NEW YORK – The allegations of murder at a Philadelphia abortion clinic add fuel to already heated national debate over late-term abortions and oversight of providers. One side wants tougher restrictions; the other says women would be safer if they had more options.

Almost in unison, abortion-rights and anti-abortion activists decried the alleged offenses of Dr. Kermit Gosnell, who was arraigned Thursday on eight counts of murder in the deaths of seven babies and one patient. He allegedly provided illegal late-term abortions for up to $3,000 while avoiding a crackdown despite numerous complaints and lawsuits.

“This provider clearly operates outside acceptable quality care standards and is a total outlier,” said National Abortion Federation president Vicki Saporta. “The majority of providers offer very high quality care.”

The problem with the Gosnell case, Saporta said, is that state and local authorities apparently didn’t enforce regulations that were on the books. She noted that Gosnell had been rejected for membership in her federation, which represents about 400 providers accounting for about half the nation’s 1.2 million annual abortions.

The federation has a self-policing policy, conducting periodic site visits to ensure that members comply with its guidelines.

Anti-abortion activists say self-policing, as well as existing regulations in many states, are insufficient. They have been pushing for years for tighter oversight of abortion providers, and the Gosnell case is likely to intensify those efforts.

On Thursday, for example, a legislative committee in Virginia endorsed a bill that would subject abortion clinics – which are now regulated like doctors’ offices – to the same standards as outpatient surgical centers.

“It’s hard to tell the extent of egregious offenders because the abortion industry is almost completely unregulated,” said Dr. Donna Harrison of Eau Claire, Mich., president of the American Association of Pro-Life Obstetricians and Gynecologists.In general, abortion-rights activists have opposed the state-level efforts to regulate abortion clinics more tightly, depicting these bills as backdoor attempts to shut down the clinics altogether.

Troy Newman of Operation Rescue, a Wichita, Kan.-based anti-abortion group, hailed the prosecution of Gosnell.