Speaking to Philadelphia magazine writer Steve Volk, Gosnell said he believed he was serving the best interests of his community when he brutally snipped the necks of babies born alive during abortion procedures in his filthy West Philadelphia clinic.
“In an ideal world,” he said, “we’d have no need for abortion. But bringing a child into the world when it cannot be provided for, that there are not sufficient systems to support, is a greater sin. I considered myself to be in a war against poverty, and I feel comfortable with the things I did and the decisions I made.”
During the course of the summer, Volk received 12 letters from Gosnell, who is currently serving a life sentence without parole after being convicted of multiple charges of first degree murder for the killing of infants born alive after abortion. He was also convicted of involuntary manslaughter in the death of a woman who died from an overdose of anesthesia during an abortion performed in his clinic which investigators said reeked of cat urine and dried blood. They also found jars containing the preserved feet of aborted fetuses and freezers full of fetal body parts.
In the dozens of e-mails and phone calls exchanged between the two, Gosnell said he felt a sense of "spiritual innocence" for his crimes.
He claims his conviction was motivated by religion and politics. “I have come to believe that the presumption of guilt was compounded by religious convictions,” Gosnell said. “ … Were you aware that Seth [Williams, Philadelphia’s district attorney] was an altar boy? Did you know of the strong Catholic presence in the homicide division?”
Among the materials sent to Volk was this poem written by Gosnell:
Abortion Providers
Are Labeled Killers!
Horrendous, Exploitive
Barbaric, Inhumane
Not Physicians, Oathed To Heal
Lest We Forget,
What Chance Have Those?
Those Without The Support
Of Their Parents
Their Families
Their Communities
Their Societies …
So Many
Without Sufficient Support
Stumble Into Drugs
Into Crime
Into Mental Illness
Into Institutions … And …
Languish in Jails …
Volk's interview with Gosnell will be published in the October issue of Philadelphia magazine and an expanded version is available in an e-book entitled "Gosnell's Babies."
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