(Catholic Herald photo/Mary C. Uhler)
MADISON — “We’ll see the end of abortion in our lifetime,” asserted Fr. Frank Pavone, national director of Priests for Life, in a talk sponsored by Wisconsin Right to Life at the Inn on the Park in Madison on May 7.
In an impassioned speech, Father Pavone said the trial of abortionist Kermit Gosnell in Philadelphia has exposed the grisly truths about the abortion industry. “I was at much of the trial myself,” said Father Pavone. “I sat right behind him (Gosnell). He smiled during much of the trial.”
Murder charges
Gosnell faces four counts of first-degree murder, accused of killing four babies by using scissors to cut their spinal cords. Authorities allege that some of the infants were born alive and viable during the sixth, seventh, and eighth months of pregnancy.
“Witnesses testified that they heard the babies cry and breathe,” said Father Pavone, noting that the word “baby” was used in the trial, even by the defense.
Gosnell also faces a count of third-degree murder in the death of Karnamaya Mongar, 41, who authorities say died during a second-trimester abortion. Gosnell also is charged with conspiracy, abortion at 24 or more weeks of pregnancy, theft, corruption of minors, solicitation, and other related offenses.
Father Pavone said that Kermit Gosnell is not the exception. “He’s the norm,” he said. “The entire abortion industry is on here. We have to expose them.”
Independent of the verdict, Father Pavone said, “Abortion is on trial here.”
Conditions at abortion clinic
Kermit Gosnell
convicted of murder
PHILADELPHIA, Pa. — Philadelphia abortion provider Kermit Gosnell was convicted Monday, May 13, of three counts of first-degree murder for the death of three babies that prosecutors said were delivered alive and subsequently killed.
Gosnell, 72, could face the death penalty when the jury reconvenes for the sentencing phase next week. Gosnell was acquitted of one count of first-degree murder in a fourth abortion, NBCPhiladelphia.com reported.
The jury also found Gosnell not guilty of third-degree murder but guilty of involuntary manslaughter in the death of Karnamaya Mongar, a 41-year-old woman who died after an anesthesia overdose during a 2009 abortion.
Gosnell was convicted of a host of other charges, including infanticide, conspiracy, and running a corrupt organization.
He pointed to testimony at the trial, which said that the abortion clinic where Gosnell worked had untrained staff (including a 15-year-old who was performing ultrasounds), corroded wires, old equipment, expired medications, and reused materials.
“It was horrifying to hear the testimony in court, but none of it was anything we hadn’t heard before,” said Father Pavone.
Of course, the conditions at the clinic were the least of the concerns. The deaths of so many babies — some of them able to live outside the womb — was horrifying to discover.
Honoring the babies
Father Pavone has made a request to the judge and the medical examiner in Philadelphia to be able to take possession of the 45 babies’ bodies confiscated from freezers, milk jugs, and cat litter containers.
“I asked that once the trial is finished, that Priests for Life will receive the bodies and have a funeral for them. We’re going to let people honor these children.”
On May 9, the feast of the Ascension, Father Pavone held a prayer service in New York City to bestow names on these babies.
“These babies are people,” he said. “They are our brothers and sisters. The Lord has given us responsibility for them.”
In September, Priests for Life is planning to have a National Day of Remembrance at burial places all over the country where aborted babies are buried.
Shining a light
“We want to remind people that life is beautiful. We have a powerful message. We’ve got to shock the consciences of people into a state of alertness.”
Father Pavone said that “the truth is coming out. We have to shine a brighter light on it.”
He encouraged people to “pray every day for an end to abortion.”
Eventually, in our lifetime, he believes “we will see the end of abortion,” asserted Father Pavone.
“Keep doing the things that you’re doing,” he told those attending the event. “Encourage each other in the ongoing fight for life.”
He especially commended the young people in the audience. “You are not simply future leaders. You are leaders now. Join your hands to ours. Together we’ll go over the finish line.”
Wisconsin efforts
Barbara Lyons, executive director of Wisconsin Right to Life (WRTL), said Wisconsin has much lower numbers of abortions than its neighboring states.
She said the efforts of WRTL’s 55 county chapters statewide have helped the number of abortions drop from 17,318 in 1987 to 7,249 in 2011.
By contrast, in 2011 neighboring states had the following number of abortions:
• Minnesota = 11,071
• Michigan = 23,366
• Illinois = 41,366
Lyons pointed to life-saving legislation in Wisconsin, education efforts among young people, and pro-life television ads as some of the reasons why Wisconsin’s abortion rate has dropped.
Proposed state legislation
WRTL is also backing several bills in the current state legislative session including:
• Taxpayer Protection Act — This would prohibit the use of public funds to pay a physician, surgeon, or hospital, clinic, or other medical facility for the performance of an abortion except in certain cases specified in current law.
• Prenatal Nondiscrimination Act — Prohibits the use of abortion as a method of sex selection in Wisconsin.
• Woman’s Right to Know Her Unborn Child Act — This would ensure that a woman seeking an abortion has full knowledge of her baby’s development by allowing her to view an ultrasound of her unborn baby and visualize her baby’s heart beating.
• The Pain Capable Unborn Child Protection Act — This would protect unborn children who are capable of feeling pain from abortion. Medical evidence demonstrates that unborn children are capable of experiencing pain, certainly by 20 weeks after fertilization.
For more information on any of these pieces of legislation, go to the WRTL website at www.wisconsinrighttolife.org