Victoria Seronka, a 17-year-old homemaker, died on August 27, 1970 in transit by ambulance to Southwest General Hospital in Cleveland, Ohio.
Doctors said that she was 3 months pregnant, and an autopsy revealed signs of an attempted abortion.
I have been unable to determine what sort of abortion attempt had been made, but since independent researchers determined that 90% or more of pre-legalization abortions were done by physicians, the most likely scenarios are that Victoria had either traveled out-of-state for a legal abortion or had found a physician to perform an illegal one closer to home.
Of those two possibilities, I think that the first is more likely, since there are no further news reports about Victoria's death. Only a local, illegal abortion would have remained a police matter and thus have warranted press coverage.
Sources:
- "Abortion Try Caused Death, Coroner Rules," Cleveland Plain Dealer, August 29, 1970
- Ohio death record
- Obituary
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