Anniversaries: Two "back alley" abortion deaths

On December 2, 1901, the body of Rose Lefebre was found in the office of Dr. Volbending. It appeared that Rose had died from an abortion. Dr. Volbending was arrested, but she was later exonerated by a Coroner's Jury.

On December 5, 1948, Dr. Cyril B. Babb pleaded guilty to performing a fatal abortion on Doris Becker the previous Wednesday in his office. Doris died 20 hours later at the apartment of a friend, Anne Martin. Anne and a bartender, George Kutrones, were held as material witnesses. Babb also admitted to performing 30 other abortions. Doris's abortion was typical of pre-legalization abortions in that it was performed by a physician.



For more on pre-legalization abortion, see The Bad Old Days of Abortion

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