Pro-life Leaders Demand Burial for ‘Gosnell Babies,’ Philly Stonewalls

Newsbusters ^ | July 23, 2013 | Katie Yoder

[grundle]

Kermit Gosnell is behind bars, and his little victims are long dead, but the case is still a fight about the dignity of life.

On Friday, July 19, several pro-life leaders demanded justice and burial for the bodies of 45 babies found in convicted murderer Kermit Gosnell’s Philadelphia abortion clinic. They organized a prayer vigil outside the Philadelphia Medical Examiner’s Office, and promised to risk arrest when the office barred its doors to their inquiries.

The speakers, including Fr. Frank Pavone of Priests for Life, Students for Life’s Kristan Hawkins, Christian Defense Coalition’s Rev. Patrick Mahoney, Stand True Ministries’ Bryan Kemper, and Alliance Defending Freedom’s Catherine Foster, endured the sweltering heat to deliver a letter requesting information about the remains. The Medical Examiner’s Office, which agreed to meet with them just hours before, locked its doors and called the police as they approached.

Fr. Frank Pavone, national director of Priests for Life, stressed to the MRC that the Medical Examiner’s Office responded twice when he previously requested the babies’ remains. While the office first considered his appeal, it later decided to withhold the bodies from all third parties – without explanation.

“Meanwhile,” said Pavone, “we’re doing two things: we’re asking ‘Why not?’ and, ‘What do you intend to do with these bodies?’ The public has the right to know where these bodies are, what’s going to be done with them.”

Students for Life’s Kristan Hawkins excoriated the office, telling the MRC, “We’re here as citizens asking the city to let us bury these babies in the proper way.” She believed the Medical Examiner’s conduct aimed to dehumanize the babies and reprimanded, “This is the city of Philadelphia wanting to forget the ugly horrors of the Kermit Gosnell trial.”

[combat_boots]

This is the city of Philadelphia asking for all kinds of spiritual interference and calamities.

[OddLane]

I agree with Ms. Hawkins.

They're trying to bury the Gosnell atrocities, and are being aided by the mainstream media, which is working low information voters into a frenzy over Texas's abortion "ban."

[Wellington VII]

These poor babies need proper Christian burials and their mothers should be prosecuted.

[WorkingClassFilth]

The little souls are in heaven. Politely request the bodies for private internment. At this point, it is merely tissue. Plant some trees that can memorialize the babes by growing strong in their dust. Forget the killers and the system.

[YHAOS]

The proper Christian burial, by city or state authorities of those 45 unborn children, would be a devastating admission of murder countenanced by the state. They have a problem.

Watching them squirm will be instructive.