Pro-choice delusions on Gosnell's clinic

At Feministe, Jill Filipovic has some more pro-choice delusions regarding Kermit Gosnell's abortion clinic.

The Gosnell case shows us the worst of what happens when abortion isn’t accessible. Gosnell’s “clinic” was nothing short of a house of horrors, and he preyed upon women who couldn’t get abortions anywhere else or who were unfamiliar with the American medical system — poor women, immigrants, minors.

Wrong. Fears about access to abortion is what partly caused these horrors. Jill apparently still hasn't taken the time to read the grand jury report and learn that the reason Gosnell's clinic wasn't inspected in 15 years was partly because pro-choice governors Ridge and Rendell created and kept in place policies encouraging the DOH to avoid inspecting abortion clinics. They did this because they had concerns about "barriers" to abortion. Gosnell's case shows us what happens when abortion isn't regulated.

Second, abortion is quite accessible in Philadelphia. Google "philadelphia abortion" and you'll find (on the map to the right of your screen) what I believe are at least 3 abortion clinics within a 15 minute drive of Gosnell's clinic. It's not like there weren't other clinics in the area.

Third, while Gosnell was a lazy, inept abortionist working in horrible conditions who didn't value the lives of women or children, I don't think "prey" is the right word for what he did. He wasn't stalking women or following them around town. These women and girls sought out his services because he was cheap and because he was willing to break the law.

For some reason, pro-choicers think the answer to this problem is less laws.

You’ll hear “abortion is bad” without any recognition that outlawing abortion would have done absolutely nothing to help the women and babies who died or suffered in Gosnell’s care.

What? Well, if abortion was outlawed and policed then maybe some of the complaints about Gosnell's clinic would have been followed up on instead of being brushed under the rug because pro-choice politicians in Pennsylvania didn't want to create barriers to access. Maybe if abortion was outlawed, the physicians who treated the women injured by Gosnell wouldn't have failed to report the injuries he caused.