United States — March 24, 2026 (New York time) — Kermit Gosnell, the Philadelphia abortion doctor who shocked the nation with his infant murder case, has died at the age of 85 while serving a life sentence. 4 According to the Pennsylvania Department of Corrections, Gosnell died on March 1 at an outside hospital. The cause of death has not been released. Previously, he was incarcerated at the State Correctional Institution-Smithfield, located about 60 miles from Pittsburgh. Gosnell was serving a life sentence after being convicted in 2013 on three counts of first-degree murder involving three infants born alive. Additionally, he was convicted of involuntary manslaughter in the death of a patient who overdosed after a procedure at his West Philadelphia clinic — which later became known as the “house of horrors.” According to court records, former employees testified that Gosnell frequently performed abortions beyond the 24-week limit under Pennsylvania law. In many cases, infants were still moving, breathing, or making sounds after birth before their lives were ended by severing their spinal cords. The 2010 investigation initially stemmed from suspected prescription drug trafficking, later uncovering deplorable conditions at the clinic: a foul stench, dirty medical equipment, blood-stained furniture, and numerous bags and jars containing fetuses and body parts. The case became a focal point of the national debate on abortion, occurring nearly a decade before the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade. Following the scandal, two state health officials were fired, and Pennsylvania tightened oversight regulations for abortion facilities after discovering that the system had failed to conduct routine inspections of clinics for 15 years.

Read more