RealChoice: October 10, 1970: Fetus Shoved Through Hole in Uterus

Friday, October 10, 2025

October 10, 1970: Fetus Shoved Through Hole in Uterus

Twenty-three-year-old Maria Hernandez Ortega, a citizen of Guatemala, had been living in the United States with her husband, Luis, for eight months in October of 1970. They'd lived in Queens until mid-August, when they had relocated to Boston.

Maria and Luis traveled back to New York and stayed with a friend, Alfonso Paniagua-Garcia, in Queens. so that Maria could take advantage of New York's new law legalizing abortion on demand.

The abortion, a dilation and curettage, was performed by Dr. Armida Zepeda in her New York office, 1440 York Avenue, at about 5 p.m. on October 10.

Zepeda had estimated the pregnancy to be two months. After trying for about 20 minutes, she was unable to extract the fetus. She concluded that Maria had not been pregnant after all, and sent her home. Maria and Luis returned to the friend's apartment.

At 10:00 that night, Maria died in her friend's home. It turned out that she had actually been at least four months pregnant, not two months. Zepeda had pushed the fetus through the uterine wall into Maria's abdominal cavity. Maria had bled to death.

Maria's death was the tenth known abortion death in New York City since abortion had been legalized on July 1. City officials said that four of those abortions were performed in hospitals and the other six were started outpatient. Public health officials reviewing the situation decided to forbid any more abortions to be performed in doctors' offices, though they could still be performed in outpatient clinics. According to the New York Times, "A few doctors have announced they intend to defy the regulations."

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