In an interview Dr. Gosnell gave three years ago he claimed he would be vindicated and that the fact that he was a “good person” would prevail.
When the DEA and FBI raided Dr. Gosnell’s abortion clinic in early 2010, they discovered blood on the floors, unsterilized equipment and 47 babies stored in a freezer. Gosnell’s medical license was immediately suspended and evidence was gathered which eventually led to the death penalty trial now taking place in Philadelphia.
But a few days after the raid which ended his career, Gosnell reached out to a local news station, against the advice of his attorney, and offered to do an interview. Gosnell presented himself to Fox 29 in Philadelphia in a light, soft-spoken manner, even making a joke about how much he needed some time off.
Gosnell refused to comment on the shocking allegations about frozen bodies kept at his clinic or any of the prior complaints against him but remained upbeat saying, “I expect to be vindicated.” He also offered this oddly phrased defense of his work, “I can not have control over the accomplishments in terms of how people view them, but I know I have done my very best to provide the very best of responsive care to my patients.”
That view of his “accomplishments” was not shared by Davida Johnson, a former patient who called Gosnell a “serial killer” in an interview in 2011. Another patient, Dana Haynes, told Fox 29 “I really felt like, he was just going to let me die.” Fortunately for Haynes, her cousin forced her way into the clinic and demanded someone call 911 after waiting outside for hours and then being told to go home.
In his interview Gosnell claims not to be aware of any unsatisfied customers but admits “the choices that I’ve made have not always been perfect.” In the same light tone he adds, “If you’re not making mistakes you’re not really trying to do anything.” Asked if he was shocked by the allegations against him Gosnell gave a
halting reply “I’ve lived through negative, uh…negative publicity
before.”
Gosnell is currently on trial for eight murders, including seven unnamed infants and one adult woman. Karnamaya Mongar could not be revived after unlicensed staff allegedly gave her too much sedation. The grand jury report indicates the number of victims would be much higher if Gosnell hadn’t (allegedly) destroyed records that would further incriminate him.
Perhaps the most shocking claim in the interview, given what we now know about his clinic, is Gosnell’s suggestion that he had received an outpouring of public support and “confidence that the fact that I’m a good person will prevail.”