Texas May Have Its Own Gosnell: Houston Doc Accused of Gruesome Illegal Abortions

Although Kermit Gosnell, the Philadelphia abortionist found guilty this week of three counts of first-degree murder, has been successfully removed from civil society, another abortion practitioner like him may be on the loose in Houston, Texas.

“Harris County authorities and the Texas Department of State Health Services are investigating a local doctor accused Wednesday by an anti-abortion group of performing late-term abortions in 2011,” the Houston Chronicle reports.

The abortionist, Douglas Karpen, has been accused by three former staffers, Deborah Edge, Gigi Aguliar, and Krystal Rodriguez, of performing several illegal abortions. Their testimony, and alleged photographic evidence, was brought to light by Operation Rescue, a pro-life watchdog.

There’s a fourth informant working with Operation Rescue, filing an affidavit about her experiences, but she prefers to remain anonymous.

"We have several people looking into the allegations," said Sara Marie Kinney, a spokeswoman for the Harris County District Attorney's Office.

DSHS spokeswoman Carrie Williams said in an email that the agency, which monitors Texas abortion facilities, is "aware of the allegations, and we are investigating."

"This is a very high priority for us," she said.

DSHS became aware of the allegations after Operation Rescue released a report containing the staffers' testimony and photos. The cellphone photos the staffers provided the pro-life group with seem to back up their gruesome claims.

“The photos show babies that are huge, with gashes in their necks, indicating that these babies were likely born alive, then killed, just as Kermit Gosnell did at his ‘House of Horrors’ clinic in Philadelphia,” said Operation Rescue President Troy Newman.

“In fact, there are numerous similarities between Karpen and the Gosnell case, including the disregarding of complaints by the authorities that allowed both men to continue their illegal operations,” he added.

The photos are extremely gruesome, entirely sickening, and graphic.  If you have the stomach for it, LifeSiteNews.com has copies of them here. But be warned.

Here's a reported video of Karpen's former staffers:

"In a week when serial murderer Kermit Gosnell was found guilty of killing babies, I read with disgust about the allegations of Houston-based abortionist Douglas Karpen performing illegal late-term abortions surrounded by appalling sanitary conditions in his clinic," Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst, mindful of Gosnell’s “house of horrors,” said in a statement.

“The Harris County authorities should perform a full-scale investigation and take action against those who broke state law,” the statement adds.

The possibility that Texas may have its own Gosnell has the Texas Medical Board on alert.

Leigh Hopper, a spokeswoman for the group, said the reports on Karpen’s three clinics "raises concerns, for certain.

However, she adds, Karpen's license is "free and clear currently."

“Hopper declined to say whether there have been complaints lodged against Karpen; such information is not available to the public,” the Houston Chronicle notes.

“But in its online post, Operation Rescue links to a February letter that appears to show the medical board dismissing an investigation into Karpen,” the report adds.

Hopper offered a possible explanation: It "doesn't look fake to me, and it reads like the sort of letter TMB sends out routinely."

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