The Pennsylvania grand jury that indicted Dr. Kermit Gosnell for murder and infanticide for his botched abortions carried out in horrifyingly unsanitary conditions also has revealed a second scandal: Pro-abortion politics prevented normal inspection of his facility for 17 years. Marian Wang of Pro Publica reveals the story, quoting the grand jury report:

The Pennsylvania Department of Health abruptly decided, for political reasons, to stop inspecting abortion clinics at all. The politics in question were not anti-abortion, but pro. With the change of administration from Governor Casey to Governor Ridge, officials concluded that inspections would be "putting a barrier up to women" seeking abortions.

"Even nail salons in Pennsylvania are monitored more closely for client safety," the report states. "Without regular inspections, providers like Gosnell continue to operate; unlawful and dangerous third-trimester abortions go undetected; and many women, especially poor women, suffer."

According to the report, the policy change occurred after 1993 when attorneys under the administration of then-governor Tom Ridge "interpreted the same regulations that had permitted annual inspections for years to no longer authorize those inspections." Thereafter, only inspections triggered by complaints were authorized.