A defense lawyer has fallen ill, causing a delay in the murder trial of Philadelphia abortion provider Kermit Gosnell.

The 72-year-old Gosnell is charged with killing a patient and seven babies.

The defense had been expected to start presenting its case Monday after five weeks of prosecution testimony.

The trial is now scheduled to resume Tuesday if defense lawyer Jack McMahon is back to work.

McMahon has argued that there were no live births at the clinic, and that the 41-year-old patient died of unforeseen complications in 2009.

The only co-defendant, unlicensed doctor Eileen O'Neill, is charged with racketeering and working without a license. Her lawyer says she worked under Gosnell's supervision.