PHILADELPHIA, April 25 (UPI) -- A lawyer for Dr. Kermit Gosnell, charged with killing newborns at his Philadelphia abortion clinic, rested his case Wednesday without calling any witnesses.
The trial resumes Monday with closing arguments, The Philadelphia Inquirer reported.
Gosnell faces four counts of first-degree murder for allegedly killing babies born alive after late-term abortions, and could be sentenced to death if he is convicted. He is also charged with the third-degree murder of Karnamaya Mongar, who died after allegedly being administered an overdose of Demerol as an anesthetic.
Common Pleas Judge Jeffrey Minehart dismissed three counts of first-degree murder Tuesday, ruling the prosecution had not proved them.
Investigators say conditions were horrific at the Women's Medical Center, which Gosnell, 72, operated in West Philadelphia for decades.
A co-defendant, Eileen O'Neill, is charged with participating in a corrupt organization. Her lawyer presented 13 witnesses.
Advocates on both sides of the abortion debate have pointed to the Gosnell case. Abortion opponents say doctors who carry out the procedure are simply interested in making money, while pro-choice advocates say restrictions imposed on abortion have made the procedure harder to obtain and more expensive, driving poor women to less-than-reputable providers.
