In the multiple uproars over Kermit Gosnell — whose mission-creep morphed from abortion to murder — two key reactions have been overlooked.

When the story went mainstream in mid-April, the moderate wing of the pro-choice contingent — those who think abortion should be “safe, legal, rare” and first trimester only — reacted with shock, complaining that restrictions had not been honored and admitting that pro-choice rhetoric had made life seem disposable.