Black anti-abortion groups call Gosnell “racist of the worst kind

The leaders of two black anti-abortion groups today denounced West Philadelphia abortion doctor Kermit Gosnell as a "racist of the worst kind" and a "butcher who preyed on the women and girls of his own race."

Day Gardner, president of the Washington-based National Black Pro-Life Union and the Rev. Clenard Howard Childress Jr. of Learn Northeast, based in Montclair, N.J. spoke to reporters outside the Criminal Justice Center in Center City as Gosnell's murder trial continued inside.

Gardner and Childress also critized state health officials for allowing Gosnell to operate his Women's Medical Society clinic at 3801 Lancaster Ave. for more than a decade without inspections.

"Kermit Gosnell killed children because he could," Gardner said. "After all, they were mostly black children and who will really care about black babies? Just another black child - dead in Philadelphia."

No Pennsylvania health officials were criminally charged as a result of the 2011 county grand jury report that resulted in the arrest of Gosnell, 72, and nine employees.

But the grand jury report said state officials wanted to avoid a controversial political issue and turned a blind eye to Gosnell because his practice largely affected poor, inner-city African American women.

A month after the 2011 grand jury's report, the Corbett Administration fired four state lawyers and two supervisors at the state Departments of Health and State for failing to ensure inspection of state abortion providers for more than a decade.

Corbett called state workers' failure to conduct the required annual inspections "despicable."

The state also enacted Act 122, a law regulating all free-standing abortion clinics as outpatient surgical centers.

Gardner is one of a handful of anti-abortion activists who have been in court monitoring the Gosnell trial this week.

Childress also blasted Gosnell defense attorney Jack McMahon for saying in his opening statement to the jury that Gosnell's prosecution was motivated by racism and elitism.

And both also criticized the lack of national media coverage of the trial.

"Whis is it that the children mercilessly killed by Kermit Gosnell should get less attention that the death of little Caylee Anthony, Connor Peterson or any of the other children whose lives were cut so terribly, terribly short?" Gardner asked.

Gosnell is charged with seven counts of first-degree murder in the killing of seven infants born alive and viable during illegal late-term abortions. He faces a possible death penalty if found guilty.

He is also charged with third-degree murder in the Nov. 19, 2009 death of a Virginia woman, Karnamaya Mongar, 41, during an abortion. Prosecutors allege that Mongar was administered too much anesthesia by Gosnell's untrained staff.