Partisans on both sides of the abortion issue will no doubt try to take advantage of the shocking news about atrocities alleged to have occurred at a Philadelphia abortion clinic. But, for now, there is no dispute that the horrors should not have happened and should not have been allowed to continue for decades, through the administrations of several governors.

The grand jury report is difficult to read and the accompanying photos are disturbing. Dr. Kermit Gosnell, 69, is charged with eight counts of murder for the deaths of babies born alive, then killed, and a 22-year-old mother. Nine of Gosnell’s unqualified staff members are charged with various other charges related to the late-term abortions performed in a filthy setting that risked the lives of many young, mostly poor, women.

The Philadelphia Inquirer labels Gosnell a “serial killer.” His clinic operated for decades in a poor section of the West Philadelphia neighborhood of the city.

Apart from the horrors that Gosnell and his staff are accused of committing, the grand jury report targets state officials and others in positions of responsibility for ignoring many complaints about Gosnell’s clinic.

The 261-page grand jury report indicates that state regulators failed to inspect the clinic since 1993. When investigators finally shut down the clinic last year, they found bodies of babies in bags, and also infants’ feet in jars.

The charges against Gosnell and others allege that young women were often induced into labor for late-term abortions, and in some cases viable babies were delivered, only to be killed with scissors cutting into the back of the neck to sever the spinal cord.

Beyond the obvious depravity of what Gosnell and his staff are accused of doing, there was an appalling failure on the part of various state officials and agencies.

• The state Department of Health reportedly decided its authority did not extend to abortion clinics.

• An attorney for the commonwealth’s Department of State, which licenses doctors, decided to close two investigations, including the death of a 22-year-old woman who died after getting an abortion at Gosnell’s clinic. The other case involved a botched abortion, in which most of a fetus remained inside the woman; five days in the hospital were needed to repair damage to her cervix, uterus and bowel.

• Pennsylvania Department of Health officials inspected Gosnell’s clinic in 1989 and the early 1990s and found violations, but did not perform follow-up visits to ensure problems were corrected.

• Various officials, including health professionals at Philadelphia hospitals, also saw warning signals — but nothing happened.

• Two officials in the Philadelphia Public Health Department were reportedly aware of the deplorable conditions at the clinic, but failed to take action.

Gosnell has been named in at least 46 malpractice suits, including the case of the 22-year-old who died in 2000, yet he continued to perform abortions until the clinic was shut down last year. And the horrors of the clinic were only exposed after police stumbled on Gosnell’s operation while pursuing drug-related complaints.

For his part, former Gov. Ed Rendell says he’s “flabbergasted” that the state Health Department didn’t think its authority covered abortion clinics. The grand jury report charges the Health Department with deliberately choosing to not enforce laws.

There are many tragedies surrounding Gosnell’s decades of depraved medical procedures. But beyond the human costs, what’s most shocking is the failure — over decades — of state officials as well as health care professionals to investigate and shut down Gosnell’s operation.

Gov. Tom Corbett has promised a full investigation of the many failures in this case. Health Department employees are reportedly not legally liable for their apparent failures. Yet, those whose failure to act allowed the clinic to continue operating must be held accountable. If they cannot be prosecuted, they should be fired and face civil suits and big financial penalties for their inaction to protect public health.