The wife of Philadelphia abortion doctor Kermit Gosnell had her bail dramatically reduced yesterday and will be released on electronically monitored house arrest.
Bail was originally set at $1 million for Pearl Gosnell, 50, after she was charged along with her husband and seven employees at the Women’s Medical Society in West Philadelphia as a result of a grand jury investigation. A judge yesterday ruled that only Gosnell’s signature on a $50,000 bond will be required for her release.
Defense attorney Michael Medway said Gosnell’s bail was originally set too high. “Bail is designed for one purpose and one purpose only, and that is to make sure the defendant appears in court. It’s not designed to punish,” he said. “The bail guidelines for these charges were between $2,000 and $5,000.”
Medway noted that bail commissioners in general “don’t understand the law” and were initially influenced by the notorious nature of the case when they set an amount.
