USA

Abortion Doctor Gets 3 Life Sentences for Baby Murders

Dr. Kermit Gosnell (Philadelphia Police Department)

A U.S. abortion doctor was sent to prison Wednesday to serve three life terms without parole for murdering babies during late-term abortion.

Dr. Kermit Gosnell was given a life sentence in a Philadelphia court Wednesday for killing a baby he had described as big enough to "walk to the bus." The court handed down two life sentences Tuesday in a deal with prosecutors that spared him the death penalty.

The 72-year-old Gosnell was convicted this week of first-degree murder in the deaths of three babies born alive then stabbed with scissors. He was also sentenced to up to five years in prison for the involuntary manslaughter of a patient who died from a drug overdose after going to his clinic for an abortion.

Gosnell's dangerous practice was discovered during a prescription drug raid by federal agents.

Gosnell also was sentenced on a charge of running a corrupt organization. Testimony depicted a filthy clinic that prosecutors called a ``house of horrors.''

The case has made the doctor the latest focus in the nation's bitter debate over legalized abortion.