1910: Unnamed doctor's patient perishes

On August 31, 1910, Mrs. Ellen Shirah, age 34, died in Augustano Hospital in Chicago from an abortion that had been performed the previous day at her home. (See "Kitchen Table Surgery" for more about the context of at-home abortions.) The coroner's jury determined that a doctor had been responsible, but did not identify who.

Note, please, that with general public health issues such as doctors not using proper aseptic techniques, lack of access to blood transfusions and antibiotics, and overall poor health to begin with, there was likely little difference between the performance of a legal abortion and illegal practice, and the aftercare for either type of abortion was probably equally unlikely to do the woman much, if any, good. For more information about early 20th Century abortion mortality, see Abortion Deaths 1910-1919.



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