Abortionist Dr. Kermit Gosnell, who was convicted yesterday of first degree murder of three babies, has agreed not to appeal a sentence of life in prison in return for the prosecution's agreement not to seek the death penalty. Having publicly opposed the death penalty for Gosnell, I am entirely content with this way of bringing the appalling episode to a close. Are we through with Gosnell now? Can we "let him rot in prison," as some have said and "just forget about him"? Not in my view.

For those of us who seek to be disciples of Jesus, our obligation is clear: It is to love Kermit Gosnell and pray for him. He will spend the remainder of his life in jail, as he certainly should-his punishment is just. But he remains a human being, made in the image and likeness of God. He is our (very wayward) brother. We are his fellow sinners. We must never suppose that it is beyond the power of the divine author of life to move his heart to repentance and conversion.

And let us redouble our efforts on behalf of the victims-mothers and babies alike-of the hundreds and even thousands of abortionists who will continue to ply Dr. Gosnell's grisly trade. Let us pray not only for Gosnell, but for all who deal in death, even as we work tirelessly in the political and cultural spheres to fight the abortion power and care for pregnant women in need and their inestimably precious children. more >>

The Obama administration was granted its last-minute appeal on Monday to delay the sale of Plan B morning-after pills to girls of any age without a prescription.

The New York Times reported that the Plan B One-Step morning-after contraceptive pill will not be sold to girls of all ages, at least until the end of May, after a federal appeals court in Manhattan temporarily granted the Obama administration's request.

Federal judge Edward Korman had ruled last month against the Health and Human Services Department, in favor of making the pill available to all girls without a prescription. Last week, Korman denied the Justice Department's request to suspend his ruling while it appeals. more >>

Planned Parenthood, the nation's largest abortion-providing organization, said the jury delivered a "just verdict" by finding Philadelphia abortionist Kermit Gosnell guilty of first-degree murder. It also argued that the case will help legal abortion rather than restrict it.

"The jury has punished Kermit Gosnell for his appalling crimes. This verdict will ensure that no woman is victimized by Kermit Gosnell ever again," Planned Parenthood Federation of America Vice President for Communications Eric Ferrero said in a statement.

"This case has made clear that we must have and enforce laws that protect access to safe and legal abortion, and we must reject misguided laws that would limit women's options and force them to seek treatment from criminals like Kermit Gosnell," Ferrero added. more >>

Reaction to the guilty verdict of Philadelphia abortionist Kermit Gosnell, convicted of murdering three babies born alive in his clinic, was swift Monday from Christian and pro-life leaders, who while applauded justice being served in Gosnell's case, said there are many more abortions and "Gosnell-like" atrocities to stop across the nation.

"The guilty charge of Dr. Kermit Gosnell, dethroned ruler of 'Gosnell's House of Horrors' may spark justice for more women and babies across America," said Dr. Alveda King, director of African American Outreach for Gospel of Life Ministries. "Justice is served with this verdict, but injustice will continue unless we end abortion in this country. Gosnell was not the only abortionist who killed mothers and their born babies, he was just the one who got caught. Now we have to turn out attention to charging, trying and convicting others like him."

On Monday, Gosnell, 72, was acquitted in the fourth baby's death, but found guilty of involuntary manslaughter in the overdose death of an adult patient. The jury, comprised of seven women and five men, reached a verdict on all 268 charges on the tenth day of deliberations. Gosnell now faces the death penalty or life in prison without parole. A separate set of jurors will reconvene on May 21 to consider whether he should be executed. more >>

After nearly a month, the Obama administration's Justice Department finally decided to fight New York Judge Edward Korman's activist Plan B decision. Following Judge Korman's decision, parents across the country, dozens of national organizations, and over 50 Members of Congress called on the administration to appeal the decision in order to protect the rights of parents and ensure the safety of young girls. Even so, a recent decision by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) could still put young girls in danger.

The decision to allow all girls of "reproductive" age to purchase Plan B without a prescription was made not by a panel of skilled professionals or by the Health and Human Services Department (HHS), but by a single federal judge who brushed aside serious medical concerns and parental rights in the name of "access." While Americans waited to hear whether or not the Obama administration would appeal the decision, the FDA decided to allow Plan B to be sold right off the shelf without prescription to girls as young as 15. Unfettered access to Plan B, whether available to pre-teens or limited to girls as young as 15, poses serious safety concerns.

Both decisions ignore the potential health risks to young women. Plan B is a single dose of hormones at least four to seven times the dose in birth control pills, and there is limited information on the effects such high doses of hormones would have on young girls. The evidence is also inconclusive on Plan B's mechanism of action, and could include both preventing fertilization of an egg and preventing uterine implantation of an embryo, which would mean acting as an abortifacient drug. Despite what proponents say, it is clearly not the same as taking an aspirin. more >>

Editor's Note: Warning, graphic material in following article.

Abortionist Kermit Gosnell has been found guilty of involuntary manslaughter in the death of patient Karnamaya Mongar who died at his late-term abortion clinic, and three counts of first-degree murder in the deaths of four babies allegedly born alive inside the Women's Medical Society abortion clinic in West Philadelphia, Pa., that he operated for 40 years.

Mongar, 41, a Nepalese refugee who lived in Virginia with her family, died in 2009 after Gosnell's untrained and unlicensed staff administered a lethal dose of Demerol, an opioid pain reliever, and then failed to provide emergency care when she stopped breathing during her abortion. more >>