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Thursday, February 17, 2011

1929: Fatal abortion performed by homemaker

On February 17, 1929, 25-year-old Violet Diancalana died in the home of Katherine Bajda, of complications of a criminal abortion performed on her there that day.

Mrs. Bajda, identified as a homemaker, was held by the coroner.

On March 15, Bajda was indicted for felony murder by a grand jury.

Violet's abortion was unusual in that it was performed by an amateur, rather than by a doctor, as was the case with perhaps 90% of criminal abortions.

Keep in mind that things that things we take for granted, like antibiotics and blood banks, were still in the future. For more about abortion in this era, see Abortion in the 1920s.

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

Source:
  • Homicide in Chicago Interactive
  • 2 comments:

    1. Call Congress! It only takes a minute! Defund all abortion clinics! Vote YES on Title X!! If you want to be active, this is the time. DO IT NOW!!!

      ReplyDelete
    2. 1920 is also the year abortion was legalized in Russia...only 2 years after the October Revolution. They were the first country in the world to do so. Good for you to remind us that it was before antibiotics or blood transfusions.

      ReplyDelete