Philadelphia AlphaCare pregnancy center brings ‘redemption’ to community healing from Kermit Gosnell’s ‘House of Horrors’
In the place of Kermit Gosnell’s “House of Horrors” abortion facility, a new free, life-affirming facility is open. The clinic is operated by AlphaCare, a pro-life organization that has served women in the area since 1981, offering an ultrasound, baby supplies, peer counseling and more in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
Gosnell operated a late-term abortion clinic at 3801 Lancaster Ave. in Philadelphia for over 30 years. It wasn’t until a botched abortion led to the death of Karnamaya Mongar and shed light on the dilapidated and unsanitary conditions of his practice as well as the outright murder of babies using his practice called “snipping.”
Dr. Gosnell’s “House of Horrors” revealed several horrific issues in abortion clinics around the country.
The investigation revealed that Gosnell had routinely delivered babies alive at his clinic and snipped their spinal cords with scissors, leading to three murder convictions in addition to a manslaughter conviction in Mongar’s death.
As Gosnell was arrested and tried, Karen Hess and Kim Bennett, AlphaCare’s executive director and nurse manager, respectively, worked to relocate services from a mile away to reclaim the building with a new hope and vision.
Life Site News chronicled this story:
In June of 2015, that dream came one major step closer to fulfillment when a friend of AlphaCare purchased the two addresses adjacent to Gosnell’s former flat-iron location, setting the stage for the January grand opening.
With an estimated 40,000 babies having lost their lives through Gosnell’s abortion practice from 1979 to 2011, one of AlphaCare’s main hopes in relocating has been to offer badly needed post-abortive services to the very women Gosnell exploited.
While Hess and Bennett have pitched the idea to donors and partners over the years, they’ve rallied around Isaiah 61—God’s promise to transform “ashes” into “beauty.”
Hess and Bennett hope to one day purchase and renovate Gosnell’s former clinic just a wall away.
Along the way, Hess and Bennett have led the way for AlphaCare’s rebranding (it was formerly called “Alpha Pregnancy Services”), as well as the addition of a mobile ultrasound unit in partnership with Save the Storks.
In an email to donors at the close of 2016, AlphaCare called the ultrasound exam room the “heart of the center” and invited supporters to attend an open house Sunday, Jan. 22—the 44th anniversary of Roe v. Wade and Sanctity of Human Life Sunday.
“Gosnell’s property is still mired in legal issues and not yet for sale. Nevertheless, the redemption has begun,” AlphaCare wrote in a Dec. 27 email. “Thanks to a tremendous outpouring of support and an incredible team of tradesmen, two row homes have been transformed into a brand new office space complete with a state of the art computer network, burglar alarm, new furnishings and more.
“The AlphaCare staff rejoices and praises the Lord for His provision.”
