-pound woman a lethal dose of anesthesia and painkillers during a 2009 abortion. During Gosnell's trial, a toxicologist testified to unsafe levels of drugs, and the lead of anesthesiology at the University of Pittsburgh Medical School testified that the dose received by her was "outrageous" and that most average adults "would have stopped breathing" if dosed in the manner described. Gosnell's lawyer asserted that Mongar had other drugs in her system that did not come from Gosnell's clinic, and that none of the infants were born alive. No physical evidence exists for five of the seven casescharges are based on staff testimony and denied by Gosnell. A photograph exists of the sixth, who allegedly had a gestational age of 30 weeks, and the physical remains were obtained of the seventh.

Gosnell's lawyer stated that, "Everybody's made him the butcher, this, that and the other thing without any trial, without anything being exposed to the public and everybody's found him guilty, that's not right". He accused the government of a "lynching" and stated, "This is a targeted, elitist and racist prosecution of a doctor who's done nothing but give [back] to the poor and the people of West Philadelphia."

Trial In 2011, Gosnell, his wife Pearl, and eight other clinic employees were charged in the case. Eight, including Gosnell's wife, subsequently pleaded guilty, most of whom would testify against Gosnell, and three of these pleaded guilty to third-degree murder, carrying a 20- to 40-year term. In December 2011, Pearl pleaded guilty to performing illegal abortions, conspiracy, criminal conspiracy and corrupt organization; due to spousal privilege, she would not have to testify against Gosnell, although she could still go to prison.

As a result, the only employee to go on trial with Gosnell was Eileen O'Neill, who allegedly held herself out as a doctor at the clinic when she was not licensed. Her lawyer told jurors she never did so, and performed medical duties only under Gosnell's orders. ), the one count of infanticide, and all five charges of abusing a corpse Gosnell had been charged with, as well as six of the nine charges of theft by deception faced by O'Neill. No formal ruling has yet been given for these dismissals. Media sources following the trial have suggested that there may have been insufficient evidence of post-procedure life to sustain charges in law. Although prosecutors had argued the movements were voluntary and therefore signs of life, it was argued that the evidence offered by prosecutors was equally capable of being interpreted in some or all of these as single autonomous post-mortem motor movements or spasms instead of clinical signs of life, and additionally that none of the seven were capable of being alive as all had been previously killed clinically in utero by means of drugs as part of the procedure.

The remaining four first-degree murder charges could still have led to the death penalty. The third-degree murder charges in the death of Karnamaya Mongar, the racketeering charge, and over 200 charges related to multiple violations of abortion law were also left standing. Gosnell's defense attorney rested his case summarily without calling or questioning any witnesses, and without Gosnell taking the stand in his defense, leaving the defense case until final arguments (under US law, a defendant may choose not to take the stand; if so then the jury is instructed that no inference or assumption may be drawn from this). O'Neill also did not testify in her defense.

Defendants, related charges, verdicts and sentencing Gosnell was charged with seven counts of first-degree murder (reduced to four counts at trial) and one count of third-degree murder, as well as infanticide (dismissed at trial), five counts of abusing a corpse (all dismissed at trial), multiple counts of conspiracy, criminal solicitation, and violation of a state law that forbids abortions after the 24th week of pregnancy. The non-murder charges included 24 counts of violating Pennsylvania's Abortion Act by performing illegal third-trimester abortions, 227 counts of violating a 24-hour waiting-period requirement, failing to counsel patients, and racketeering. Kermit's wife, was charged with abortion at 24 or more weeks, conspiracy and participating in a corrupt organization. She pleaded guilty to these charges on December 13, 2011. Pearl Gosnell was sentenced to 7 to 23 months in prison. Eileen O'Neill of Phoenixville, was convicted of conspiracy charges and theft by deception. Steven Massof, a medical school graduate who lacked a license, pleaded guilty in November 2011 to two counts of third-degree murder for the deaths of two babies who had been born alive and was sentenced to six to 12 years in prison. Kareema Cross, who testified at the state trial she had seen at least ten babies breathe after being aborted who were then killed, pleaded guilty to federal drug charges over improper distribution of pain medicine from Gosnell's clinic. Adrienne Moton pleaded guilty to third degree murder, admitting to cutting the neck of ten babies and to racketeering charges. She was sentenced to 11 and a half to 23 months in prison. Lynda Williams was convicted of two counts of third-degree murder and sentenced to 5 to 10 years for her crimes. Sherry West was convicted of third-degree murder and other charges, having admitted to administering the overdose that killed Karnamaya Mongar. She was sentenced to 5 to 10 years in prison. Tina Baldwin pleaded guilty to racketeering, conspiracy and corruption of a minor.

On May 13, 2013, the jury reported that they were deadlocked on two counts. After returning to deliberations, the jury convicted Gosnell of three counts of murder, one count of involuntary manslaughter, and over 200 lesser counts including infanticide and racketeering. He was found not guilty on one of the counts of murder. The murder charges Gosnell was convicted of concerned babies referred to as Baby Boy A (also known as Baby Abrams and as Adam), Baby C and Baby D.

On May 14, 2013, Gosnell struck a deal with prosecutors in which he agreed to waive all his appeal rights regarding his conviction on the day earlier. In exchange, prosecutors allowed Gosnell to be sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole. The following day, Gosnell was sentenced to three life terms.

Drug distribution trial In December 2013, Gosnell was convicted of illegally distributing painkillers. He was charged with illegally distributing a "staggering" amount of painkillers such as Oxycontin, totaling hundreds of thousands of pills. Many of the drugs he distributed were later sold on the streets by drug dealers. Gosnell was sentenced to 30 years imprisonment for the crimes.

Civil cases The family of Karnamaya Mongar brought a wrongful death suit against Gosnell and sought to freeze his assets to prevent him from transferring them to other people to avoid paying. In September 2015, a judge in Philadelphia Common Pleas court awarded nearly $4 million in compensatory damages to Mongar's daughter, Yashoda Devi Gurung. However, reports that Gosnell had few assets by this time made it doubtful whether any of the money would be paid.

Death Gosnell died at a hospital in Huntingdon, Pennsylvania, on March 1, 2026, at the age of 85. His death was not reported until three weeks later, on March 23.

Impact and aftermath Other bodies and persons claiming to have made reports In April 2011 the University of Pennsylvania Health System claimed as early as 1999 that they had provided to authorities reports about botched procedures by Gosnell. The only case for which any reports were produced was that of Semika Shaw, a 22-year-old, who died at the University of Pennsylvania hospital as a result of bleeding and sepsis caused by a botched procedure by Gosnell. Gosnell's insurers settled a lawsuit with family members of Shaw for $900,000. The health system also claims other undocumented reports were made orally, for which they did not have records.

Regulatory and legislative impact The Consumer Protection and Professional Licensure Committee of the Pennsylvania State Senate, led by Robert M. Tomlinson, began a hearing in February 2011 to look into the failure of the Pennsylvania Department of State — which is responsible for licensing doctors — to provide any oversight of Gosnell's activities. At the same time, the Public Health and Welfare Committee of the state Senate, chaired by Pat Vance, conducted hearings on the Pennsylvania State Health Department's failure to put a stop to Gosnell's activities.

In part as a result of the grand jury report on Gosnell, in late 2011, Pennsylvania passed a law, SB 732, that places abortion clinics under the same health and safety regulations as other outpatient surgical centers. Among those who supported the bill was Democrat Margo L. Davidson, whose cousin Semika Shaw died as a result of procedures done by Gosnell. Davidson specifically linked her support for the additional regulations to her cousin's death, which she attributed to poor medical practices.

In May 2013, as a result of the Kermit Gosnell case, Representative Joe Pitts (R-Pennsylvania), chair of the health-matters subcommittee of the United States House of Representatives' Energy and Commerce Committee, began an inquiry into states' oversight of abortion clinics.

In June 2013, the Republican-led U.S. House of Representatives passed the Pain-Capable Unborn Child Protection Act. Speaker of the House John Boehner said the bill was in response to Gosnell's convictions. The legislation was viewed as mostly symbolic, as it stood little chance of being approved by the then Democratic-led U.S. Senate.

Non-legislative actions resulting from the case In February 2011, Governor Tom Corbett fired six employees and commenced action to fire eight others where, for legal or contractual reasons, more extensive dismissal procedures were required. These included Basil Merenda, the acting head of the Pennsylvania Department of State; Christine Dutton, the Department of Health's chief counsel (who, in reaction to being questioned why the department did not react to a death at Gosnell's clinic, said "people die"); and Stacy Mitchell, a deputy secretary in the health department (whom the grand jury cited as a key figure in the Health Department's indifference to, and non-regulation of, abortion clinics). Some of the people most connected by the grand jury report with the failure of the government to act, such as Janice Staloski, had retired by this point and so no action was taken against them.

Memorial The remains of the 47 fetuses and infants found at Gosnell's clinic were buried at Laurel Hill Cemetery, though no headstone was used. In 2019, John and Loida McKeever installed a small memorial at the site, a statue of an angel. A sign around its neck reads: "In memory of the babies that were lost at 3801 Lancaster Avenue".

Media coverage and public reactions Gosnell's arrest has been the subject of much public comment and expressions of condemnation and shock by senior public figures of all parties. Philadelphia Mayor Michael Nutter (D-PA) said, "I think it's quite clear that, if these allegations are true, we've had a monster living in our midst" while vowing to watch the city's remaining abortion clinics more closely. Outgoing Governor Ed Rendell (D-PA) criticized Department of Health officials saying, "I was flabbergasted to learn that the Department of Health did not think their authority to protect public health extended to clinics offering abortion services", while incoming Governor Tom Corbett (R-PA) stated through a spokesperson that he was "appalled at the inaction on the part of the Health Department and the Department of State," and Philadelphia District Attorney R. Seth Williams said, "My comprehension of the English language can't adequately describe the barbaric nature of Dr. Gosnell[...] Pennsylvania is not a third-world country[...] There were several oversight agencies that stumbled upon and should have shut down Kermit Gosnell long ago."

Gosnell also practiced in other states, including Delaware. In January 2011, Delaware Attorney General Beau Biden (D-Delaware) promised a wide-ranging investigation into the abortions Gosnell performed in Delaware saying; "I'm disturbed by the allegations that were handed up by the grand jury in Philadelphia".

Vicki Saporta, President of the National Abortion Federation, defended the organization's failure to report by noting that although Gosnell had been rejected for membership following inspection, because his clinics did not meet appropriate standards of care "they'd cleaned the place up and hired an RN [registered nurse] for our visit. We only saw first-trimester procedures." She added that, "Unfortunately, some women don't know where to turn. You sometimes have substandard providers preying on low-income women who don't know that they do have other (safe) options." A spokesperson for Planned Parenthood in Southeastern Pennsylvania, condemned Gosnell, saying, "We would condemn any physician who does not follow the law or endangers anyone's health[...] All women should have access to high-quality care when they are vulnerable and facing difficult decisions." Dayle Steinberg, CEO of Planned Parenthood of Southeastern Pennsylvania, says she knew that Gosnell had provided abortions in Philadelphia for many years, but says she hadn't heard of any problems at his clinic until the allegations surfaced. She has been quoted as stating that "when Gosnell was in practice, women would sometimes come to Planned Parenthood for services after first visiting Gosnell's West Philadelphia clinic, and would complain to staff about the conditions there. We would always encourage them to report it to the Department of Health." She clarified that "when Gosnell was arrested, I asked our staff if anyone had ever heard of him, and clinic staff members reported that a few women over the years said they were concerned about the uncleanliness of his facility and came to Planned Parenthood instead[...] if we had heard anything remotely like the conditions that have since come to light about Gosnell's facility, of course we would have alerted the state and other authorities".

Kermit Gosnell himself gave an interview to Fox affiliate WTXF-TV in February 2011, in which he stated that: "I expect to be vindicated." [Regarding the allegations] "to tell you the truth, I hope to read them in 3 to 6 months[...] because I have lived through negative publicity before." "It's something I have personally experienced several times before where my surgical abilities have been challenged, where the choices that I have made have not always been perfect." "If you are not making mistakes, you are not really attempting to do something, so I think that my patients are aware that I do my very best by them." "The standard that I share with everyone[...] is that I provide the same care that I would provide my own daughter I feel." "I have a story to tell[...] my work to the community is of value." Gosnell reported that he received outpouring of support: "I have gotten wonderful little messages of support [telling me to have] confidence that [the fact that] I am a good person will prevail."

Criticism of media coverage

A perception had built up among some journalists and anti-abortion groups that there had been a reluctance to report on the trial among mainstream media. In an April 11, 2013, opinion column for USA Today, Kirsten Powers wrote: "A Lexis-Nexis search shows none of the news shows on the three major national television networks has mentioned the Gosnell trial in the last three months", and that national press coverage was represented by a Wall Street Journal columnist who "hijacked" a segment on Meet the Press, a single page A-17 story on the first day of the trial by The New York Times, and no original coverage by The Washington Post. While Powers is credited by some for drawing media coverage to the Gosnell trial, Dave Weigel at Slate.com reported it was conservatives' aggressive use of social media, especially Twitter, that "goaded" the press into covering the trial. According to Weigel, Troy Newman, president of the Kansas-based anti-abortion Operation Rescue, had organized a Twitter campaign using "#Gosnell" to break the "Gosnell Media Blackout."

Key to that social media campaign was a picture of rows of empty media seats in the Gosnell courtroom taken by Calkins Media columnist J.D. Mullane. Mullane told Weigel he was struck by the absence of media at the trial, and took out his iPhone and snapped the picture, tweeting it later that night. "Mullane retweeted the photo a few more times, with different captions, because it had been packed into a snowball (of criticism)" which included Powers' column for USA Today, Weigel wrote. The empty seats photograph was used by anti-abortion activists to show "proof" of media dereliction. Weigel wrote: "It worked. An estimated 106,000 #Gosnell tweets later, on April 15, Mullane reported that major networks and newspapers had sent their reporters to cover the trial—Fox News, the New York Times, the Washington Post."

Writing for The Washington Post, Melinda Henneberger responded that "we didn't write more because the only abortion story most outlets ever cover in the news pages is every single threat or perceived threat to abortion rights. In fact, that is so fixed a view of what constitutes coverage of that issue that it's genuinely hard, I think, for many journalists to see a story outside that paradigm as news. That's not so much a conscious decision as a reflex, but the effect is one-sided coverage". Explaining why some of her colleagues did not report on the story, Henneberger wrote, "One colleague viewed Gosnell's alleged atrocities as a local crime story, though I can't think of another mass murder, with hundreds of victims, that we ever saw that way. Another said it was just too lurid, though that didn't keep us from covering Jeffrey Dahmer, or that aspiring cannibal at the NYPD." Writing for Bloomberg View, Jeffrey Goldberg said that this story "upsets a particular narrative about the reality of certain types of abortion, and that reality isn't something some pro-choice absolutists want to discuss".

The Los Angeles Times, The Atlantic, Slate, and Time all published opinion columns where the writer thought the incident was not getting as much media coverage as it deserved. Megan McArdle explains that she didn't cover it because it made her ill, but also how being pro-choice influenced writers saying "most of us tend to be less interested in sick-making stories if the sick-making was done by 'our side,'" saying, "this story should have been covered much more than it was — covered as a national policy issue, not a 'local crime story.'" Martin Baron, The Washington Post'''s executive editor, claims he wasn't aware of the story until Thursday, April 11, 2013, when readers began emailing him about it, saying "I wish I could be conscious of all stories everywhere, but I can't be". They ultimately decided that, in fact, the story warranted attention because of "the seriousness and scope of the alleged crimes and because this was a case that resonated in policy arguments and national politics", adding "In retrospect, we regret not having staffed the trial sooner. But, as you know, we don't have unlimited resources, and[...] there is a lot of competition for our staff's attention". While Powers' piece clearly sparked debate among journalists, Katherine Bindley also highlights contrasting views, as does Paul Farhi.

In April 2013, 71 other Members of Congress joined Congresswoman Marsha Blackburn in a letter condemning the media "blackout" on the Gosnell trial.

Film and documentary

In early 2014, filmmakers Ann McElhinney, Phelim McAleer, and Magdalena Segieda announced they would be producing a true crime drama film of the Gosnell crimes. Nick Searcy would direct, and John Sullivan would serve as executive producer. The title for the film is Gosnell: America's Biggest Serial Killer. The producers raised money for production of the movie on the crowdfunding site Indiegogo, receiving $2.3 million from backers. Andrew Klavan was hired to be the screenwriter for the movie. Earl Billings portrays Gosnell, and Dean Cain takes the part of Detective James Wood.

The producers announced on June 26, 2018, that they had signed a distribution deal for the movie, which opened in about 750 theaters on October 12, 2018.

As well, the filmmakers wrote a book titled, Gosnell: The Untold Story of America's Most Prolific Serial Killer''.

Documentary A documentary about the case titled "3801 Lancaster: American Tragedy" was released in 2013, with clips from it shown on media outlets such as CNN. The documentary was made by David Altrogge and won Best Short Film at the 2013 Justice Film Festival.