He took an oath to protect life, not take it. The story of the investigation and trial of abortion provider Dr Kermit Gosnell.
Warning: spoilers below!
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Read the complete plot breakdown of Gosnell: The Trial of America’s Biggest Serial Killer (2018), including all key story events, major twists, and the ending explained in detail. Discover what really happened—and what it all means.
In the gripping investigation into a prescription pill mill run by Kermit Gosnell, Detective James “Woody” Wood discovers a troubling death: a woman died at Gosnell’s clinic after narcotics were given without a doctor on the premises. Wood, relentless and precise, teams up with his partner to uncover the truth, pressing on through a raid that brings the darker side of medical practice into daylight. The operation, supported by the Drug Enforcement Administration and the Federal Bureau of Investigation, aims to expose how the clinic operated under the radar while patients were heavily medicated for abortions.
Inside the clinic, the scene is jarring: cats roam freely and defecate in the open as Gosnell is nowhere to be found, and the patients lie under heavy sedation. This disturbing environment becomes the backdrop for a fight for justice as Wood and his team search for concrete evidence tied to Karnamaya Mongar. The investigation is propelled further when Wood earns the crucial support of Assistant District Attorney Lexy McGuire. Lexy McGuire brings legal resolve and an unflinching drive to confront what they uncover behind the clinic doors.
What the investigators uncover is shocking and morally complex. Gosnell had been performing late-term abortions by moving patients into a state of stupor with drugs administered by staff who were not properly trained. In this state, babies were delivered alive, and Gosnell and his team killed them by snipping their spines with surgical scissors. The revelation casts a long shadow over the healthcare system, with health officials for years having turned a blind eye to the clinic’s operations, allowing the Rosetta Stone of silence to persist.
At the heart of the trial is a contentious legal distinction: what constitutes a legally performed late abortion versus the illegal acts that Gosnell allegedly carried out. The prosecution emphasizes that the babies Gosnell killed were not aborted in the womb but delivered alive, making the case a matter of homicide rather than a courtroom controversy over procedure. A pivotal moment comes when Lexy introduces a photograph of “Baby Boy A” into evidence, a stark symbol of the alleged brutality carried out in the clinic and a focal point for jurors grappling with the gravity of the charges.
Gosnell’s defense argues that the case is entangled in sensationalism and racial prejudice, portraying Gosnell as a victim of a racist Catholic crusade against a Black doctor providing services to minority women. The courtroom becomes a battleground of narratives, each side contending with the emotional and societal implications of late-term procedures, race, and medical ethics.
In the end, the jury renders a verdict that reflects the weight of the evidence presented. Gosnell is found guilty on most charges, including the murder of Baby Boy A, a conclusion that underscores the seriousness of the crimes and affirms the pursuit of justice for Karnamaya Mongar and the many patients affected by the clinic’s operations.
Last Updated: November 22, 2025 at 15:59
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