Two criminal anniversaries

On January 16, 1901, Jennie Mallard died at Alexian Brothers Hospital in Chicago from an abortion performed there that day. Mrs. Margaret Simmons, whose profession was listed as "nurse or midwife", was arrested and held in the death.

On January 16, 1937, Dr. Samuel Roth performed a fatal abortion on an unidentified woman in his New York office. On December 23, 1941, Roth was sentenced to a year in prison after pleading guilty to manslaughter for her death.



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

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