HARRISBURG, Jan. 24, 2011 – State Sen. Vincent J. Hughes (D-Philadelphia/Montgomery) today on the Senate floor, holding a copy of the 281 page grand jury report, addressed the indictment of Dr. Kermit Gosnell and the Women’s Medical Society. During his floor remarks, Hughes urged both Democrats and Republicans to find precisely where failures occurred and act swiftly to put solutions in place.
Gosnell, who was arrested Wednesday, is accused of causing the death of one of his female patients and killing viable babies born alive in the 6th, 7th and 8th month of pregnancy.
Hughes, who represents the senatorial district where Gosnell practiced, said the situation was horrific and the risk of any future occurrences calls for immediate action. Hughes encouraged the judicial process to prosecute to the fullest extent of the law. He also asked that his colleagues work together to address the lack of oversight, while not limiting access to quality, reproductive health services for numerous Pennsylvanians.
Hughes pointed out that the reprehensible activities in Dr. Gosnell’s office are the exception to what is provided in similar medical facilities. Hughes said the law must allow for the appropriate oversight in any and every health care environment.
“We must work together to fix holes in the health care system that allowed this tragedy to occur,” Hughes said.
“We must use the tools available to us to fix the system — hearings, testimony and policy analysis must be used with accuracy and expediency and we must ensure this never happens again,” Hughes said.
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