Abortion History: After fatal abortion, doctor pulls stupid crook trick

On February 14, 1944, Amelia Cardito, a 34-year-old mother of 4, underwent an illegal abortion at the office of Dr. Anthony Renda. Amelia died nine days later in a New York hospital.

Renda, author of three books on obstetrics, may have been a smart doctor, but he was a stupid crook. He implicated himself when he called police to complain that Amelia's widower was shaking him down for funeral expenses.

Renda was sentenced to 7 years in Sing-Sing for Amelia's death. (New York Times 4-1-43, 4-22-43, 4-21-44, 5-12-44)



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

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