1927: Abortion proves fatal; doctor indicted

On August 23, 1927, 27-year-old Shellane Franklin, a Black woman, died at the scene of the crime from an abortion performed on her that day. Dr. Gordon Jackson, a white physician, was held by the coroner on October 28. On December 15, he was indicted for felony murder.



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

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